Strong tremors after seizure in my 15yr B

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
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  • J

    I’ve read through a lot of the post in this forum & have found it so much more comforting than most random google searches.
    Sadiki my 15yr old B was diagnosed w/ bladder cancer last March & was given 3-6 months to live. I knew that was not happening...he’s way to feisty & his zest for life, runs in the park, his job of being a shop dog, etc. is far stronger than the typical outcome of this disease. So a year has gone by & he’s been managing pretty good w/ a raw diet, fish oils, CBD, a compounded piroxicam medicine & blood work every 3 months to monitor his kidney levels! Things have been good until this week. Late Wednesday night he seemed a little antsy, his sleep schedule had been off & it had been raining for 5 straight days (so no long walks for my boy) ...so the rain stopped, we went for a short walk & right as we were almost home he fell & started seizing... it was so scary, he’s never had one & it seemed so violent. Rushed him to emergency vet, seizure meds that night & fluids at reg vet next 2 days. Since then, disoriented, walks in circles, into walls & def needs help going to the bathroom. But when he’s trying to rest he’s having strong tremors, lots of shaking & it doesn’t seem to be letting up. Waiting on blood work to see if this is mostly likely related to kidneys or possible brain tumor. He’s been a super healthy dog up until this last year & I want to give him the best shot at recovery & prolonging the life I know he loves & we love having him big a HUGE part of!

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  • elbrantE

    :`( Please keep us updated.

    elbrant.net

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  • KembeK

    I hope everything works out for Sadiki and you find out what’s going on. Best wishes for a positive outcome.🙏

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  • eeeefarmE

    So sorry you are having to deal with this. I wonder if he suffered a stroke or has inflammation in the brain? Or perhaps, as you suggest, a brain tumour. One of my girls had a violent seizure at age 13, with no prior history of seizures. My vet suspected a brain tumour and put her on a course of Prednisone, which seemed to help. We used that medication on and off for almost three years until her quality of life deteriorated and we made the difficult decision that it was time to say goodbye. It's tough dealing with this type of unknown day to day. My thoughts are with you and I hope things improve. Good luck.

    "In order to get along with a Basenji, you have to be at least half as smart as the dog!"

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  • D

    @jmerrick My girl passed in 2018 after seizures. The vet guessed maybe a brain tumor but we didn’t know for sure. Really sucked because she was 12 and the vet kept telling me what good shape she was in for her age. Reminded me of a story you read occasionally of someone young who has cancer, you look at them and think how can they when they look so healthy!

    A good vet and know that you are doing all you can, that is all you can do. Good luck.

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  • M

    you are part of the few lucky folks whom had a basenji live so long. Enjoy him..

    Stafford Ames Morse
    [removed email address]

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  • D

    So sorry to hear about this. It sucks.

    Sounds like a brain tumor of some sort, perhaps seeded from the bladder cancer. I don't think a blood test will tell you that. You'd need an MRI or other imaging to confirm.

    Radiation is effective short term with brain tumors and dogs tolerate radiation very well. And as mentioned, there are also anti-seizure meds that work reasonably well. So there may be some medical options. However, you want the best for you dog, so you have to consider the side effects of treatment, the prognosis, and the quality of life.

    Horrible choices. My heart goes out to you in this difficult time.

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  • R

    My Gretchen, who turned 15 late last year, started with seizures about a year ago. After each seizure, there were tremors. Meds worked well and controlled the seizures.

    A few weeks ago I was having a really hard time getting her to eat, and she started losing control of her back legs. They had lost all muscle tone, I figured because she wasn't eating. We tried some type of medicines to increase her appetite with very little improvement. We took her to the vet, again, and he explained that her brain was dealing with wearing out - old age. A tumor was not mentioned.

    He said there really wasn't much to do, and my husband and I decided to euthanize her right there. It helped us to know the night before, we got her to eat a half salmon patty, and half a hamburger.
    He said, "If you can imagine being hungry all the time, is that any way to live, it has to be uncomfortable?" Gretchen was always really into her food!

    So, she lived, and died of old age. Actually the first I bred, and kept, who died of old age.

    I hope Sadiki pulls through this, and you are prepared for whatever comes next.

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  • J

    Dealing with my boy and his lymphoma, diagnosed on MLK JR day.. He's on prednisone, fish oil, CBD, ashwaghanda, and immunikokobo. He started having seizures last year, about one every quarter. Horrible, he wakes up terrified, and then his brain "reboots". Our other dog is a Jack Russell/Chihuahua/? who took a hard head trauma several years ago, and he has seizures. It's almost a routine with him, predictable, still just crappy when they happen. Very different than the B. I grew up with an epileptic Chihuahua, so I'm kinda used to it.

    My first B made 17.5 years, but I kept him too long. Loved to sun out on the deck, all his life. We'd crack the door to the deck and let him come and go. One day he laid out in the sun, and couldn't get back up. Sunstroke. That's on me. Should have worked out the path for him out of this life, but didn't. I'll not make that mistake with D'Ogee.

    Parrots- you gotta will them to someone. Other birds, meh-just birds. I always say that fish and birds are the easiest pets. When we commit to a dog or cat, or horse, we've the responsibility to help them pass when the time comes. I'm struggling to deal with mine too.

    Steel yourself. I'm trying to do the same. I've got a plan for him, not so much for myself emotionally. Gotta do right by these critters, these great souls.

    JBH

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  • J

    Just shared a chicken nugget snack with both boys. Meds for the B- we split a 20mg tablet of Predinisone, for a morning/night dose,he's about 32 # now, gaining weight, eating and drinking lots. The other dog has been on regular meds- potassium bromide, gabapentin, and phenobarbitol. That regimen has yielded good results, but predictable- he'll still have 1 or 2 episodes a month.

    I've already worked out tentative plans for an endgame. Known a mobile vet doc and friend for years, I'll call on her when the time comes- she's helped in the past with a GF's kitteh. Planning a nice fish/bacon whatever dinner, and a heavy dose of probably gabapentin to sedate him. Then the euthanasia procedure.

    Then a large rock for me to crawl under. Allow me to share a quote.

    "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. And you may not be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm is all about."

    Haruki Hurakami

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