[aluz]

It seems the old age has finally caught up with my 12 year old dog Elvis.
We had a terrible night yesterday when he started to have a violent seizure out of the blue. This has never happened before, Elvis has never had any major health issues apart from a few skin rashes that he is prone to have.
While we were calling the vet he had a second seizure and we really thought we were going to lose him... I won't go into details, it was so bad.
Since the vet clinic was closed we called our vet's number and he came rushing in as this was an emergency. We then brought Elvis to the clinic where he was thoroughly checked and had his blood work done.
The results from the blood test were all normal and good and Elvis's heart is also in good shape according to his age.

Now there are two possibilities, either he has somehow developed epilepsy, or he may have a brain tumour that is causing the seizures...
The vet is leaning for the latter.

Today Elvis has been okay, he is taking half a pill every 12 hours and we have an SOS medicine to give to him in case he has another seizure.
We are watching over him very closely and dreading another bad spell.

Tomorrow he will have his head scanned and we will know. I'm praying he doesn't have the tumour. With epilepsy, he can still have quality of life and the condition can be controlled with pills.
If it is a tumour, I don't think much can be done and if the seizures do persist and my boy is suffering, then we will let him go with dignity, say our goodbyes and put him to sleep.

I took these pictures today, he still has a bit of the puppy look on his face, it's like he has never aged and he still has the energy and enthusiasm of a younger dog. Today he is acting like his normal self.

DSCF2130 by aluz391, on Flickr

I took this one right before taking him out for his walk. He was sleepy from his nap.
DSCF2124 by aluz391, on Flickr

Wish my boy Elvis good luck for tomorrow, we are really going to need it. ray:

 

[aluz]

Thank you everyone for your prayers and well wishes. I will let you know how the vet appointment goes. Depending on the outcome, I may need to take him to the capital city for more medical exams, since I live in a rural area that doesn't have all the resources like a big city has.

I just gave Elvis his pill and hopefully tonight we will have a good night, it's already 8:18 pm here.

 

[aluz]

Oh i'm so sorry to hear about this! he is an adorable 'cocker spaniel'? Spaniels are lovely dogs, I had a black and white one - a doppy little dog he was - He also got sick so I understand how your feeling - All the best! :hug:

Thanks, Bethany. Yes, Elvis is an English cocker spaniel.

I can't imagine how scary that situation must be, and my heart goes out to you and Elvis. I will say a prayer for him tonight and hope that his scan tomorrow shows favorable results.
I knew a puppy who had random seizures suddenly and all of the scans and blood work came back normal. They medicated when necessary and now Cazán lives a normal life (well, as normal as a 50kg Alaskan Malamute puppy can live! :laugh
Please let us know how Elvis does tomorrow!

Thanks, Bethany. We will see how it goes tomorrow.
The reasons for the vet's assumption on the tumour is that according to him these types of seizure usually occur sooner on elderly dogs when they reach about 7 - 8 years old. Elvis is already 12, so the vet thinks the chances are higher of it being a tumour and not epilepsy.

 

[aluz]

Ana, I am so sorry to hear about Elvis and his health troubles I am sending my best wishes and hoping that is's nothing serious! Thinking of you and your beautiful puppy :hug:

Thanks, Dee. Elvis has been extra pampered today. Yesterday after his seizures he didn't want to be left alone and I stayed by his side almost the entire night.
He was restless for a good while and I couldn't help to shed a few tears when I saw him going to all of the bird's cages and give a little sniff on each cage as if he was saying goodbye.
He only greets the birds that way in the mornings and it was strange for him to be doing so at night when the cages were covered and the flock was sleeping.
Good thing they didn't have a night fright.

 

[aluz]

I am overwhelmed by all the encouraging and supportive messages and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the love, the best wishes and prayers for Elvis. :grouphug:

We had a good night and Elvis continues to be his happy self. I have noticed he has been drinking more water, but that is most likely due to the medication he is on. He hasn't lost his appetite, in fact if he could have two lunches or two dinners in a row he would gladly have them!

A few hours from now, we will be going to the vet and when we are back home, I will give you the latest news on my boy's condition.

 

[aluz]

We are home from the vet's and the appointment went well, he did another check on my boy and was pleased with how he is doing, he checked his reflexes, coordination, the temperature and his heart.
We all agreed to not go through with the head scan just yet, Elvis would have to be put under anaesthesia and it's best to wait a while longer given the fact he had the seizures two days ago. He also has never been put under, so we don't really know what kind of side effects he would have from it.
The treatment he has been on finishes tomorrow and after that we will see how he goes, hopefully he will be seizure free. We are prepared to administer the Stesolid medicine in case Elvis has more seizures, we will always have a box of it ready to be used at home and when travelling.

 

[aluz]

These last few days haven't been easy, I was finally able to have a more peaceful night of sleep and to sigh of relief.
Elvis continues to be his boisterous self, barking loudly whenever someone knocks on the door or when he is about to go out for his walks.
It's as if nothing bad has happened over the weekend.

It's also great to see him greeting the birds each morning, he feels protective over them and has scared away many stray cats that dared to come to the back yard when I had a few birds outside to get some sun and fresh air. He wouldn't let the cats get near the cages.
His favourite bird used to be my now departed Tito and ever since then Elvis took a liking to Tito's daughter, Dinda. It's very sweet to see him approaching the cage to have a little sniff and Dinda comes close to him to say hi.
Elvis droops his ears and wags his tail every time. The two of them have a good understanding and her cage is the only that gets these type of visits throughout the day, not just in the mornings when Elvis does his check on them all to see if everybirdie is well.

Elvis and I would like to thank you all again for your good vibes, positivity and prayers, you have helped us tremendously. :tb::urock: