When Cubbie was a younger pug, I took him everywhere I went. He was my constant companion, a rotund, game-for-anything, kindhearted creature with an infectious grunt.
I took him to bars. I took him to restaurants. I took him to stores that were cool with dogs. I took him to ice cream shops that were cool with pugs. Each week for four years, I took him to the bank to make a deposit and get a bone. At the mere mention of the word bank, he’d pounce off the couch, run for the door and hop into the passenger seat of my car. It was our Monday morning ritual.
I took him to our wedding. I dressed him in a tuxedo and a top hat. I tied a little white pillow to his back and asked him to carry our rings. He obliged, as he obliges to most things most of the time.
I took him to the top of a mountain in Colorado and to the bottom of a valley in Idaho. I took him to Graceland. I took him to Chicago. I took him to the Oregon Coast and let him run without a leash into the Pacific Ocean, the memory of which is so fresh in my mind I can still smell the salt on his fur as I smuggled him past the front desk in a no-dogs-allowed hotel.
I can still see the wild look in his eyes when, after spending three weeks on the road, sleeping in a tent with me, I let him crash on a pillow in a queen-sized bed. King Cub.
In his eight and half years, Cubbie has embarked on more adventures than some people enjoy in a lifetime. Since he can’t express his gratitude for these experiences, I can only assume he’s a better pug for it. I’m certainly a better person for it.
Now here’s the part where I’m forced to have a reality check:
My pug, who turns nine in December, has been having seizures. At first they were MILD and very intermittent – one every few weeks. When I returned to Florida after spending two weeks in Buffalo with Henry, the episodes became more frequent and more serious.
Joe, who didn’t travel with us, did his best to manage the seizures while I was gone. I think he refrained from telling me how bad they’d gotten because he didn’t want to worry me. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize the gravity of the situation. My first night home, Cubbie fell over in the hallway, screaming, paws paddling in the air.
Other than some major slowing down and general laziness, which I had attributed to his age and recent neutering, Cubbie had been doing OK. Sure, he’s overweight, but we’ve been fighting that battle for years with a home cooked diet. And yeah, he’s got chronic ear infections, but isn’t that like no-big-deal on the dog wellness barometer?
Try again.
The increase in seizure activity prompted us to run a blood test and urinalysis. The results came back normal. Good news, right?
Not entirely.
In the midst of this, Cubbie, who was prescribed Cipro for an inner ear infection, had a seizure one morning that caused him to fall off our bed, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Panicked, but trying to remain calm for the sake of the dog and Henry, we used an eye-rubbing technique that our vet said helps bring dogs out of a seizure. It worked … eventually, after he lost control of both his bowels and his bladder.
We phoned our vet, who is kind, affordable and empathetic. He advised us to take Cub off Cipro, which can cause convulsions in dogs with central nervous system disorders. He prescribed Phenobarbital. On Friday we gave him his first dose.
He’s not been the same since.
He sleeps all day. When he’s not sleeping, he’s teetering in a corner, panting or staggering around the house bumping into walls. His balance and coordination is totally shot. His vision sucks. His hearing is off. The only way to wake him is to pick him up slowly, set him GINGERLY on his feet and pray that he doesn’t tip over or have another seizure, which was what happened yesterday when I stirred him around 10 am.
I’m not sure what else we can do. When it comes to neurological disorders, an MRI is the most accurate test, but that kind of imaging can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000. And then what? Learn that our worst fears are true, that Cubbie has an inoperable brain tumor?
Perhaps an inner ear infection is to blame. Perhaps it’s spread to his brain. Or are chronic ear infections a symptom of a greater problem?
Am I being overly dramatic? He could have simply developed epilepsy. It happens.
He’s on a mild dose of Phenobarbital – 16 mg every 12 hours. Everything I’ve read online says he’ll adapt to the medication overtime and eventually snap out of this drug-induced stupor.
After spending five nights sleeping on a mattress on the floor, I’ve decided it’s time to return the bed to its box spring and make a soft spot for him on the floor. In eight and a half years Cubbie has never slept on the floor. He’s a bed pug. Moving him to the floor is a necessary precaution, but it’s heartbreaking given the circumstances.
I’m airing this news on the Lance because Cubbie is my first baby and a big part of my life. It would be stupid to pretend I’m not worried sick about the little sausage. I’ve got 25 soft spots in my heart and Cubbie occupies 10 of them.
