Rhianna spent the night in the hospital
 

Rhianna went into a series of cluster seizures yesterday which has never happened before . . .

A little history . .. when Rhianna was around 10 months old she fell backwards off our couch while playing hitting her head extremely hard on the wood floor which caused her to have a seizure. After rushing her to the vet, they told me she was ok and that if she continued to have seizures to get her back right away. No other seizures occurred until 3 months later . . .again, I brought her back to the vet and the seizure had already ended. They checked her vitals, ran some blood work and deemed her all within normal limits and told me to start keeping a diary of seizures.

Well, her seizures were few and far inbetween, maybe once every few months. Vet did bile acid tests, CBC, urine, etc . . .all came back fine. So she was deemed "idiopathic" and again, since she was young and seizures weren't frequent, no pheno . . .

Fast forward to May 12th . . .normal day, great day . . until around 5:45pm . . .Rhianna started to have a seizure, hadn't had one since January 25th . . .she is fully aware, not convulsive seizures, just shaking and tremors . . .she came out of it within 3 minutes . . .10 minutes later she started her second seizure . . .I was somewhat taken aback because this was out of character . . .she then started throwing up white foam . .she just kept trembling . . .we took her immediately to the vet hospital.

They were able to successfully stop her seizure with valium. They then ran another CBC and it came back normal. They started her on pheno and as of right this second, she's been seizure free and is stable and now will be on pheno forever . . .:( They said she is a bit groggy from the meds and will reevaluate this afternoon to see if I can bring her home.

I have to bring her back to my regular vet in 6 weeks for blood work and to check liver values from the pheno . . .:(

I hope she doesn't stay groggy continously . . .I just want my little girl who was wild and nutty and happy!

Oh,,,praying for her & you!

Keepin you in my thought's
 

:hug::hug::hug:Sooooo Sorry praying for you and her.:animal-pa

I hope she gets back to your wild nutty little girl. I will keep her in my prayers.

I would consider going to a board certified neurologist for an opinion. The fact that she had a head injury and now the seizures are getting worse would concern me.

Other meds for seizures are now being used that don't have the side effects that phenobarbitol can have.

Just wondering how the vet diagnosed these seizures as idiopathic since that means no known cause. I would think that an evaluation by a neurologist and testing would need to be done since there was a head injury. Very concerning to me.

Idiopathic epilepsy can only be diagnosed once all other medical and neurological conditions are ruled out. This involves neurological testing to do. Your vet is guessing. If it were my dog, I'd do all the testing to make sure the seizures really are idiopathic. There are many other conditions facing the Yorkshire terrier that cause seizures which should be ruled out.

So sorry sending prayers she will be back to normal soon

Thank you, I will mention that today if we get to pick her up. I also have to do a follow-up with my regular vet, this actually is a different vet because it is an emergency hospital as my vet was already closed yesterday at that time.

Waiting to hear if we'll actually get to bring her home today or if she'll be spending another 24 hours at the emergency hospital.

All in all, very very nerve wracking and exhausting . ..

I will keep Rhianna in my thoughts and prayers. Do hope she is doing better today.

The only neurological tests they ever performed on her were reflexes, coordination and that she has no neurological issues in between her random seizures.

She's had full serum chem panels, bile acids, uranalysis and they didn't feel that her fall was the cause of her seizures. They were swaying with idopathic by heredity. When I check back in with my regular vet I'll ask about a spinal and MRI.

I've been with the same vet since our first dog in 1999 and trust them completely, I'm not too concerned with their diagnosis at the emergency hospital, since our normal vet is her primary care vet and she'll be following up with him this week, then again, after to test the pheno levels.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

I will provide an update later, hopefully I'll be able to get her today, she's really missed! That would be the best Mother's Day present ever!

Im crossing my fingers she gets to come home for Mothers day

I'm sorry you and Rhianna had such a tough night. Seizures are very scary.

I am in agreement with both Cathy and Linda in that more testing may want to be considered. My Max has idiopathic epilepsy and it was diagnosed only after all testing was exhausted, which included both an MRI and spinal tap.

Max also has done extremely well on phenobarbital. He takes liver supplements daily which have since proven to help his liver function.

I hope she comes home soon:)

Thanks Karen.

Do you know how long I should expect her to be not herself? They told me this morning she is groggy from the pheno and that it may take 2 - 3 weeks for her to adjust.

They also said she may have increased thirst/hunger, frequent urination, grogginess, etc . . .

I'm kind of scared if she comes home today and just lays around . . .

Everything stated above sounds very accurate to what Max experienced. To be honest with you, Max could barely function when he just started pheno and also when his dosage increased. He was extremely groggy and could hardly even walk for the first few days. He was also very thirsty and had an insatiable appetite as well as frequent urination, which made potty training horrible. If she stays on pheno, those things will eventually level out and become completely unnoticed.

She will come home today and just lay around. As far as increased appetite I would recommend finding very light treats to give her. I gave Max Gerber Puffs and he really enjoyed them.

Don't think about her being on medicine forever. It's one day at a time. I have been told by numerous vets that seizures do not require medication unless they are frequent (TBD by vet, I suppose). Even once/month seizures may not be frequent enough to require medication.

Thanks. I'm new to all of this . . last time she came home and was groggy and not herself was when she was spayed . . .it's hard on me and on Brody who's been beside himself looking for her . .. :(

I too, will take it one day at a time . . .I just feel so helpless . . .

You aren't helpless at all! You are giving your baby medicine that's going to make her feel better.

Just got off the phone with the vet and she feels that Rhianna is ready to come home today!! She's had no additional seizures and is doing well, or so I'm told . . .Soooo we can get her between 4 - 6. We'll be there promptly at 4!

Can't wait to kiss my little girl . . .we call her Sissy . . .she's the love of our lives . . .she's such a little spit fire! She's always so happy and talkative and she just loves to be by your side . . .

Brody is napping now, but I told him we're going to get Rhianna soon and he perked right up!

I'll give an update later this evening after we all get settled down.

:thumbup::thumbup:
I am a very strong advocate of "cut to the chase"! We know we have this issue, we know what apparently caused it initially, and now that they are changing in character...frequency, duration, etc., time for a SPECIALIST!
Cant find a neuro.specialist near you? Go to the nearest vet school, where they have specialist and equipment to accurately diagnose and treat issues. Prayers for your little girl...this is all so emotionally draining for you, as well as what effects it is having on the baby....just get her to a specialist and they can guide you effectively through a course of action. They will also be up to date on all the best medications for this particular situation and dog.

Yes, me as well, and I will be conferring with my vet this week with regards to additional testing.

Thank you for the prayers. :)

Aw...poor baby and so very worrisome for you. Sending prayers for your sweet Rhianna.

Update: She's HOME!!
 

Showed up at the hospital right at 4pm, got all the instructions, dosage info, and then they brought her out to me . . .

Ya know, I prepared for the worst . . .and I'm glad I did, because what a surprise it was to see her alert, wagging her little stub and whining to get into my arms . . .she wasn't groggy or lethargic at all!

I do have to say that she is a bit drunk on her feet . . .but they tell me it is because her body needs to regulate to the meds. She hasn't had a bowel movement yet, so hopefully that will come soon . . .but she's eating and drinking.:thumbup:

I will be following up with my vet in a couple weeks and for now, we will just take each day as it comes.

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers . . .:)

I am so happy Rhianna is home and doing better than expected. I will keep her in my prayers.

Glad your baby is home. Happy Mother's Day! :)