Does he look pot bellied?

Don't feel guilty about not being able to afford MRI. All it will buy you is a confirmation of brain tumor and there's no good treatment available, though some vets will take a few thousand more for trying. If it didn't show a brain tumor, you'd be back to dealing with epilepsy diagnosis.

Trying seizure meds is the best you can do. But you have to set yourself up so you can to out of the house for an hour or two while your are in wait and see mode . . . or at least have someone do your shopping.

My guess, from your description, is that Harvey does have a brain tumor, and you need to prepare for the worst. Between my own epileptic dog and dealing with a few epileptics (one extremely severe cluster seizures) when I ran a boarding kennel, I've never seen the earlier symptoms you describe, eg., loss of bladder control in daily living, associated with epilepsy. They seem to be typical for a brain tumor. But I'm no expert and my opinion shouldn't be taken as anything more than an opinionated and often wrong person's two cents.

There's a lot of depression in my family, and I've had a few run-ins myself. Dread is often worse than reality. Hope still has a place, and you may find a medication that will put Harvey on the right track. But if this doesn't happen, you need to recognize that you've given him a good several years. All of us die. Sooner or later isn't as important as living well, and I'm sure Harvey has.

I try to imagine what I'd want for myself if I were in my dog's position. I would rather have a shorter life than live with the indignity of losing my brain function and the responsibility for driving my human closest friend to wit's end.

Try to get a clear prognosis from your vet, or through googling, or asking on this and that group. If there are no seizures on Pexion, does that indicate that it is epilepsy? Could the crazy episode have been a side effect of the drug? What is ahead if it is a brain tumor? Is it a slow decline with ever-worsening problems?

Reality can be cruel. But our imaginations can create hells that are worse than reality.

btw. Thanks for the good thoughts. My old girl is fine. she gets 32 mg of pheno in the evening only (well below the level that's supposed to be clinically effective). She's been on this regime for three years. She still gets a few seizures a year (not grand mal) but I can live with that. She doesn't behave according to the textbooks. I conclude that diseases don't read the textbooks.

No, he looks perfectly normal (just double checked)?

Hi sandgrubber

I appreciate what you mean about the MRI but the other side of the coin is that at least I'd have a diagnosis which I'd prefer.

Because of my own medical stuff I tend to only go out when I absolutely have to. I certainly don't do well in crowded places and screaming kids can give me a panic attack but my sanctuary is my garden, or rather gardening.

I used to be able to forget everything when I was gardening and I have designed my garden around Harvey, very dog safe, lots of nooks and crannys he can go sniffing in and of course a nice lawn area to play games on with him.

Not grabbing at straws (but worth saying ) the earlier symptoms I spoke of were diagnosed as being caused by Crystals in his Urine. I mean I am open to the vet having been wrong but at the time he had his urine tested and the vet said it was full of crystals.

She also said that his increased water intake was related to this as was the loss of bladder control. She said that as the crystals will cause frequent urination so his water intake goes up, then the more he drinks the more he needs to pee and it goes around in a circle.

Of course while I was asleep at night for 6 or 7 hours he would need to pee during that time hence the accidents.

Now like I said, this is how the Vet explained it but she has already admitted she misdiagnosed his tremors as old age so she may have been wrong. I personally just really do not know what to think.

I tried to call his vet today to ask a few questions but she was not on rota today.

Loki sounds as if she has very loving carers (I don't use the term owner as I don't believe we can own another life form) and without doubt has been well cared for.

What was your thinking? (just curious)

I was kinda thinking about cushings, some of the symptoms fit, and I'm assuming Harvey wasn't tested for this.
I tend to look at every posibility if one of my animals are ill, but at the same time I didn't want to suggest it, giving hope, in case its wrong..... If you know what I mean.

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides...-syndrome-dogs

Or even possibly addisons symdrome-

http://www.2ndchance.info/addison%27s.htm

Hi halfpenny

Don't worry, suggest away, I tend to be the same and look at everything. I have too, I just cant do nothing.

I really appreciate you thinking about and suggesting this, I will read up on those links when (if) Harvey settles down in a while. He's been pretty full on obsessive all day...

A quick browse over the cushings one I can see where some of the symptoms are the same but the telling one I think would be his coat condition.

Just been checking him over and I have to say its normal and he's certainly not pot-bellied.

In a way, I'd really prefer a definite diagnosis because being told by his vet that its ether epilepsy or a brain tumor just brings up millions of questions...

A lot of his symptoms fit Hypoglycemia too but in his last blood test his glucose level was normal but that was back in November.

When he had his seizure I asked his vet if she was going to run some fresh blood tests but she said no as she had the ones from November.

I'm not all that happy with that as that was 4 months ago and in small animals things can change pretty fast so I may insist on a fresh full blood work up

On all the various websites relating to canine brain tumours they all clearly state that the vet should run all tests and rule out everything before a MRI and his Vet has not really done that...