Anyone who has ever loved an animal knows how difficult it is to see it suffer. Is the pug suffering? I don’t know. He’s certainly a shadow of his former fun-loving self, which is what I miss most of all right now.
He had a small seizure in the middle of writing this last sentence. He was asleep beside my desk when I heard him cry. I immediately recognized the twitching. I rubbed his eyes like the vet taught me and told him he’d be OK, then I reminded him that he’s a strong mountain-climbing pug with many more years under his folds. I kissed his head and quietly wished him well.
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So, here I am sitting in your office baby sitting poor Cub and as I moved the mouse on your computer I saw this post that you must have just written. Breaks my heart to see Cub like this and all the wonderful experiences he has had the opportunity to have with you (Joe and Henry too) by his side. Fingers crossed that he will snap out of this soon and become use to this medication. I’m so happy to be right around the corner from you now and be there when you need me- for anything! Love you!
Hey there.. I just started reading your blog today. As a small animal vet, I feel compelled to offer some encouraging words. Sounds like your vet is a good one, and she/he probably told you that the Phenobarb does take a while to reach a therapeutic level in the body, especially if a loading dose was not given. At Cubbie’s age, certainly we fear more sinister conditions such as an intracranial mass, but there’s always a chance that it is epilepsy. If the Phenobarb doesn’t help, there are other anti-epileptic meds like Potassium Bromide and Zonisamide try. And yes, I see many owners discouraged by the side effects of the Phenbarb, but it DOES get better. Also, some vets will allow an owner to take home Valium to give rectally to their pet if the seizures are just piling on top of each other, especially if the Phenobarb has not reached a therapeutic level yet. I totally agree with the MRI, and/or a Neurology consult… unfortunately, it’s difficult to treat properly without a definite diagnosis. I also know how expensive those diagnostics are!
Recently, a friend of mine set up a fund at “gofundme” for her Pug, who needed surgery for a tumor. She raised about 75% of what she needed and was able to have surgery performed on her dog. You’ve got a great blog (er, Lance) here and some thoughtful, warm-hearted readers… I would certainly contribute to the cause, and I’ve only been reading for a day!
-Danielle
I’m sorry to hear its gotten worse. As we talked about last week, I can relate to dog illnesses and it is a heartbreaking situation. If you ever need a Cubbie sitter to run to the store or whatever please call me. I’m happy to stay with him and help with there is a problem. I mean it!
Danielle: Thank you. This was exactly the kind of response I was hoping to get about Cubbie’s situation. What a coincidence that you happened upon the Lance today, just as I posted this. How long does it generally take a dog to adjust to Phenobarb? He’s got almost every side effect in the book, so of course I think his symptoms are a result of something “more sinister,” as you call it. We’re worried our dog has a brain tumor, so we give him medicine to treat seizures and then suddenly his health plummets and we’re left wondering if it’s because he’s really, really sick, or because we drugged him.
Oh Heelya! I’m so happy you’re around the corner too!
Tara, you’re the sweetest!
So sorry you all are going through this :/ thinking of you!
Uncle Homer & I send {{{{hugs & puggie kisses}}}}} and good thoughts to all of you. Wish I was there to help and give support when need be. My gut tells me Cubbie is going to be ok, especially after seeing you gained a new lance reader named Danielle who is a vet. What are the chances of that on the exact day you posted this story!!!! I see that as a good sign. Hang in there… inside Cubbie is still that strong mountain-climbing pug just waiting to bust loose and explore again. Love you
I’m so sorry, Heidi. Heartbreaking. Thinking of both of you.
Hi Heidi,
In my clinical experience, most people report the worst side effects for about 2-3 weeks. By about 3-4 weeks the dogs have generally adapted and are much less lethargic and “out of it”. If you get to 3-4 weeks and you’re still seeing such strong signs, it’s likely a sign that a different anti-epileptic medication needs to be tried. However, some dogs are so “out of it” that you can’t even get to 3-4 weeks, and have to either back down on the dose (doesn’t sound like you’d still be in the therapeutic range if you did that) or consider a different medication sooner.
