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05-14-2006, 05:34 AM | #1 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, FL
Posts: 119
| Seizure in new yorkie, Need advice and support please Hi everyone, I am a new member to this site, but have been lurking on the boards for the past couple of weeks. I am just sick with worry right now. We bought a 9 week old female yorkie (Abbie)from a reputable breeder (family friend). She is now 12 weeks old and has been doing well up until last night. She used the bathroom (pee and poo at 2 AM) and she was fine. She had not been acting lethargic or strange last night before bed. She sleeps with my husband and I and woke us up at 6:00 AM with what we thought was a nightmare, but turned out to be a grand mal seizure. Her whole body stiffened, she was making strange noises, she lost control of her bowel and bladder. It lasted for about 2 minutes and my husband even had to perform CPR on her at the very end of the seizure because she stopped breathing. I am a nursing student and my first thought was hypoglycemia. I grabbed a jar of peanut butter and had her lick it off of our fingers, all the while I was calling the emergency vet. The vet said to give her honey water, which we did. She acted strange for about 15 minutes (easily scared, shaking), but then was fine, running around and playing. She took a 20 minute nap, got up, ate breakfast, and is napping at my feet as I type this. It is now 3 hours later and she has had no other seizure activity. I spoke with her normal vet and she is scheduled for blood work tomorrow. He said it didn't sound like hypoglycemia to him because of the extent and severity of the seizure. I would like any thoughts on this condition. Does it sound like liver shunt, she is gaining weight, and seems healthy other than the seizure. I did notice that she pee'd alot after the seizure, but I think that is because of the honey water. I would like to add that she ate a mushroom from our yard 2 days ago, but threw it back up about 2 minutes after she ate it (it was only the cap of the mushroom and I definitely saw it when it came back up). If it is a liver problem, can you please give some advice on what I can feed her until I get her to the vet tomorrow? She is currently on NUTRO puppy and I noticed that it is 28% protein...isn't that what she needs to avoid? Please say a prayer for our baby. It's amazing how quickly they squirm their way into your heart. |
Welcome Guest! | |
05-14-2006, 05:50 AM | #2 |
YT Addict Join Date: May 2006 Location: foss, ok
Posts: 321
| Hi and welcome. I do not have any advice but I am praying for your baby to be alright. I hope everything goes ok at the vet and she dosn't have any more seiszures. Sending good thoughts your way. |
05-14-2006, 06:09 AM | #3 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wichita, KS
Posts: 91
| Hi, and welcome to Yorkie Talk! It sounds like you're doing all the right things for Abbie. It's very important that she sees her vet as soon as she can, so it's good that she's already scheduled for blood work tomorrow. We have a handy reference book for Yorkies. There's a section on seizures that says they can be triggered for many reasons, including epilepsy, diseases (including liver shunt), hypoglycemia, bad reaction to a vaccine, very low thyroid, poisoning or organ failure. Only your vet can figure out what caused it, and he will be able to do tests for liver shunt, too. Since young yorkies are so prone to hypoglycemia, a lot of yorkie owners here give our babies a nutritional supplement called Nutrical a few times a day when they are young. It's essentially a nutrient packed sugar paste. If you can't get out to a pet store to find some today, go ahead and give Abbie a fingertip amount of honey or Karo syrup every few hours today, and if she gets up in the middle of the night tonight, give her one then, too. This will help keep her blood sugar levels up. If she has another seizure, stay close to her to comfort her while it's happening, and make sure she doesn't run into anything that can hurt her. Keep your fingers away from her mouth - our book says that dogs won't swallow their tongues during a seizure, so there's no need to put your fingers in her mouth to prevent that. I'd say that it probably wasn't related to eating the mushroom, since that was a couple of days ago, but again, only the vet can really tell. Our little guys have eaten mushrooms from the yard before, too. I think some of them are slightly poisonous, and some aren't. If she starts to act strange again, don't be afraid to call your vet or the emergency vet. These little guys are very delicate when they're young. We woke up one morning to find our 13 week old in a coma, and he was perfectly fine up until that point. He's fine now, but it was definitely a scary time! Well - I hope this helps. We're glad to have you here on Yorkie Talk, and please let us know how Abbie is tomorrow!
