RIP Jagger

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had Billie over for the weekend. She got along with Jagger perfectly -
And Crispin always has a soft spot in his heart for his favorite little lady!

 and Billie is so adorable!

WhooHoo — Play time!

Jagger has completely blown me outta the water tonight!!!!

Dion went out with Crispin for his night walk, and Jag and I had a bit of our private play time.
The house was quiet, and Jagger went for Crispin new toy – it’s bright red, so it’s hard to miss.  Jagger brought it to me, and I was able to toss it. He then brought it back to me! Time after time! I ran for the camera, as I knew Dion would never believe what he was doing. But I was lucky enough to get him to do it again, this time with Dion present. And we caught it on came. Of course, Crispin then crashed the party and wanted a piece of the action. You’ll see when all hell breaks loose! Crispin darts in and out of his ‘house’ – While Jagger keeps coming back for attention from me, sitting off camera.

It’s so adorable, and I’m SOOOO proud of Jagger. Just proves he has a bit going on up there.

Piggy Updates!

Jagger is now on Wellness dry food only, and it seems to be going through his system like wild-fire!

I’ve got the food situation all figured out now - I just pour the measured amount in a small food processor I have (but never use!) and add some hot water in it.
I mix so the pieces aren’t as large, but I don’t completely make it paste like.
He LOVES it, and eats it up in a minute! I’m able to throw his little pill in it, and not worry that it’s going down. He licks his bowl clean before Crispin even has a chance for second ‘dibs! 

I can’t even imagine how horrible that wet cat food was for his system, as he was only poo-ing once a day on that CRAP. And his poo’s were very small.
He now has REGULAR bowel movements, which makes is far easier and predicable for house breaking.
He now poos AFTER he eats! YIPPEE! And his poo is nice and solid.
Funny how regular, solid poos can make a dog owner oh-so-very- happy!!

Jagger is now licking the air when he gets excited, and if I stick my face close enough, he’ll give me unlimited ‘kisses’. This is a new! But I’m lovin’ it, as I don’t mind having dog kisses.
My lips are currently chapped, as Crispin has to give me DOUBLE kisses when he see’s Jagger giving them to me! Oh, who can complain about getting double love, from two adorable bostons’?!

I don’t know if it’s because Jagger is improving (I want to use that word, but don’t know if it’s suitable, yet ..) or if he’s just adjusting, but he doesn’t seem to be bumping into things the same way he was. His balance might be improving a bit? Him and Crispin have a play schedule worked out, and it always ends with Crispin having to go and nap in his ‘house’ to get some peace and quiet!
Dion thinks he saw Jagger going INTO HIS HOUSE on his own! He apparenlty went in, to check something out, and just casually walked out. That’s a good thing! That means his crate isn’t a bad place to him. That’s exactly what we want to encourage.
We’re having ZERO problems or issues crate training him. He never makes a peep in there, and when we put him down for naps and sleepy time in the evening, he always goes straight to sleep. 
I think he’s very comfortable in his crate, and thinks of it as his quiet space. We covered it up with a dark blanket, and with lots of cushions inside, he’d have to be nuts not to be comfortable in there! I’d love to crawl in there myself!

He still paces when he’s not sleeping.
BUT, yesterday, Dion said that while he was marking student papers at the computer, Jagger DID lay down on a cushion we havre on the floor for Crispin (one of his many soft places to have a nap if he wants) right beside the desk. He stayed for a good few minutes, before getting up to pace again. This was an obvious ‘oh, this isn’t typical’ actions. Maybe he’s relaxing a bit in his new environment.

Jagger is NOT scared of water! He keeps me company in the morning, whiel I have a shower. I bring him into the bathorom with me, and he usually just stands there, listening to me talking to him. We use this time to seperate the two dogs, Crispin enjoys his morning time with dad, and I enjoy my alone time with Jagger in the bathroom!
Jagger does the typical dog thing – when i get out of the shower, dripping wet, he’ll help ‘dry me off’ by licking the water on my legs.  This is also a-typical, you’d think, as he can’t see very well!

He does do some very typical dog things … like chasing/jumping on plastic bags on the ground (unpacking groceries).  He loves chasing and playing with paper and plastic bags. I think he can see them easily-his poor eye sight makes it difficult to play with ropes, or things that could easily be missed mid-air. He needs large toys. .
This is really cute to see, as he still has a lot of puppy left in him, and it comes out in drips and drabs.

I thin kthe strength in his jaw is increasing as well. When we first got him a week ago, he was unable to chew dry food that had been softened with water. Even though I’m now breaking it down a bit in the food processor, he was barely able to get down wet food. Now, he’s chowing down larger bits of food. He’s even taking small dog biscuits and chewing them – something he couldn’t do when he first arrived.
Do I smell progress?! I think so!!
He also picked up a small beanie baby that Crispin plays with. He was unable to grab it when he first arrived – i clearly remember his struggling with this when he first arrived, and that’s when i realized how weak his jaw really was.

