Epilepsy in Dogs

Uri had been with us for a few days and luckily hadn’t managed to escape. So, it was off to the vets for the snip, a requirement before he could be rehomed.

Not long after we dropped him off the vet rang ‘Uri’s had a reaction to the anaesthetic, we nearly lost him but he’s fitting continuously ‘

How much bad luck can one dog have?

Huge questions came to mind….Was Uri rejected and thrown out by his previous owner because he was epileptic or did the reaction to the anaesthetic cause the epilepsy? Also, should he have been operated on whilst painfully underweight? and was the epilepsy causing the hyperactive behaviour? We would never have the answers.

We bought Uri home, still fitting every few hours and heavily medicated. It was heartbreaking to watch, we couldn’t do anything but make sure he didn’t hurt himself and be there to comfort him when he came round. His eyes were full of bewilderment and shock. Where was the dog who had been scaling six-foot walls a few days ago? Eventually the fits were less frequent and the vet was able to reduce his medication. After a week Uri was back to his old self, he wasn’t going to let epilepsy get him down.

I was now concerned that Uri would be so much harder to rehome with a medical condition and a monthly prescription bill to pay. We were prepared to keep Uri if the right home never came around.

We started the path of building Uri up to a decent weight, calming his behaviour and getting the medication just right. His epileptic fits had stopped for now and he was loving his new life.

Uri was with us for nine months, a couple enquired about him who were just perfect. Uri was going to the life he deserved. We catch up often, he has excelled at all his training classes, enjoys hiking with his mum and dad and remains as healthy as possible. I shed many, many tears the day that ‘spotty man’ left for his new home but I knew that the life he would now have would be ideal for him and I had a space to help another homeless dog.

Sometimes dog fostering can be hard.

(Photo below, sent to me by Uri’s new Mum and Dad)