Life is Good

I haven't posted in a long time, I know, but the great news is that Brady has been seizure-free since my last posting! We are so thankful and encouraged by this long stretch without any episodes and pray that it will continue. Brady is doing really well; he is still on all of his medications and 2 Chinese herbals (since April '10)
and continues to receive aqua-acupuncture every 3 weeks. Tonight is his appointment to get acupuncture and he has really come to look forward to each session. Dr. Peace is great to him and has been a God send for him and for us. Since my last posting, Brady turned 11 years old on September 28, 2010. He still loves to go for daily walks, chases his tennis ball every chance he gets, absolutely loves car rides, and of course soaks up being spoiled rotten. He is definitely loving life and living it to the fullest. : )
Thank You God!

Appointment with Dr. Katherman

On Thursday, August 5th, Brady has an appointment to see Dr. Katherman for a physical exam and some blood work. She suspects that his phenobarbital level has probably dropped below therapeutic range due to how quickly the liver metabolizes it out of the body. Therefore, tweaking this drug may be in order. We will wait for the results and post what we find out.

Brady has been doing really well since this recent bout of seizures on Sunday. He is looking bright and alert and doesn't seemed to have suffered any ill effects. Thank you dear Lord for watching over him and all of us.

Seizure Monster Pays A Visit

On Sunday, August 1, 2010, at 2:18 am the awful seizure monster paid a visit. It had been 56 days and 6 hours since Brady's last seizure. He had a grand mal at 2:18 am that lasted about a minute or maybe a little less. This one was typical of his previous seizure on 6-5-10. Possibly there was less thrashing or it could have been because Jeff was holding him close on his bed. There did seem to be less drool. Recovery was quick and he was on his feet by 2:22 am. Once the seizure was over and before he stood up, I inserted a valium suppository. As I was going into the kitchen to get him a cup of kibble afterwards, he had another focal seizure. At first, Jeff thought he was getting ready to go into another grand mal. However, he didn't go into a full blown seizure, but did have a partial or focal seizure which was over quickly. This happened at 2:30 am and again he had a quick recovery. I gave him a cup of food (one half cup at a time because he devours it so fast, I am always afraid that he will choke) and some rescue remedy on a piece of bread. We took him out to use the bathroom and while we were in the garage I gave him a small bit of vanilla ice cream.
We went back to the bedroom to try to get him to settle down and hopefully go back to sleep. I don't think I ever really slept, but dozed off for short spurts. At 4:30 am I heard him and turned the lamp on dim. He was on my side of the bed on the floor. I knelt down in the floor with him and he was having another focal. This involved eye blinking and face twitching and contorting. He appeared to be blind momentarily. This seemed to be over very quickly and probably only lasted about 30 seconds.
Once again we tried to get settled and go back to sleep. At 5 am the alarm sounded....time for Jeff to get up and get ready for work. Brady got on the bed with me and we went to sleep. At 6:46 am he went into another grand mal seizure. It was pretty much the same as the one at 2 am. It lasted a minute, possibly a little less (our bedside clock is digital and doesn't show seconds). Once the thrashing stopped, I quickly put him on his bed in the floor and ran to the fridge to get another valium suppository. I inserted it and he was on his feet by 6:50 am. Once again he made a quick recovery. Once he had come around, I gave him his morning dose of medications.

All is Well

Today is my husband's and Brady's dad's birthday. We want to wish him a very Happy Birthday and many, many more! Thank you for being the world's best husband and dad to all of our 4 legged babies!

Things are going great for Brady. We are hoping and praying as always that this good trend will continue for him. He looks great and feels great, especially after an acupuncture session with Dr. Peace. His last session with her was just a few days ago on Monday, July 12th. Thank you Dr. Peace for taking such great care of him and all that you do. His medications and Chinese Herbals remain the same.

Psalm 91:4
"He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection."

Aqua Acupuncture Visit with Dr. Peace

On Monday June 21, Brady had a session of aqua acupuncture with Dr. Peace. He did well with it. There were one or two "touchy" places when she injected the needle but he managed to make it. :)

He must feel amazing after a treatment because it sure does show in his appearance. His eyes sparkle and he smiles a huge smile. He looks so happy and bright and alert.

His next appointment with her is Monday, July 12. I always look forward to it because it makes him feel so good.

Thank you Dr. Peace!

Happy Update :)

Things are going well...Brady is doing well and feeling well. He is himself these days and hopefully he is on another good streak now. I still have not been able to bring myself to apply the Frontline Top Spot on him. I'll will give it more time, until he has been seizure-free longer. He goes for his next session of aqua acupuncture with Dr. Peace on Monday, June 21. That is something we always look forward to and it's a very good thing for him.

"May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us." Psalms 67:1

Frontline Top Spot: decisions, decisions

Yesterday I wrote to Dr. Jean Dodds, her website is www.hemopet.org, asking if Frontline Top Spot is safe for epileptic dogs. Her response to me was, "It should be safe – although one never knows until you try it."

I have been reluctant to apply it to Brady, but will soon probably have too. We did find a tick on him filled with blood. I worry about seizure triggers, but at the same time worry about him getting Lyme disease, not to mention a flea infestation. I have heard that there are many cases of it out there this year. I have used it on him in the past so it should be okay. It's just that with all he has been through recently, the decision to apply the Frontline Top Spot has been difficult. I have read that Frontline Top Spot is a safer alternative to Frontline Plus for epi-dogs since it doesn't contain as many chemicals. Still it seems to me that it is a double-edge sword decision to make.

The decision to apply it hasn't come lightly, but contracting Lyme disease would only add to his issues.