I don’t realize how good htings are going until I write them all down. At times it’s overwelming, as I have to put things in perspective. While Jagger might never be the way he WAS, he’s definitely not worth giving up on. I’ve already seen a change in him .. a change I’m really enjoying.

We plan on taking Jagger on the streetcar this weekend for the first time!
He’s now quite familiar with the sound of them, so I’m not planning it will be a huge deal for him. Finger’s crossed! We have a park planned out that we’ll be taking the boys to on Sunday afternoon … so I’m sure i’ll have TONS of photos’ to post this long weekend.

All-in-all, things aren’t bad. And I think they’re going to get easier over the next week.

ah crap. i mean pee!

ah nuts!

I was boiling soup for dinner, and wasn’t watching Jagger, and he pee’d on the carpet RIGHT BY THE FRONT DOOR!!!!

It was mummy’s fault for not watching her children. Serves me right.
He was ‘accident free’ for 2 days in a row. It would have been 3 if I hadn’t allowed this to happen.
I’m really disappointed with myself.
*sigh*

But I must say! Jagger is no longer spooked by the streetcar and cars along Queensquay. While he’ll stand and watch people coming and going quite intensely, it has to do with his poor eye sight, and nothing more. He’s a curious little guy!
He also turns his head toward the open elevator knowing it’s arrived and open when we get in and out. I’m quite impressed, as our last pit bull foster dog never got used to the elevator.
Jagger has become quite predictable, which is nice. He poo’s approx 1 hour after his meal, and usually doesn’t go in the evening, but has a larger poo in the mornings. He does go pee (not on command) and squats like a little girl to go.
He loves his walks, and he has little bounce to his step.

Canine Epilepsy

I’ve had a few people as me about Jagger’s condition. Unfortunately, I don’t really have an answer regarding his behaviour – no one does. It’s all really a mystery. I didn’t realize there was more than one type of seizures, and we can’t really determine which kind Jagger had/has, as I’ve never really witness it myself.

I wish I had an answer for this little guy.
I’ve been reading a lot about it lately, so when at least I take him to the neurologist, I’ll have a bit of an idea of what they’re testing for.

Seizures are the result of muscle responses to an abnormal nerve-signal burst from the brain. They are a symptom of an underlying neurological dysfunction. Toxic substances, metabolic or electrolyte abnormalities and/or imbalances cause an uncoordinated firing of neurons in the cerebrum of the brain, creating seizures from mild “petit mal ” to severe “grand mal”.
There are four basic stages to a seizure:

• The Prodome: may precede the seizure by hours or days. It is characterized by changes in mood or behavior.
• The Aura: signals the start of a seizure. Nervousness, whining, trembling, salivation, affection, wandering, restlessness, hiding and apprehension are all signals.
• The Ictus, the actual seizure:. A period of intense physical activity usually lasting 45 seconds to 3 minutes. The dog may lose consciousness and fall to the ground. There may be teeth gnashing, frantic thrashing of limbs, excessive drooling, vocalizing, paddling of feet, uncontrollable urination and defecation.
• The Post Ictus/Ictal: after the seizure, the dog may pace endlessly, appear blind and deaf and eat or drink excessively. <– This is exactly what Jagger is experiencing at the moment

The Cause: anything that disrupts normal brain circuitry:

• Idiopathic Epilepsy: meaning no known cause and possibly inherited. This is also referred to as Primary Epilepsy. Check history of pedigree and make sure your veterinarian has looked for possible underlying factors.

• Seizures caused by underlying factors are referred to as Secondary Epilepsy. The following tests are advised before a diagnosis of idiopathic/inherited epilepsy is made.
• Glucose tolerance test, to check for hypoglycemia.
• Thyroid panel, 6 tests, to check for low thyroid function/hypothyroidism.
• EEG, to see if there are findings suggestive of a lesion (an abnormal EEG is standard with epilepsy, but a vet or a physician will also be able to tell if there is a lesion.
• Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, to look for encephalitis, distemper and other infection.
• Blood test to check for lead poisoning;
• CT scan or MRI, again to look for a brain lesion

Types of Seizures:

