# Prayers needed for Shelby I just got home from the emergency vet. Shelby is there for the night being observed. Around 6:00 pm this evening she came in to my home office and looked at me really weird and then couldn't walk towards me and was half falling over. I got her to lay down in the hallway on the carpeting where I he… ## Thread In General · started by shelbysmom · 29 replies - **Category:** [General](https://nihonken.org/community/c/general) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## shelbysmom · 2008-12-18T00:24:21.000Z I just got home from the emergency vet. Shelby is there for the night being observed. Around 6:00 pm this evening she came in to my home office and looked at me really weird and then couldn't walk towards me and was half falling over. I got her to lay down in the hallway on the carpeting where I held her and her muscles tensed up and she foamed at the mouth. She had that glazed-over-looking-right-through-you look in her eyes. She then was OK, but vomited up all her kibble and rabbit treat. Then I got her to walk to the kitchen to lie down on her rug and she was still drooling profusely. I got a towel, held her and called my mom with the words "You need to get over here now. Something is wrong with Shel." Shelby then tensed up again, legs straight out and her eyes totally dilated. I held her head so she wouldn't bang it on the floor or cabinets and told her it wold be OK, grandma was comng to take us to the hospital. My parents got there and she was fine again, jumping tail wagging, giving kisses, etc. I still took her in. I am pretty sure she had a couple of seizures. The vet is also pretty sure of it, but she appears to be totally fine now. They are running blood work on her to check for pretty much everything and if that is OK, I then have the CT scan/MRI option if I want to go that route. I am just in shock right now I guess. She is the most healthy dog I know, I swear! I have no idea what triggered this. The vet promised to call me in the middle of the night if she had another seizure, but when I left she was happy as can be (although she did NOT want me to leave her). They already are in love with my meathead and she is really at the best hospital in the southeastern part of WI. So just a few prayers are neeed that it is nothing serious. I honestly was a total basketcase taking her in and if something were to happen to her I would lose my mind. Thanks. ## ljowen123 (moderator) · 2008-12-18T00:27:15.000Z I'll keep you guys in my prayers - please keep us updated. ## okiron · 2008-12-18T00:28:17.000Z I'm so sorry, she'll be in my thoughts along with you. ## Sangmort (moderator) · 2008-12-18T00:31:11.000Z Hopefully she'll be ok <3 ~ ## _dlroberts · 2008-12-18T00:51:07.000Z Bad news LeeAnn, but naively I would assume it is a good sign she was back to her normal self so quickly. I can't even imagine how scary that must have been for you. Please keep us updated on her progress. ## Harlow · 2008-12-18T01:04:29.000Z We'll keep you in our thoughts. Please keep us posted. ## asia · 2008-12-18T02:03:13.000Z I will keep you both in thoughts and prayers! ## sujewel · 2008-12-18T02:05:38.000Z OMG> So sorry to hear this. I hope Shelby's ok! There are some members with pups that have seizures and I'm certain they will be a good source of info. Good luck! ## brandon_w (admin) · 2008-12-18T10:20:22.000Z I am glad to hear that Shelby is feeling better after her seizures. Dealing with seizures is a giant stress on us as humans, as there is nothing you can do for the dog as it is happening, except remain calm and talk to them. When it's over, it's over. Some people say to feed a little vanilla ice cream as they are coming to, to give them a blood sugar boost. Nemo has seizures every now and then, although the one Shelby had last night sounds a bit worse than the ones he has had. A few of my other friends have dogs that have seizures like Shelby's and one friend has a Border Collie that will suffer from 10-15 minute violent seizures. You will want to start doing research on how you want to approach handling Shelby's seizures. If they are infrequent, you might not need to treat them at all, if they become frequent there are prescription meds and then some alternative ways of trying to deal with them. One of my friends feeds her dog heavy cream with his food everyday as she has read some information that keeping a diet higher in fat can keep the chance of seizures down, I could ask her were she read it. If Shelby is on Heartgaurd for heartworm protection, I would think of switching her to Interceptor. There are no confirmed studies about it, but some people believe