A (not so small) miracle?

rbbert

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2010
3,820
239
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Reno, NV
Something truly amazing happened to us Tuesday. We have three miniature Dachshunds, ages 8, 9 and 9, all very healthy and active (they hike in the Sierra foothills with us about 50 miles/wk on average). Tuesday just after noon my wife was getting ready to go to work when I noticed that one of the guys (Gunny), who had just been on our bed barking at something out the window, was having a seizure on the living room floor. It was fairly brief, but then over the next 10 minutes or so proceeded to have 2 more. Our vet was closed for lunch and the phone message directed us to the Animal Emergency Hospital, which as it turns out is only open after hours and weekends. However, when we arrived there the owner (a mostly retired older vet) came to the door in response to our ring. On the drive to the vet's, Gunny had stopped breathing and his heart rate slowed to under 20, so my wife was giving him breaths while I squeezed his chest with one hand and drove with the other. Anyway, after first telling us they were closed the older vet brought us right back (Gunny's gums were blue-black by now and he had no heartbeat) got him intubated and pinked him up a bit. Then we tracked down our usual vet (who of course is off on Tuesdays) and arranged to meet him at his hospital. That involved getting an oxygen tank and a breathing bag for us to transport him over there, where he started seizing again (fortunately after they had managed to start an IV), which continued off and on for about another 45 minutes and finally stopped after a total of 10 mg of IV Valium (he's a 10 lb. dog; 5 mg is a typical adult human dose). During this time his pulse and blood pressure went sky high and he wasn't breathing (I was still bagging him). Amazingly, a few minutes later he started blinking his eyes, then breathing and of course frantic to get the ET tube out! His pulse and BP returned to normal and his lab work also came back normal. By the next morning (yesterday) he was acting as though nothing had happened! (although he was still a bit hungover from the Valium). Today he acts totally normal.

Gunny (cropped0.JPG PICT1124.JPG
 

joeinid

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2011
1,543
12
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NY
Thank God all worked out well. I can only imagine what an awful experience you had.
 

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
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Has he had seizures before? We have two rescue mixed terriers who go through that fairly frequently, though they don't stop breathing.

Tim
 

rbbert

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2010
3,820
239
1,000
Reno, NV
Has he had seizures before? We have two rescue mixed terriers who go through that fairly frequently, though they don't stop breathing.

Tim
Never a hint of any illness previously. As you say, the first seizure didn't particularly worry me, even with the second I was just watching him a little more closely. But when the third one didn't want to stop I changed my mind.
If this had happened when neither of us (or even just one of us) were home, or if no one had been at the first vet's we went to, he would probably not have survived. As best as the vets or we can determine, he must have been exposed to (probably ingested) some unknown neurotoxic poison, but we have no idea what. There were significant differences in presentation and course from the usual suspects (strychnine, anaphylaxis, organophosphates, etc). But the amazing (and unbelievably lucky) thing is how those two things I just mentioned had to happen (and did!).

As an aside to Tim, this illustrates the difference between simple seizures (scary but generally nothing to worry about) and status epilepticus, a potentially fatal condition, but that's just an aside.
 

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
8,677
23
0
Never a hint of any illness previously. As you say, the first seizure didn't particularly worry me, even with the second I was just watching him a little more closely. But when the third one didn't want to stop I changed my mind.
If this had happened when neither of us (or even just one of us) were home, or if no one had been at the first vet's we went to, he would probably not have survived. As best as the vets or we can determine, he must have been exposed to (probably ingested) some unknown neurotoxic poison, but we have no idea what. There were significant differences in presentation and course from the usual suspects (strychnine, anaphylaxis, organophosphates, etc). But the amazing (and unbelievably lucky) thing is how those two things I just mentioned had to happen (and did!).

As an aside to Tim, this illustrates the difference between simple seizures (scary but generally nothing to worry about) and status epilepticus, a potentially fatal condition, but that's just an aside.

Well, thank God the little guy made it through. They're made of strong stuff, our canine friends. One of the problems I've run into is our 4 - 3 terriers and a tiny (5.5 lbs) Imperial Shitzu - are all on a very ingredient-limited diet. It's really good for them in most ways - no allergies, good weight maintenance, etc., but they have very low tolerance for anything else and can get very sick when they get into something they shouldn't. My 4 are small enough that they probably don't eat as much as a single Lab. It's the vet bills that get you. Glad your little guy did well. Rub his ears for me.

Tim
 

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