Oh Heidi, I’m so sorry – if only our dogs could live forever! Please keep us posted on how he is doing….[[[[HUGS]]]]]
Roberta
Agree with both of my colleague Danielle’s comments above. In my experience, pets seem to adjust to phenobarbital in a week or two, although it can take up to a month. Another unfortunate side effect is increased appetite which may be problematic in a pug as they can be chubby. Some other questions I had…was a T4 to assess his thyroid part of his screening bloodwork? I’ve seen hypothyroid dogs seize. They can also be overweight and have ear/skin issues. Also, I read that you homecook. Are you following a strict recipe for a complete and balanced dog food, like you would find at petdiets.com or balanceit.com? If not, I would be seriously concerned about nutritional deficiency as a cause for epilepsy if he is not getting any dog food. I typically tell clients that good seizure control is no more than one seizure every two months tops (ie 6 per year) and preferably no seizures. Cluster seizures (multiples in a short period)and status epilepticus (one long one that won’t stop) are emergencies. I hope that you are keeping a seizure journal to log frequency. You should also notice whether the seizures are similar in appearance and duration. If they all look the same then this means it is the same focal part of the brain that is “freaking out”(better)versus more diffuse disease(not good). As Danielle said, there are other options for meds if phenobarb doesn’t work out. In addition to potassium bromide, zonisamide, diazepam (short term), I have used Keppra as a single agent in dogs (cheapest at Costco), and have used clonazepam to rescue dogs from clusters. If you can swing even the neuro consult, you may be able to get some valuable info just from the exam. Sometimes there are “localizing signs” that a neurologist can find that can help point to structural disease in the brain without spending the money on an MRI. This would at least give you an idea if its “just” epilepsy vs something more sinister. The neurologists are also really good at tweaking the drugs too, and have a lot of experience doing so. There are three neurologists in the area too, so the resources are there. Your vet has you started on the right path for how we typically treat this miserable condition. I hope he adjusts quickly and responds well. If you want to talk to me further, ask Kelly for my contact info.
Michelle – thank you for taking the time to respond to this. I really value your feedback. My vet did rule out his thyroid with the rest of his bloodwork screening. It’s been five days since I gave Cubbie his first dose of Phenobarb. I’m happy to report that today he seems to be doing much better as far as drug side effects go. He’s PERKED UP. He’s walking straight. He’s not bumping into furniture or panting for no reason. In 24 hours he’s had a little breakthrough. Now of course he had a small seizure yesterday and a small seizure the day before, so it’s not perfect progress, but these two seizures were like a walk in the park compared to the convulsions/incontinence from the week before. (It’s important to note that Cubbie had three of these scary seizures while on Cipro. He’s not had this type of seizure since we took him off that med on Saturday.)
Most of his seizures are exactly the same: they happen when he’s sleeping, or has just woken up. He usually lets out a cry – sometimes it’s loud, sometimes it’s quiet. His muscles tense up and he kind of paddles his paws in the air. They usually last about 30 seconds and each time we’re able to kind of calm him down until he regains his footing. With yesterday’s seizure, he just fell back asleep.
My vet called tonight to check in on him. I told him about the two seizures he’s had while on Phenobarb and he seemed concerned that maybe we should try something else. I also told him that it looked like Cub was adjusting to the drug and that I felt comfortable giving it two weeks before trying something else. The vet mentioned some of the anti-seizure meds you mentioned.
He wants me to give him milk thistle and valerian root, but my dog is a DIVA when it comes to taking pills or vitamins. We have a hard enough time getting him to eat a tiny Phenobarb pill. We roll it into a ball of cheese, but the little hound can SMELL it every time. Milk thistle STINKS something fierce. I’ve yet to find a successful way to trick him into eating it.
In the meantime, I’m still treating his ear infection topically with Mometamex and a prescription ear wash.
What else?
Oh yeah. The homecooked food. I’m pulling him off of it. I’ve gone back and forth with this for a while. My vet, who tends to favor holistic approaches, doesn’t think there’s a link between the food and the seizures, but I’m no longer cool with preparing his food. I could easily be screwing it up. Maybe he’s getting too much protein. Too little protein. Not enough carbs. It’s too much responsibility now that he’s having major health problems. I know some pet owners with epileptic animals swear by certain homecooked diets, but I don’t think the one I was making for Cubbie counts as epileptic-friendly.
I was mixing together 3 cups of brown rice, 1 pound of ground chicken, a bag of frozen vegetables (peas and carrots) and two sweet potatoes. Sometimes I’d add a few hard boiled eggs. It seemed balanced. I know I needed to add bone meal, but I had a hard time finding it in stores. I was about to order it off the internet when this seizure thing started.
