About six months prior to being paralyzed, Murphy had his first seizure. His vet said it was probably epilepsy, but what caused it was unknown. For those who haven't experienced an epileptic seizure. It can be quite scary. Its like a short circuit of the brain. Most, if not all bodily control is lost. Murphy will lay there and shake. His eyes will be wide open, but he will not respond to anything until the seizure subsides. Afterwards, he is fine. Seizures can vary in strength and length. Murphy's are usually mild and occurred every 3-4 months, not requiring medication. In most cases, there is a cause. Finding it is the hard part. It can be caused by food, allergic reactions, chemicals, etc. We didn't figure out what set Murphy's seizures off until recently (2004). His is caused by over exertion. We noticed that he usually had a seizure the a day after we got back from a vacation or weekend away. During that time he would stay with my wife's father. There, he was given free run of the house and back yard, in which he would run around and play with my father-in-laws dogs all day long. Since we have found out what caused them, my father-in-law now limits Murphy's activity. This has helped to reduced the number of seizures he has had.
There are a few things we learned since having to deal with seizures:
1. Do not panic.
- Stay calm. Your dog's life is in your hands.
2. Note - the date, time, and duration of the seizure.
- Give this information to the vet as soon as possible.
3. Keep you hands clear of the dog's mouth.
- Your dog may still bite and will not realize who they are biting.
4. Do not put anything in the dog's mouth.
- The dog will not bite their tongue.
5. Keep your dog from hurting itself.
- While having a seizure, the dog may kick his legs or try to move.
6. Talk to you dog.
- He may be able to hear your voice and it can help keep him calm.
7. If you dog seizure lasts more than 15 minutes, contact your vet or emergency animal hospital immediately.
- You may need to take your dog in quickly.
8. If your dog has seizures closer together than three months apart, medication may be required.
- There is no cure, but medication can help reduce occurrences.
We take Murphy on walks through a nearby park that has some wooded paths. Afterwards, we always check Murphy for ticks. This has made us very aware of any lumps or bumps under his fur. It was in the spring of 2002, we noticed a lump on his skin. This was checked and found to be small, benign tumor. Not a big deal. It would be more trouble to remove it than leave it alone. But in June of that year, three more lumps appeared. These were also checked by the vet and two of them were found to be stage 2 cancer. He was scheduled for surgery the next day. All were smaller than a pencil eraser, but the malignant ones would require a four inch area (about the size of a cocktail napkin) around it to be removed. This is so they can check the surrounding tissue for more cancerous cells. Murphy was lucky, no more were found. Murphy came home the next day. Recovery consisted of rest for 2 weeks (to let the stitches heal) and Prednizone (a common post-cancer treatment for dogs).