I am still trying to wrap my head around what has happened recently regarding my beautiful boy. All this time of tests and speculations. The multiple diagnoses about what was going on with him have all accumulated into one thing. The final determination on what is wrong with my dog is epilepsy.

Kota has what is known as focal seizure epilepsy. This was a long time getting to this point of finding a diagnosis that made sense. Based on symptoms that were slowly forming over this past year, reinforced by videos, I submitted to my vet last week of his seizures. All of the signs and symptoms were slowly accumulating, and now they have manifested themselves into these vocal seizures.

The consensus right now from the vet is that for now, the seizures are (according to them) mild in nature. They are something to watch. I was asked to keep a log on when they occur, how long they last, also to record how many he has in one day. They do not currently want to put him on any anti-seizure drugs, pointing out to me that he could very well develop harsh side effects to the medication. They believe that at this time it would cause more harm than good.

My very first dog that my parents gave me when I was growing up was a cocker spaniel. I had been bothering my parents for years how much I wanted a dog. When I got home from summer camp (I was 14 years old) here was this beautiful black cocker spaniel puppy waiting for me in the car! We bonded instantly. Sam had epilepsy. His seizures were grand-mal. I was the only family member who would sit with him during his fits. They were horrible to watch. He was on medication for life. For me right now it’s hard to acquaint the fact that Kota also has epilepsy because Kota’s seizures are nothing close to what Sam suffered with.

So far the longest seizure he’s had was 10 minutes. Afterwards he just goes flat. He does not tremble, he doesn’t defecate, or pee all over himself like Sam did. His limbs don’t go rigid, he doesn’t flop on the floor, he doesn’t snap at the air. I don’t have to put a padded stick in his mouth so that he doesn’t bite his tongue. So in that respect, yes, these episodes are mild.

They begin with no pattern or warning. He will start to rapid pant, his eyes glaze over. He loses all recognition of where he is. He will not even respond to my presence, my voice. Drool will start to accumulate in his mouth. It will either drip steadily out the right side of his mouth, never his left side. He yawns repeatedly. if the seizures go longer than just a few seconds, then the drool will start pouring out of his mouth, down his chest, on his legs and onto the floor, or the blanket, or whatever he happens to be laying on at the time. The panting becomes so rapid I am unable to count the breaths.

Afterwards, he can go flat anywhere from two hours to 12 hours. He generally chooses his couch to crash on. He will not eat, or drink. He just sleeps, you can tell he is completely exhausted.

This journey to this discovery has caused great concern, fractured sleep, frayed nerves, along with mass confusion as to what in the world is going on with my dog? Now that I know, I have started him on 30 mg of CBD/melatonin right before he goes to bed. Although he has seizures during the day, he has them when I am asleep as well. After these seizures hit. He will prior to going flat, completely lick both sides of his body from neck to rump until he is wringing wet! It can take up to four towels to dry him off. Perhaps this is his way of getting rid of all of that drool that is suddenly cascading out of his mouth?

Ever since that initial dog attack, and all the health issues that followed. I have been keeping track with my own journal and my own charts. So the vets asking me to do this is really a moot point because it’s already been done. I think that, part of the reason it took so long to get to this diagnosis is I never thought that this was epilepsy? I was drawing on my own experience with Sam without realizing, and I know now because I’ve been doing the research, how many different ways epilepsy presents itself. I was told that if the seizures get worse, or longer or present different symptoms. I am to immediately call the vet and come in. So that’s the stasis we are in right now.

During the seizures, when his eyes glaze over, his mind travels to a place that I am not allowed to visit. No amount of coaxing or talking to him, putting food in front of him. Bringing in his kitty friend, rattling my car, keys, or saying, the magic words will bring him out of it. Just suddenly out of the blue he will raise his head up. He will jump off the couch, and he will be my bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dog once again. He acts like nothing has happened. I wish I could pretend nothing did.

here is an example of what happens when he goes flat. You can see by looking at his eyes that he has checked out temporarily.