Heartgaurd can trigger seizures. Nemo is on Interceptor now, and he has had less seizures on it than on Heartgaurd. If you need to go with prescription meds, be aware they are hard on the liver. However if the seizures were going to be common, and the meds could stop that, it might be the best choice as seizures can cause mental degeneration. You would have to decide how you want to approach your dogs aging. Possible long life but with less cognitive ability at the end due to seizures, or full mental capacity with a possibly shortened life due to liver problems from the prescription meds. Sorry if that sounds kind of depressing, but it's a decision that some people have to make. I would not start any prescription meds yet as it has only been one seizure. You should however keep a log of the seizures. Date, time, temperature outside, temperature inside, what food the dog is on, what treats the dog has had that day, any information you can think of. That way if they continue to happen you can possibly pick up a pattern. ## sunyata · 2008-12-18T12:02:10.000Z Ohhh no. I am so sorry. I will keep Shelby (and you and your family) in my thoughts. I am sure that everything will be all right. Please keep us updated once you know anything, or pick Shelby up! ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-12-18T12:05:29.000Z Our prayers are with you both... Brandon gives great advice, I second the Heartguard to Interceptor switch - a former foster was seizure prone and we took every precaution including that one. Dogs can live long happy lives with seizures, my mom's dog is 14 and has had cluster seizures her whole life, she hasn't had one in a few years though thank God! Do some research, talk to your trusted vet and be hopeful! ## StaticNfuzz · 2008-12-18T12:44:36.000Z We will keep you in our thoughts.....Let's hope she won't have any more. As Brandon suggested, keep a journal so you can track things. Snf ## ILuvMy2Shibas · 2008-12-18T12:59:03.000Z My Niko has seizures and its actually the worst thing i have ever seen! Niko had his first seizure in the middle of petsmart and i wanted to cry it was horrible. I have not put Niko on Meds, but the last seizure he had was 9/21/08, and he has not had one since, he was having one every 6-8 weeks. He actually has not a seizure since we got the puppy! As suggested if she continues to have one make sure you keep a journal(date, time, how long it lasted) that way the vet is aware of how often it is happening. Also, when she has a seizure, take her to a place that you can hold her still(so she doesn't hurt herself) but also a place that you can clean up very easily(because there will be urine and defication) I would also check with the breeder you got her from, to see if there is a problem with the blood line, and if you have a health warrently on her(which some breeders offer) then make them aware she was at the emergency vet. Good Luck with everything! ## Edgewood · 2008-12-18T13:05:01.000Z Jingling for Shelby! ## KFontaine04 · 2008-12-18T13:06:40.000Z Miso and Sake and their people are keeping Shelby in their thoughts. ## MommyofNiko · 2008-12-18T13:32:56.000Z Im so sorry and I am hoping that you are able to find out what is going on with Shelby. Let us know how she is doing as soon as possible! Hugs from the humans and licks from the pups. ## hondru (moderator) · 2008-12-18T14:05:52.000Z That sounds awful! Gives us updates when you can. ## Leonberger (admin) · 2008-12-18T14:16:02.000Z Poor girl. I hope she's doing better. ## shelbysmom · 2008-12-18T14:30:27.000Z Thank you soo much everyone for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. As of 8:00 am Shelby was still seizure free. Her blood work all came back normal. They were still trying to obtain an urine sample from her. They did ask if I would allow them to cath her to get urine-I gave the OK, that's if they still had nothing by 2:00pm. They also asked if they could put a needle in to her abdomen and in to her bladder to obtain a sample-I told them that this is the absolute last resort and they are to call me if this is the route we must take. I have been reading up on idiopathic epilepsy like mad since getting in to work this morning (sorry all you uninsured patients coming in to my hospital this morning). There are alot of options in treatment and now that I read what the symptoms are and what all happens, I truly believe she had one a few months back while I was at work. I came home to two piles of vomit and diarrhea on her "rug" in the kitchen. She never vomits, I figured she just had a bug or something and thought nothing of it. Now I think it was the first seizure. I am second