We first started cooking for him to alleviate skin allergies. The weight loss aspect was an added bonus. (Cub is not a petite pug.) It proved the best way to get him to shed pounds. He’s got an ENORMOUS appetite and the phenobarb is certainly not helping that. It’s making him more lazy and more ravenous.
For now I’m giving him Newman’s Own dry food for senior dogs. And yes, I’m keeping a log of seizure activity. (He didn’t have one today.)
Again, thank you (everyone!) for your comments and concerns. Let’s hope Cub continues to improve. I always know he’s feeling better when his little pug tail is curled up. It was curled all day today!
Heidi Check out this site. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com
My pug just started having seizures recently he’s 3 and it the scariest thing ever for me I hope cubbie Is doing well
My 12 year old pug Winston just had his first seizure an hour ago. As soon as he calmed back down I jumped on the net to read about them. Your blog has been very comforting and informative. Please let us know how Cubbie is doing. I wish you all well.
Take care,
Michael
I’m so sorry to hear about your wonderful pet. You have written very eloquently about your love for this cute little pug.
I started researching pugs and seizures because I too had a pug who started having seizures about 3 months ago. She was 15 and blind and deaf for the last two years and just began having seizures recently. I just had to put her down yesterday and I’m just very devastated about it. I miss her so much.
Your story brings warmth to my heart and makes me realize that I’m not the only one who is head over heels for a dog.
The stories about your dog in the wedding and all the trips and camping and everything just made me smile. I hope you will keep writing about any new dog that you have in the future.
it’s 2015 now so its been two years since you wrote this blog. Maybe you can provide an update for any future readers.
I also want to mention that as I searched the internet I found that there a lot of alternative treatments that will actually get rid of seizures. You’re not going to find this at a typical vet and most vet offices are going to prescribe very strong drugs that will take your dog’s personality away. But it looks like there are lots of alternative treatments that actually will keep your dog from having seizures because apparently they’re missing certain enzymes or amino acids. And the problem is with the dry dog food because they have a lot of preservatives in the food so the toxins in the food can hurt the body’s ability to provide certain enzymes necessary for digestion.
But I also found that there’s a connection between pinesol and seizures in dogs. And here’s the worst part is that I noticed that when I started using pinesol to clean my floors in my new condo the seizures coincided with the timing. It’s too late now because I didn’t even think about it until I happened to see it in another blog. my dog is 15 by the time she started having seizures. I moved into a new condo in November of 2013. Its tile floors and I used Pine Sol to clean the floors for the last year. Her seizures began in October of 2014 and she had 18 of them that I’m aware of over the last 3 months. She already wasn’t herself because of being blind and deaf. The vet thinks that she probably had a brain tumor and that is the reason that I had to put her down. I’m sure I will eventually recover from losing Lucy. But your story about your own pug warmed my heart and I wanted to let you know that.. thanx 4 sharing.
I have a 3 and half year old pug and she has been having seziures for going on maybe a couple of months if not a little longer.. I took her to the vet and he did blood work and her Thyroid level was a little low so he put her on meds for it and she seemed to get better for awhile and regained her appitite. We took her back to the vet so they could check her thyroid level in a month and they were what they called high normal but he opted to keep her on the med … since then she has started having seziures again and has since started on Phenobarb. and my experiences are much the same as yours she sleeps and dosent really want to eat .. we give her Karo brown syrup in a eye dropper type thing to keep her blood sugar up….. the vet has adjusted her dosage on the Phenobarb twice now… from 2 pills a day to 4 then back down to 3.. I guess my question is every time you change the dose will it take a month or so for the dog to adjust? and Also could her thyroid level being to high be causing seziures? and as far as being on the theraputic level of the Phenobarb we have yet to reach that point… .. All i want is for her to be healthy … It makes me almost sick just to write this.
Hi Heidi,
Can you please describe the “eye rubbing technique” you mentioned in your initial post about your Cubbie?
I can’t seem to find anything like it via a web-search and am hoping to find any help after vet tests showed nothing clearly wrong causing the sieizures.
Please let us know how Cubbie is doing.
Thank you so much.
Lyn
Dear Heidi,
Please excuse my post above (before this one).
I just found a later written entry on your blog about Cubbie, I now know it has been several years.