__________________ Fang and Errol (and Jeff and Michelle, too) Fang's Dogster page Errol's Dogster page |
05-14-2006, 06:26 AM | #4 |
Donating YT 30K Club Member | Cali had several episodes of hypoglycemia when she was about 10 an d 12 weeks old. The first one I had put her in my bed during the night because she woke. When I got up in the morning she was almost comatose. I screamed for my husband and we gave her pancake syrup and rushed ti the er vet. I cried all the way there because she looked like she was dying. By the time I got her there she was coming out of it but they kept her and gave her IV fluids for the day. The second one was less severe and she came right out of it with syrup. The lst one she had she was almost 6 months old and I woke her up from her nap at 9 pm and she stumbled down the stairs and was falling over and then started to walk like her legs were all stiff and like she thought the floor was closer than it was. It was so weird. I gave her nutrical and rushed her to the er vet. They kept her and Iv'd her and did Bile acid tests. Bottom line She had liver biopsy and all the test for liver shunt and was diagnosed with very very mild MVD or internal liver shunt. No treatment is necessary buit I do try and keep her on a lower protein diet. So it is possible that it is hypoglycemic episodes but I would have her liver shunt tested as well. The one thing I found with Cali is I feed her 3 times a day and make sure she eats at each meal and she has been doing great, knock on wood. They make a low protein diet. I think Hills science diet has one. I have Cali on a 17% protein chicken breast diet since she won't eat dog food. Good luck with your little baby. How much does she weigh? Cali was 1 lb when I got her and now is 4 1/2 lbs at 11 months!
__________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html |
05-14-2006, 07:50 AM | #5 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: kent england
Posts: 1,646
| sasha had her first fit at age 2,she then had them the rest of her life but the vets said they could be caused by anything and we never found out for sure why she had them. if the pup has no more i would say it was cos of what she had eaten as toxins take time to build up,zac with out me knowing had eaten a plastic dog toy but it wasnt untill a few days later that he started to have fits one after the other and stopped breathing,when we got him to the vet he was sick and out came bits of the toy,the vet said the toxins build up over days untill it affects the liver and then the dog fits,zac had to have plain foods for a few months and tests on his liver,the only good thing about it is the liver re-news its self so after a few months it was nearly normal again. i hope your pup gets better soon.
__________________ Facebook group yorkies & small terriers worlwide needing fur-ever homes & deathrow Zac Brandi Suki |
05-14-2006, 09:08 AM | #6 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, FL
Posts: 119
| Abbie Thanks everyone. It has been 7 hours and Abbie has been seizure free. She is acting perfectly normal now. She has been playful and has been eating well. I did give her another bit of honey, just in case it was the hypoglycemia. She weighs 2.75 lbs as of Thursday. After talking to friends and family members, I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't the mushroom or some other foreign substance such as an insect. We live in SC and there is a slew of insects to choose from in any given yard. We spent a good deal of time outside yesterday while our daughter was swimming. I wonder if she ate a spider or beetle? It just seems like she would have other symptoms if it were liver trouble or hypoglycemia. I also wondered about your thoughts on this: Per vet instructions, I gave her Sentinel and Frontline. I did not realize at the time that Sentinel was effective in treating fleas, I thought it was only for parasites such as worms. Aren't I overtreating her if I'm using both? Is is possible that this caused the reaction? I gave them to her 2 weeks ago...seems like a long time for a reaction to occur. Thank you for keeping her in your thoughts. Last edited by HShanks; 05-14-2006 at 09:10 AM. |
05-14-2006, 09:40 AM | #7 | |
Luv my Angel, too! Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 9,333
| Quote:
Make sure to ask your vet about the double whammy of flea protection. Sentinel will prevent the hatching of any new flea eggs, but will not necessarily kill adult fleas. I, personally don't like Frontline because the smell gags me. I tend to be smell sensitive, but I think the smell lingers on the dog's body for days following a treatment. It if smells that bad and you are supposed to wash your hands after coming in contact with it, I also worry what happens if a dog were to ingest some.
__________________ Sissy & Angel | |
05-14-2006, 10:57 AM | #8 |
Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 4,387
| God Bless you & Abbie. I can see you are doing everything you can to help her. All the advise you got so far is terrific. I'd like to give you a few more. Until you get to the bottom of the cause: 1. Have an ice pack ready in the freezer. If she has a seizure again, place the pack on her lower back (between the last rib cage and her tail) to help keep her temp down. 2. Put a bell on her so you can hear her when you are in another room or sleeping to alert you. You will be able to tell the difference in the jingling from regular activity and a seizure. 3. Stay calm. 4. After the seizure is over let her have a teeny bit of vanilla ice cream. The sugar and the coolness help them recover more quickly. Check out the FDA web site about Sentinal and Frontline. I heard they can trigger seizures. I may have been the double exposure that triggerd the seizure. Bloodtest - Have her Thyroid tested as well as the standard and bile acid. Thyroid problems can also trigger a seizure. I hope to hear good news.