• Mild: (Petit Mal) this can be a simple as momentarily staring into space, or upward eye movement.
• Moderate: (Grand Mal) the dog falls down, loses consciousness and extends its limbs rigidly. Paddling of limbs, salivation followed by possible loss of control of bladder and bowels and vocalization (blood curdling scream) may follow. This may occur for 1-3 minutes and is most often followed by a period of restlessness, pacing, bumping into objects and loss of balance. (Post Ictal period) The dog is conscious but may appear deaf, blind and disoriented. Great care must be taken to prevent the dog from injuring itself at this time. The use of Bachs Flower Essence Rescue Remedy (found in any Health Food Store) has been found to be extremely useful when given at this time. Simply put a 4 drops of the Essence into the dog’s mouth after the seizure has finished. In most dogs the post ictal time will be cut considerably.
• Status Epilepticus: Status can occur as one continuous seizure lasting 10 minutes or more, or a series of multiple seizures in a short time with no period of normal consciousness, this may be life threatening.
• Cluster Seizures: Multiple seizures within a 24-hour period time, may also be life threatening. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two types and veterinarian assistance is imperative. Rectal Valium is extremely useful in breaking cluster seizures.

Medications

• Phenobarbital
• Potassium Bromide
• Phenobarbital & Potassium Bromide
• Primidone (Mysoline)
• Valium (Diazepam)
• Dilantin
• Gabapentin

Most dogs can be controlled by using Phenobarbital and/or Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. Potassium Bromide is used alone if the dog’s liver has become damaged by Phenobarbital. IMPORTANT: Dogs on Phenobarbital need to have their liver enzymes tested every few months using the following tests ALT (SGPT), AST (SGOT), GGT ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE. Both drugs are available by prescription in pill capsule or liquid form. Primidone, once commonly used, metabolizes to Phenobarbital in the liver. With prolonged treatment it can also cause liver damage. Valium, injectable, or rectal and oral is a good choice to halt a cluster seizure or interrupt status epilepticus. Dilantin, is currently not recommended for use. Gabapentin is a newer drug being used for humans. It does offer exciting possibilities for dogs as it is only partially metabolized by the liver. At present it is very costly to use around $250.00 a month, however with the few dogs that have used it, the results have been very positive.

Low Thyroid Function – Hypothyroidism & Seizures
Seizures are one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism along with chronic skin disease, hair loss, weight gain, lethargy and slow metabolism, behavioral changes (aggression, hyperactivity, poor concentration, passivity, phobias, anxiety.) A recent study of 634 dogs showed that 77% of the dogs who were hypothyroid also had seizures. Dr William Thomas, a board certified neurologist, had this to say about thyroid testing:

“Thyroid testing should be considered in any dog with recurrent seizures. Such testing is relatively inexpensive and carries little risk to the patient. Any dog that is diagnosed with hypothyroidism by appropriate testing should be treated with thyroid replacement therapy. This applies to all dogs, whether or not they suffer seizures. If the seizures improve with thyroid therapy, then great! If not, the patient should still be treated because hypothyroidism can cause many other health problems. Appropriate use of thyroid medication is one of the safest and effective treatments available in veterinary medicine. ” WB Thomas DVM, Dipl.ACVIM (Neurology) University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

It is a good idea to have a full thyroid panel of 6 different tests to determine if your dog is hypothyroid. The tests you want to have done are T3, T4, free T3, free T4, T3 and T4 Autoantibodies. Two or three thyroid tests (e.g.T4, free T4 or TSH), are not conclusive for hypothyroidism. You need all 6 tests listed. Proper thyroid medication may reduce or eliminate seizures.

Diet:
Diet plays an important role in the management of Canine Epilepsy. It is very important to feed a kibble that is preservative free. Preservatives such as Ethoxyquin and BHT, BHA should be avoided as they can cause seizures. Many “Supermarket ” foods are loaded with chemical dyes and preservatives, buy a high quality kibble made from “human grade” ingredients or better yet cook for your dog or feed a raw ( BARF) diet. Many recipes can be found in Dr Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Two helpful books on a raw diet are Dr Ian Billinghurst’s “The BARF Diet” & Susan Johnson’s “Switching to Raw”. There is also a good article on the web site called ” The Role of a Healthy Diet in the Management of Canine Epilepsy” PLEASE NOTE: If your dog is taking Potassium Bromide be very careful when you switch dog foods. Try to make sure the chloride content is the same as the previous food. Change over very slowly, whether it is the same chloride content or different, so that the absorption rate of the KBr remains constant.

SUSAN WYNN, DVM says: “Dogs evolved from Canis lupis – the wolf. Wolves eat caribou or the like, but if they are forced, they will eat smaller game (rarely). They have been observed to graze on grass, eat berries, etc, but only when they need to. This is our lesson in canine nutrition – they are omnivores who do well with fresh meat, the vegetation they get in a caribou stomach (which is mostly green, unless the beast is eating from baited fields), and a smattering of other stuff if they are hungry.