I’m sorry that you no longer have Cubbie to share your days with….but your original entry in 2013 about the seizures & my curiosity about the eye rubbing technique led me to your blog today, via a google search. So, Cubbie’s memory lives on, and perhaps Cubbie is able to help other Pug owners like myself who read your blog- and that makes Cubbie’s legacy very special.
Lyn
Kyle: I hope the meds smooth things out soon. I’m sorry you’re having to go through this with your pug. I thought Cubbie was young, but three is YOUNG! Hopefully it’s just a mild case of epilepsy, or maybe a food allergy. Cubbie’s situation took a serious turn for the worse only a few months into medicating him. From what I understand, most young dogs who suffer from seizures don’t have brain tumors, which is what Cubbie had in the end. When his condition become too wrenching to manage, (he could no longer walk in a straight line, control his bladder and was blind in both eyes) we had to make the heartbreaking decision to have him euthanized. This is not how all canine seizure situations end, so please don’t assume the worst for your pug. Many dogs live happily for years on the right dose of anti-seizure meds. Best of luck to you. Please keep me updated. It’s not an easy cross to bear for any dog owner.
Lyn: I’m glad to hear that Cubbie’s story continues to provide some insight and comfort in the blogosphere. I miss my calm, cool and quirky companion so much. We’ve got a puggle now –– Buzzy. He’s sweet and happy and I love him to pieces, but he’s a different kind of dog. He’s what I like to call a “dog’s dog.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but Cubbie was a once-in-a-lifetime pup; a soul pug as I often refer to him. He was a glorified stuffed animal, all 30 pounds of him. Maybe this is true of all pugs.
One day, we’ll get another pug. We weren’t ready to welcome a puppy into our home, so we ended up with a now three-year-old rescue, who is half pug; an entirely different creature, who I love an entirely different way than I loved (and still love) Cubbie.
This happened to my pug named Rony today….is there any home medication we can give to him?
Hi, I recently rescued a pug from the streets where some cruel person dumped him off. It took a friend a number of times trying to catch him until one day he just jumped into our friends car and we’ve had him for 3 years now. I love my mugsey with all of my heart. Anyway Mugsey recently had his first seizure and ever since, he started looking around in the air like something is buzzing around his head. I choose to tell him that its his big sister ( our boxer who passed before we got Mugsey) watching over him to let him know that she is here to watch over him. Does this kind of looking around. Come with seizures? Also I had. Heard that if you can, get some real vanilla bean ice cream like bryers. And at the first sign of a seizure give him some ice cream. I’m not sure how true this is but it seems to be working. They say that there is something in real vanilla bean that will stop a seizure. Also can you explain the eye rubbing that your Vet told you to do? Please.
after reading your story about cubbie the pug
I seem similar similarities in which my pug is going through. your story is very touching because I have three and I’m going through the exact same thing my oldest just fell out and seizure and my youngest to have constant ear infection . you can even offering advice I would love to hear about it thank you very much from drew andy and Marley the pugs that love hugs…….
Hi I live in England with my pug Nellie who is 7 and loved to bits, she had a seizure over two years ago and had an Mir scan which proved no issues and he bloods were all fine! Nellie had another seizure yesterday and we cannot understand why, can anyone help? ???? I love her so much it’s frightened me xx
Dear Heidi,
I have a 5-6 month old pug, we got him from the kennel after he got rejected by an owner who said ” he was too much work and too costly ” and a seller who thought ” he will never get resold”
So, it has been about 2 weeks since we bought him , we didnt know wether he had been vaccinated by his previous owners.
We gave him rabies on his second day with us, and since the 3rd day he has gotten lazy, on the fourth he had a fever , on the fifth he showed slight lameness after getting up in the morning and after a week of this , he had his first seizure today.
He was sitting by the sofa , when we woke him up he first tried to go to the bedroom , he slid and fell and when he hauled himself back to the sofa , we had some glucose ready for him .
When he smelled the glucose he turned his head away , and when we tried rubbing it under his nose to try to get him to lick it , he just froze for a few moments , went haywire , then went stiff , looked straight up , lost control of his bladder and his bowels . And started to squeak and howl ,
After he calmed down we just put his head on a pillow.
He is calmly sleeping right now and has been drinking water , from his bowl , and glucose, from a syringe.
We had two dogs before him, one was a pug and the other was a german shepherd.