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05-14-2006, 11:15 AM | #9 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, FL
Posts: 119
| Abbie Thank you so much for the wealth of info. With every seizure free hour I'm starting to feel more calm. I'll be sure to request the thyroid test. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts. ~Abbies Mommy~ |
05-14-2006, 11:28 AM | #10 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas
Posts: 3,065
| My Lacy had seizures from 8 weeks (9 oz.) to about 3 and 1/2 months old due to hypoglycemia. I never left her alone. She ate and drank normally and otherwise seemed very healthy. She was given nutrical 3x a day. They just one day stopped and she was seizure free for the rest of her days. Her seizures lasted 2 or 3 minutes. Sometimes she would have more than one in a day and than she would also skip days. She would be laying on her side with her eyes wide open and rolled back in her head. She would stretch her head toward her back and move in a circle while remaining laying down. If her nails got caught on a blanket or carpet she would continue to turn in circles even if her leg was getting twisted. After the seizure, she seemed a little sleepy, but not limp and lethargic. |
05-14-2006, 11:37 AM | #11 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, FL
Posts: 119
| Lacy's Mom I'm a nursing student, so my first instinct when it happened was hypoglycemia. My vet said he wasn't so sure since she showed no signs or symptoms before bed last night. Did your little one show any signs of hypoglycemia or did the seizures occur out of the blue? Did you have her tested and if so, was her blood sugar low? I'm so worried that it is something more serious. I couldn't imagine losing her. |
05-14-2006, 11:44 AM | #12 |
Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 4,387
| My baby Jewel, has what the doctors believe is Necrotizing Encehpelitis or GME. You can read her story on this post: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ht=necrotizing Her updates are here if you are interested on reading on: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ht=necrotizing Your Abbie is too young to have symptoms from this so I would not think this is what she is suffering from. What Jewel has is very rare and cause is unknown.
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05-14-2006, 11:51 AM | #13 |
My Little Biker Dude Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Alabama
Posts: 2,065
| Welcome to Yorkie Talk! I sure hope Abbie has no more seizures and the vet can determine what happened to her...hopefully it is something very minor. Oscar has never had seizures and he was a tiny thing when we got him. He was only 8/10 of a pound when we brought him home! I fed him about 5 Frosted Cheerios every couple of hours just to keep his sugar up. He loved them so I figured it made both of us happy! He always ate well and we free fed him so he ate what he wanted but loved getting the Frosted Cheerios as an added bonus. The vet agreed with my approach as well. Keep us posted on your little Abbie!!! Hope all goes well tomorrow!!! Oscar sends you guys puppy kisses!!!
__________________ ******************** Debbie G. - Oscar's Mom ********** PRAYERS FOR ALL THOSE KICKING CANCER'S BUTT!!! ****************** RIP SHARON 8-10-63 to 9-21-08 |
05-14-2006, 01:37 PM | #14 |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: El Paso, Texas
Posts: 3,065
| This was by first Yorkie and 15 years ago and my vet didn't even believe in hypoglycemia. Not as much was known about it then. I still don't think vets have caught on! The breeder kept insisting that is what it was so I was giving her nutrical. Every seizure was such a scary experience I rushed to the vet's office. Had she been bigger he would have hospitalized her, but at 9 oz I guess he couldn't get an i.v. in her. He was thinking it was epilepsy, but was afraid to give phenobarbital and couldn't decide a safe dosage. I think it was about the 4th visit before he actually took a glucose test and sure enough her blood sugar was really really low. I began feeding her 5 times a day and giving nutrical 3x a day. As she got older the seizures got fewer and fewer and by about 3 or 3 and 1/2 months she never had another. She eventually passed away from Cushing's disease at 12, but she was healthy up until then. |
05-14-2006, 01:46 PM | #15 |
Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, FL
Posts: 119
| Abbie Thanks again everyone. You've really helped to calm my nerves. I actually ate my first meal of the day a few minutes ago. It is now 12 hours after the seizure and no further activity. Abbie is peeing, pooing, and playing as usual. I've been feeding her every couple of hours. I normally leave dry food in her dish and supplement with treats. Today, I've been offering a tiny bit of honey water every 4 hours or so. Hope I don't throw her into hyperglycemia My baby seems to be fine. I'll keep you updated. 8 AM can't get here fast enough. One quick question, should I expect her CBC and urinalysis back in one day? Please tell me it doesn't take any longer than that. Lacy's Mom, Dan & Corrine, thanks for sharing your experiences with me. |
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