guessing letting her have the run of the house. I am worried about seizure activity when I am at work and the possibility of her injuring herself. She may be going back to her crate. Thanks again everyone for everything. Brandon-awesome advice, a million thank you's! I should be getting her this evening from the hospital. I hope to be home before the yucky blizzard hits us -10-12" of snow predicted for tonight. Shelby will be in heaven to a) be home with her people and b) SNOW, SNOW and MORE SNOW!!! I will update later! Thanks again everyone, you are all soooo wonderful! LeeAnn ## brandon_w (admin) · 2008-12-18T14:36:49.000Z It does sound like she had a seizure a few months back. I would say that if you could confine her to the kitchen, she would likely still be pretty safe if she were to have another seizure. In the future, just like last night, if you are home when a seizure happens, she will likely seek you out for help. Every dog I know that has seizures runs up to their Mom or Dad to get their attention right before it sets in. Seizures are really no fun, but at least when they are not happening, the dogs get to enjoy a normal life. ## sunyata · 2008-12-18T16:07:56.000Z Well, I am glad that she has not had another seizure and that she is coming home tonight. Give her extra love from the Friedman gang! Best of luck, and hopefully things will continue to be all right for her. Oh, and please spam us with some snow spam! :-D We would love to see Shelby playing in the snow. ## shelbysmom · 2008-12-18T22:29:21.000Z I'm leaving now to go get my little girl...........update when I get home! ## Ryu · 2008-12-18T23:35:24.000Z I'm so late to this but you and Shelby are in my prayers! ## shelbysmom · 2008-12-19T09:38:42.000Z We are home! I would have posted last night, however, we did not get in until almost 10:00 and the 8 yr old human child HAD to get to bed (or else I have 2 monsters to deal with). Shelby was beyond excited when she saw us at the hospital. The good news-they were able to get a urine sample from her right before we got there YAY! Also, depending on those results, which I will be receiving today, I may need to follow-up with her own vet. The DVM that dealt with Shel didn't think medication was necessary at this point. She thinks because I have seen only 1 seizure and she has "possibly" had another, to wait and see what happens!! I explained to her that I researching alternative treatments, and would rather go that route in either of my children before taking the meds route and she fully understood. Bad news-if the UA comes back clean, then we don't know what caused this episode. I could pay for a $1200 MRI or CT, but right now, with the holidays and being a single parent, it's just not in the budget. My game plan is to start saving now and if another seizure happens, to do it then. Gosh, I am just so relieved! I have my baby girl home and as a "treat", I let my son sleep with us last night. Matthew, Shelby and I had a wonderful night's rest and woke up to 8" of snow and it is still falling. It's a snow day, I called in (can't even get out of my garage due to a 4.5' snow drift) and Shelby was running around the yard like a deranged lunatic. Life is good! LeeAnn ## KFontaine04 · 2008-12-19T09:40:40.000Z Yay, so glad to hear that Shelby is doing okay. Big hugs! ## brandon_w (admin) · 2008-12-19T10:12:47.000Z So good to hear that Shelby was happy to see you and go home. I would skip the MRI or CT now. We can hope that she will not have anymore seizures, but if she does continue to have them you can go from there. I'm sure if she has another one in the future, you will be well read on the subject. ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2008-12-19T11:03:31.000Z Glad to hear she's home and is doing ok! ## ILuvMy2Shibas · 2008-12-19T11:59:19.000Z I'm glad shelby is doing good. SNOW DAYS ARE ALWAYS FUN!!!! I personally would wait and see what happens too. Just keep in the back of your mind that if you do have to put her on meds it will be for the rest of her life so make sure you and your vet talk about it. ## sunyata · 2008-12-19T12:16:28.000Z Glad Shelby is home safe and sound! Sounds like you are doing the right thing for her, and hopefully you will find out what possibly caused the seizure. Now... Where is that snow spam??? :-P ## shelbysmom · 2008-12-19T12:28:12.000Z Charging the battery for the camera and the snow spam will be soon to follow, I promise! It is CRAZY outside right now. Still snowing like you can't believe and the wind is howling. It's beautiful out there (when I gaze out my window that is! LOL). --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)