Could this be because he had a mis-medication or something? Help would be appreciated
Hi Heidi,
While I was googling about seizures in pugs, i came across this blog about Cubbie. I could so relate to the whole thing as I too have a 6 yr old pug named Buddy. It sbeen mor than a year now that he’s been having seizures and is on phenobarbital since then. Just yesterday he had 2 seizures with a gap of 4 hours in between. Could you please help to elaborate on the eye rubbing technique to be used while the seizure is on. I feel helpless during the episode as to what should be done at the time he gets the seizure.
Stuti.
Dear Heidi,
I came across this blog as I was searching for the term “status seizures”.
We lost our 8-year-old pug Sir Chippy on May 12, 2016. He was diagnosed with Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE) in 2014 when he was 6. He survived 2 years after that which I’m told is rare.
Chippy experienced cluster seizures last November 2015 and in early March of 2016 started having lower back disk problems & diarrhea from the steroid he was on for the seizures. He was off the steroid over a week then out of the blue had a cluster of seizures along with focal seizures then a status seizure. He also showed signs of vestibular problems after the first seizure of this last 12-hour episode.
Needless to say, after the ER vets monitored him overnight on Valium, his seizures started again after 4 hours being off of it. He was confused and struggling through this long episode and his exhausted brain just wasn’t getting the rest it needed. So my husband & I made the heart wrenching decision it was best to put him down. He looked at me as though he was begging for some kind of relief as I held him for the last time. It was one of the most traumatic experience I had ever experience.
PDE is a rare brain disease that still needs more research. The MRI scan can detect it. And once it’s diagnosed usually it leads to a fatal outcome. The Phenobarbital and Prednisone did help him perk up in the last 2 years. So I know I was blessed for having him that long. But my brave knight just couldn’t win the final battle with this awful dragon any longer.
Since it’s been over 3 weeks, I am now open to adopting a young rescue pug. So we are looking in to that as a possibility.
I know Sir Chippy is in heaven which our merciful Lord has shown me through little visions. The grief I experience comes in waves and I allow it to heal through tears. I don’t have human kids so my pugs are my babies. They are such a precious breed.
I just wanted to share this with you and hope you are doing well and have continued with the addition of other pugs to your family.
Thanks for reading.
God bless!
I’m so sorry about your best buddy, but I am also experiencing the same thing with my pug As he is nearing the age of 10 and developed the same symptoms and they believe it is. Brain tumor since everything else seems to come back fine…but the meds seem to take his quality of life away …the pheno worked great for 2 months but then had more so we put him on keppra but now he is so lethargic and sleeps all the time and can barley do anything himself…it’s sad because if it’s a brain tumor their is nothing we can do because we can’t afford MRI and such…I feel for anyone going through this..just wish the medicine would work like they said it would…
I realize this thread is a little old but after reading your blog (Heidi, my wife’s name is Heidy-Colombian) and everyone’s input I felt compelled to post something. My 4 1/2 year old pug Matilda and I go to the park almost every morning. I’m in Lakewood Co where it’s been consistently in the high 90s for the past 2 weeks. Our walks are usually about 20-30 minutes. Some days, like today, when we finish she seems to get extremely overheated and seeks shade often during the walk so I cut the walk short. On our short drive home she was panting very hard and would not settle down inside the car, which I ran the a/c on high. We got home to an air conditioned house and her panting slowed and behavior became what appeared normal. After being at home for about 15 minuted I noticed Matilda start to pant at a high rate again. She started walking in circles, stopping to rub the side of her head on both sides. She had this blank stare in her eyes. She then stood straight up with all for legs spread outside her normal stance and was shaking moving her body back and forth. Although I’ve never seen this happen before, I immediately assumed it was a seizure. All I could do was try to calm her down, reassuring her it was gonna be OK while gently petting her. After about 2 minutes the symptoms stopped and she came out of her dazed state, and became her normal happy self.
I’ve read all the recommendations of what could cause the seizure and possible medical action that could be taken, thank you, but I have another question. I realize Pugs are pron for overheating and think I may have brought on this seizure myself by keeping her out in the heat too long. The problem is Matilda refuses to drink water when she’s hot to help with the cooling process. Her water bowl at home is rarely used and I’m afraid she’s dehydrating herself. Do you have any ideas on a supplement for water she might like possibly with some flavor to attract her?
Today was scary and I’m not discounting there may be a more serious issue. Since this is her first seizure, I’m going to closely observe her for the next couple of days and trim down our walking days especially now in the summer (which by the way will NOT make her happy).