Food companies have, in the main, revolutionized pet nutrition by eliminating major nutritional deficiencies and providing optimal nutrition for the average pet. Our concern, however, is not for the average pet. It is for the sick pet. If epileptic animals have a disease with even a small nutritional component, wouldn’t we want to deal with it? Is your epileptic animal showing other signs of allergies? If s/he is chewing feet, scratching ears, having anal gland problems, vomiting bile seasonally, etc., etc., one may want to consider dietary changes, including hypoallergenic diets, if appropriate.

I think that the main benefit of feeding real food meat, – (raw or cooked, raw or steamed veggies, cooked grains) – is to provide stuff that is killed in the kibble extrusion process. If you or I were to eat a diet of Wheaties, yogurt, VegAll, and Spam day after day for 20 years, would this be enough? I don’t know, but it makes me uncomfortable. I think our pets need a more varied diet and a fresher one than we can give them with commercial kibble. So I do recommend supplementing pet food with lean meat and vegetables.”

Environment:
It is important to keep your epileptic dog as free from chemical pollutants as possible. Think about the environment your dog is living in. Do you use chemical sprays on your lawn? Dogs will sometimes seize only when the lawn is sprayed for weeds. How about the cleaner you use for the floor? Some dogs have been known to seize after the floor has been washed with a pine scented cleaner. Flea and tick medications can also cause seizures. It is recommended that epi dogs be given Interceptor as a monthly heartworm preventative and Frontline used for fleas. Avoid products with Ivermectin it has been known to cause seizures in some breeds. There are many things that can lower a dog’s seizure threshold. Keep a diary of your dog’s seizures. Note down anything you have done or that the dog could have come in contact with that day which could have contributed to seizure. It is also a known phenomenon that some dogs may seizure around the full moon.

Vaccinations :
Vaccinations can lower a dog’s seizure threshold and trigger a seizure. If you feel that this is the case for your dog, ask the vet to split the shots, give them separately at weekly or two weekly intervals and ask for the Rabies shot to be given 2 weeks after that. Ask your vet if he/she knows about the new 3-year protocol now being used by many vets and veterinary schools.

Here’s another fantastic link:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_main.html
 

Dog Days of Fall

 

A dogs’ life. 

Play, sleep, eat and snuggle! 

Day 4 : The little monkey plays

I won’t lie, it’s been a very ‘different’ few days, But I think we’re starting to get Jagger into a routine he can appreciate.

Little Jagger *is* blending into our family very well though .. thank god!

We’re also getting to know Jagger a bit better, including his little personality that comes out a bit more every day.

He gets excited when he knows it’s time for “walkies“, and he’s a huge pig (oink oink!) - so he’s always in the kitchen looking for something that may have fallen on the ground by accident!

We’re starting to figure out words he does know -

He knows sit, but it’s difficult for him to do as his back legs are quite weak ..

he knows “down”, but is unable to stay ‘down’ unless coached to do so -

It’s almost as if he has ADD.

He paces A LOT and won’t sit still unless he’s covered with a blanket and coached for nap time (which is VERY easy to do – i think the meds have something to do with both accounts) … If he does in fact, have neurological damage from his seizure(s) this is probably a tell-tail sign.

We’re still getting used to having a dog pace the length way of the condo, up and down .. up and down .. and it gets unnerving as times, but if you call him, he’ll come right over to you with a little hop to his step!

He *does* know his name, and will come over quickly (errr, as quickly has a half blind dog with poor balance can!) so it’s sweet when he comes running into your arms, and then just runs right on past by because his depth perception is all off.

We think he’s still blind in one eye, so movements have to be quite deliberate, and he will play with a toy for a few seconds before losing interest. Again, it’s probably neurotically linked, as his attention span is close to ‘nil.

He can sleep any time, and makes a wonderful snuggling parnter.  He reminds me of my Bearded Dragons. Throw a blanket over there head, and they think it’s night time, and instantly fall to sleep.

Crispin still seems to love having him around. And I’m praying this doesn’t change. 

Last night, after there usual 8pm play session, Crispin actually snuggled and licked Jagger while they were napping and sort of horse-playing on the bed. Crispin was snuggling his little snout into Jaggers neck. I was shocked at this deliberate sign of affection. Crispin also licked Jaggers neck, cleaning off the slobber he had left from the playing earlier.

I get a sense that Crispin knows that his little friend is ‘different’. It’s actually quite sweet to see the dynamic between them.

Crispin has already taken his playing ‘down a notch’, as if he knows that Jagger is unable to run as quickly as himself, and he makes an effort not to go around corners and he knows that Jagger has problems with corners and it slows him down!

Last night, he even gave the rope to Jagger, and kinda nudged it into his mouth so they could play a gentle game of tug-a-rope! Because Jagger has a weak jaw, the game could instantly be over if Crispin really went into it with full force.

Day 2

The boys are getting along very well!

so far, so good …. sleepy time for the boys.

Day 1 : The Personality comes out