Happy Holidays~
I know, its been awhile since I've updated.
Last week, I started to write my update blog about how Trixie had been returning to normal, but before I could hit send, I got another phone call... Trixie had lapsed back into seizures, and they weren't the mild ones.
So the past week has been a huge step backwards again. A lot of emotions, a lot of fear, and a lot of pain in watching her so miserable. At one point, after a trip to the nighttime vet, whose pessimism had us believing that we were prolonging the inevitable and that she would not recover, we sat through a sleepless night of wrestling the thoughts of whether keeping her here was selfish on our parts. Thank GOD for Dr. Bloszies and Dr. Meyers at Buena Vista Animal Clinic, who immediately rebutted that horrible lack of faith and brought us back into believing. They have taken Trixie under their wings and their concern and genuine caring natures have made this difficult time so much more bearable for us. Dr. Bloszies called the Auburn University Veterinary Hospital, and although they were not accepting patients until after the New Year, he spoke with the chief neurologist about Trixie's case and what his professional opinion for treatment would entail. They decided that Trixie needed to "reset her computer" again, which meant putting her in a sedated state for a period of time and then slowly weening her off the sedative and keeping her on the anti-seizure drug. So Trixie has been drugged up for the past week, and is now starting to show signs of improvement. She's eating again, she's drinking, and she's not had any more seizures. Now, we'll start tapering off her dosages and monitor her until it is determined the proper dosage to control her seizures (if required).
Its still perplexing what caused this tramatic episode in Trixie. Here are the possible culprits:
Last week, I started to write my update blog about how Trixie had been returning to normal, but before I could hit send, I got another phone call... Trixie had lapsed back into seizures, and they weren't the mild ones.
So the past week has been a huge step backwards again. A lot of emotions, a lot of fear, and a lot of pain in watching her so miserable. At one point, after a trip to the nighttime vet, whose pessimism had us believing that we were prolonging the inevitable and that she would not recover, we sat through a sleepless night of wrestling the thoughts of whether keeping her here was selfish on our parts. Thank GOD for Dr. Bloszies and Dr. Meyers at Buena Vista Animal Clinic, who immediately rebutted that horrible lack of faith and brought us back into believing. They have taken Trixie under their wings and their concern and genuine caring natures have made this difficult time so much more bearable for us. Dr. Bloszies called the Auburn University Veterinary Hospital, and although they were not accepting patients until after the New Year, he spoke with the chief neurologist about Trixie's case and what his professional opinion for treatment would entail. They decided that Trixie needed to "reset her computer" again, which meant putting her in a sedated state for a period of time and then slowly weening her off the sedative and keeping her on the anti-seizure drug. So Trixie has been drugged up for the past week, and is now starting to show signs of improvement. She's eating again, she's drinking, and she's not had any more seizures. Now, we'll start tapering off her dosages and monitor her until it is determined the proper dosage to control her seizures (if required).
Its still perplexing what caused this tramatic episode in Trixie. Here are the possible culprits:
- Potential Ingestion of Marinol - We determined that while at my parents home in FL, she may have found a Marinol tablet that my grandfather had dropped, but believed had fallen under the refridgerator. Marinol is a synthetic form of Marijuana that is given to cancer patients to control nausea and boost appetite while in chemotherapy. I researched a case study on canines that had ingested marijuana (mostly in larger dogs), and found that her early symptoms had mirrored the reported cases. However,the cases reported lasted no longer than 5 days, which makes this theory dwindle as time passes. Could she be just a drug junkie who needs rehab after the amounts of Valium (to control the seizures) and marinol in her system?
- Hormonal/Chemical Imbalance related to Cycle- There have been cases in small dogs such as Trixie where their seasonal cycle brings such hormonal changes that it alters their brain chemistry and brings about "crank brain cells" which result in seizures? Chihuahuas have annual cycles, with her first cycle happening in late November of last year. That means Trixie is past due for her "time of year". Dr. Bloszies has witnessed patients having this type trigger return to normal after being fixed. Nothing can be done until she stabilizes and finishes this cycle, so it may be spring before she will go in for that surgery. Could Trixie maybe just have the ultimate case of PMS??? (Like mother, like daughter I suppose...) Incidentally, today she showed the telltale signs of being "in heat".
- Epilepsy - Whether triggered by the ingestion trauma, or just an unfortunate coincedence, another possibility is that she is a natural epileptic doggie. If this is the case, she will be kept on the anti-seizure medication phenobarbitol permanently to control the seizures. This drug takes several weeks to reach effective controlling properties, which may explain her lack of dramatic improvements.
In any case, it is good to see her in her more calm and relaxed state. She has made friends at the vet, and they have gone to extraordinary measures to baby and spoil her during the day. I am extremely blessed to have found such great caregivers, and am completely indebted to them for their graciousness. Her being here with me is the best Christmas present I could have asked for, and knowing that she continues to make small improvements.
Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope that your days are merry and safe!
Posted by Erica Ortiz on Friday, December 23, 2005 at 8:19 AM | Permalink 
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