Thank you for all the helpful information..
Kevin O my vet told me to put water on my pugs forehead with a soaked washcloth if they will not drink. If they are not seizing they can be placed in a cool bath to lower body temp. I was told never to walk mine on hot days over 70F when we lived in the UK! Now I am in OK there are not many under 70F but we go in the evening as like all good British dogs they expect a walk!
My black pug Ziggy just had his second seizure so I am off to search this blog for the eye rubbing technique as I need something to do during the torture that is watching my baby seize.
My 12
5 yr old Pug Milo is having horrible seizures. He now has his tail down and is trotting around the house aimlessly. I so scared for him. He’s been my buddy his whole life and it’s like he doesn’t know me or his name anymore. I’m crying as I write this. He’s stiff as a board he just won’t stop running to different spots in my house….I don’t know what to do. He’s been to the vet. He’s on a medication that’s supposedone to let him sleep but it seems to do nothing. Advice. I’d just like to see him fall asleep for a bit.
I feel like all of you are lucky .. compared to my little 7 week old beige female pug. She started with fits about 3 days ago. I chatted to my sister and we discussed and thought she was probably full of worms. I went to get her deworming yesterday. I gave it to her in the afternoon. She had another fit a few hours later. I rushed her to the vet down the road when I got home, but he was unavailable. I decided then to phone my own vet and he said it didnt sound good, but I must give it the night and see. I think she had a fit last night, as there was poop on her bedding this morning and she’s had another 2 today. My vet, who is the best, can only see her tomorrow afternoon. Peggy Sue has absolutely no energy these fits take it out of her. She foams at the moath when she’s having a fit. She is still eating, but sleeping most of the time. She is very weak aswell. Any advice would be great. I am so scared for this precious little girl. She is my sons bday present aswell. I hope i havent made a mistake taking her to my vet tomorrow and should hv rushed her to another vet today. He really is one of the best though.
“eye rubbing technique”
I do this most days.
Put thumb or finger in wrinkles and move up and down gently.
It’s the folds around the eyes.
I also massage the eyes, don’t put finger directly on the eyelids.
I press my finger on the part of the eyelids near the forehead
and rub the forehead so I rub the eyelid over the eyes.
My dogs love that.
I hold the face with the rest of my hands.
It’s very relaxing for my pugs.
My daughters (my grandchild) pug had her first seizure last week. She has been in and out of the the emergency clinic since then. She had an MRI, and PDE has pretty much been ruled out, but we are still waiting on a diagnosis. She came home the first night with anti-seizure medication, but ended up going back to the clinic that night because of another seizure. I am hoping that the doctor can figure out the correct amount of medication to help control them better. They have told us that she would not be able to sleep in the bed anymore, which is going to be hard since she sleeps with my daughter, and me when my daughter is at college. I am not concerned about that, because I have no problem sleeping on a mattress with her to keep her safe. I know this is an old article, but I was hoping that someone could answer some of my concerns since this is all new to us. I know that it is impossible for someone to be at home all day everyday, but how do you handle seizures if you aren’t home with your pet? Does someone have to stay with them at all times? Also, if anyone could give me more information on the eye rubbing, I would appreciate it. We all screamed and panicked when she had her first one, so I want to be more prepared if it happens again. I snatched her up and headed straight to the vet. Her seizure was so bad and lastest so long, she was sedated and transferred to an emergency clinic a couple hours away. If anyone has anymore tips on this, that would be great. We are all still very upset about this, not to mention, she is only 2 1/2 years old. Thanks so much!
Heidi,
I loved your story and the video that accompanied it so much. I have a black pug named Beau. I’ve had him since I was 19 and he is currently approaching 16 years old. He is completely blind, deaf and utterly exhausted but he just keeps on going. He has been having the seizures, disorientation, etc for at least a year now. Sometimes he will go a couple months without a sign of one but there is no special pattern I’ve noticed to prevent them from coming back with an even more potent vengeance each time. The wailing in I hear in the middle of the night sometimes jars me awake in the most unpleasant way. I haven’t slept in days afraid he’ll pass alone. Right now he is at the foot of the bed with pillows around him to prevent a fall off the bed. I feel all I can do is be there for him now and in his last transition as I would for anyone I loved. Thank you for sharing your Cubbie story, and thank you for reading my Beau story.
Crystal