I thought my dog was going to die today........ | FerrariChat
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I thought my dog was going to die today........

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by kizdan, Dec 21, 2008.

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  1. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

    Dec 31, 2003
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    #1 kizdan, Dec 21, 2008
    I was eating breakfast, and then my St Bernard had a seizure. I didn't know what the heck was going on. It scared the living daylights out of me. We called the vet, and they said it can be in a dog's genes, and they would be more susceptible as they get older. They said that more could occur on a regular basis. If it happened more than once a week, we'd have to get him some medication. Very scary.....
     
  2. mseals

    mseals Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 mseals, Dec 21, 2008
    Wow.... it must have been terrible... I don't know what I'd do in that situation...

    Good luck with this... keep us up to date..


    Mike in Kuwait
     
  3. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 PAP 348, Dec 21, 2008
    Sh*t, I didnt know that! Sorry to hear mate.

    Can you post a pic of your dog? I love St Bernards and I will probably get one of those when the time is right. :):)
     
  4. PeterS

    PeterS Five Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 PeterS, Dec 21, 2008
    Whenever Rigby gets that 'fur ball' hack attack, in a vigorous manner, I rub a few inches under her throat for 10-15 seconds. That seems to do the trick. My Vet told me about this and it does work if it happenes to you again.
     
  5. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

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    #5 kizdan, Dec 21, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Here you go, Pap, all 140lbs of him........... He is the 2nd St Bernard I have had.....very gentle and loving breed. Only downside is the shorter life spans that larger breeds tend to have. Oh, and the drool!
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  6. Jerrari

    Jerrari F1 Veteran

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    #6 Jerrari, Dec 21, 2008
    Nice looking dog Dan. I like your hardwood floor also!
     
  7. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 darth550, Dec 21, 2008
    One of my old dogs had seizures and it turned out to be epilepsy. Check it out.
     
  8. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

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    #8 kizdan, Dec 21, 2008
    That is what I am assuming it is. How often did the seizures occur? Did the frequency increase? Did you give your dog medication for it? Did it decrease his/her lifespan?
     
  9. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 darth550, Dec 21, 2008
    She had one or two seizures about a week apart. The vet diagnosed her and gave her meds. As she got older they came back and one of them eventually did her in. 6-7 years passed IIRC.

    She was a Bullmastiff who lived to be 14.
     
  10. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #10 Remy Zero, Dec 21, 2008
    my friend's dog died somewhere last year, after a long battle with seizures. they didn't have a choice, she was suffering too much all this while, so they decided it was best that she slept for good.
     
  11. Darolls

    Darolls F1 Veteran
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    #11 Darolls, Dec 21, 2008
    I sincerely hope it's nothing serious, he looks like a great friend that no one would want to lose.

    I still miss mine so much, and its been over 12 years since she had to leave me.
     
  12. Arvin Grajau

    Arvin Grajau Seven Time F1 World Champ

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    #12 Arvin Grajau, Dec 21, 2008
    All you can do is have the Vets phone number ready,phone them and jump in the car.
    Our little friends need all our care and love.
     
  13. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #13 PAP 348, Dec 21, 2008
    Thanks Dan, he is a great looking dog!! :):)

    I hope its nothing too serious and he comes good. :):)

    Love that breed of dog, such a shame about the short life spans the big fellas have! :(:(
     
  14. robbie

    robbie F1 Rookie

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    #14 robbie, Dec 21, 2008
    I have a cat with occasional seizures .. and the first time I was freaked as you were. Now I know what do do .. lightly restrain until they stop. comfort afterward while the confusion clears. It is less common with dogs. If they get frequent your vet can prescribe phenobarbatol which reduces the frequency. This drug temporarily affects your pet .. gets pretty mellow but will regain activity so I understand. Good luck.
     
  15. jk0001

    jk0001 F1 Veteran

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    #15 jk0001, Dec 22, 2008
    Beautiful pup I hope you both are doing well.
     
  16. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

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    #16 kizdan, Dec 22, 2008
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2008
    14 sounds like a pretty healthy life for a dog that large. My 1st St Bernard died of a heart attack when he was 3, actually while I was in Vegas getting married. Not news you want to have to deal with ever, let alone when you are getting married. We later learned that his father had died from a heart attack at 3 as well, so obviously something in the genes.

    So once on meds, how long after that did the seizures return?

    Yogi will be visiting the vet today. I'll let you guys know what he says. I thank you all for the well wishes.
     
  17. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
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    #17 Glassman, Dec 22, 2008
    My dog Gable (in my Avitar) was retired from CCI because of seizures. He would have a problem every couple of weeks. He would display definate symptoms just before a seizure, like sneezing and shaking his head. We found that at this point distracting him really helped to either make the seizure go away or making it less severe.
    Try giving your dog commands or asking him if he wants to go for a walk. For Gable just the mention of "walkies", and he would overcome the seizure. Give it a try.
     
  18. 8 SNAKE

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    #18 8 SNAKE, Dec 22, 2008
    My family had a dog that took phenobarbatol for seizures due to epilepsy. Aside from giving him a small pill every morning, you'd never know anything was wrong.
     
  19. texasmr2

    texasmr2 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #19 texasmr2, Dec 22, 2008
    Dan he is adorable if you can call a 140lb dog adorable LOL but best of luck with him ok.

    Gregg
     
  20. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    #20 darth550, Dec 22, 2008
    After she got on the meds she was ok for a long time.
     
  21. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    #21 darth550, Dec 22, 2008
    After she got on the meds she was ok for a long time. I remember the pills - big blue plastic looking things.
     
  22. justhrowit

    justhrowit Formula 3

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    #22 justhrowit, Dec 22, 2008

    Good Lord is he handsome! I hope everything turns out for the best!

    J
     
  23. kizdan

    kizdan F1 Veteran

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    #23 kizdan, Dec 23, 2008
    So Yogi was indeed diagnosed with epilepsy, and he also has some minor arthritis in his hind quarters, both traits that St Bernards are prone to. The vet said that seizures that last no more than 2 minutes are harmless, beyond that can cause brain damage. Also, unless he starts having them at a frequency of 2 weeks or less, then there is no need for meds.

    I don't know......seeing him go through one did not look harmless to me. Then again, what the heck do I know?

    He is back to himself since that one seizure.
     
  24. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

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    #24 Gilles27, Dec 23, 2008
    Wow-scary! He's beautiful. Good luck, and hopefully the episodes are few and far between. I love St. Bernards.
     
  25. ferrari1978

    ferrari1978 Guest

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    #25 ferrari1978, Dec 23, 2008
    as about as serious of an animal lover as you can get, i wanted to ask a question. did you take your beautiful pup to a normal vet or a specialist? i stopped taking my cats and dogs to the normal vet (other than for shots) a year or two ago. they just aren't equipped to handle serious situations like epilepsy, cancer, etc. so, if you haven't, take him to a local specialist. you seem to love him enough to post about him on here. it might cost a little more (i spent over $2000 on CT scans for my cat last year), but it's worth it. i just wouldn't trust that "he'll be ok if it doesn't last more than 2 minutes." you saw what he went through and it hurts just to see him go through that and for him to be confused and not know what's going on. meds might be the way to go to make sure he never goes through it again, IF it doesn't change his personality being on the meds. i'm not trying to knock your vet, just wondering if you're going to a specialist or not. good luck, keep me updated.
     
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