Oh no, so sorry, poor Pereg (and you)
I know nothing about epilepsy but hope that it really was a one off. Try to keep strong and remember to take care of yourself too. Stone sends a doggy kiss to Pereg x

She only nagged for a bit after her meal and then jumped on the couch and is dozing. Definitely nothing that was a trigger - as Ram said, it was just one of those things and just happened.

But not knowing why is the worry.

She came out of the seizure so well, even though it was a typical violent GM - whereas previously it has been hands off and keep well away until she was fully out of it - this time once the GM stopped she was almost instantly out of it - let me wipe her face down while she was still laying on her side on the bed, then was fine - OK, wandering about but fully aware of sight and sound and happy and tail wagging - coming to me when called - coming to me for cuddles - then the diabolical post-ictal behaviour started.

And I have no idea what triggered off the seizure.

It just happened.

So sorry for you and Pereg. Hope it is just a one off.

what a horrible story I'm so sorry for you and for Pereg

I have gone through Pereg's online diaries [I keep two, from different sites, but duplicate everything in case one goes down] for the last couple of months.

In the diaries I write down her meals for the day, note which days she is Frontlined [1st of every month except for December and February], anything out of the ordinary - and the days that she is annoyed by those bdooly boys [who have been fairly good since I went and had a word with the school manager]. And on the 1st of each month write/wrote down how many days seizure-free she is/was.

Anything and everything is written down so I can go back and check for triggers. I even note down days Nir, Doron, or Effie have been here, plus the four-weekly Mei Eden water delivery.

If I am not feeling good [far too often], it gets noted down in Pereg's diary. And there is nothing during the last two months that could be a trigger, any more than there was a trigger yesterday.

We went to bed late. She wanted out for a pee about an hour [?] later. Came straight back in, we both went back to bed and to sleep, and maybe 15 minutes later she woke me by having a Grand Mal seizure.

It is difficult to explain but anyone who has an epi dog who sleeps on their bed will understand. It is like a mini earthquake going off on/in the bed. Last night she had a silent GM but in the past she used to be very vocal at the start. And she came out of it without the usual blindness/deafness/ataxia/staggering around and just wandered around as if to make sure everything was still where it should be - and only then, after quite a while, did the diabolical post-ictal behaviour begin, even though I had given her a double dose of Pb once she had come out of the GM, plus a calming pill. She was probably on her way "down" by the time I gave her the second calming pill. They are herbal and perfectly safe, and Ram, my Vet, is quite happy for Pereg to have them.

I do not give her one that often but if she gets over-excited I will give her one. As I say, not that often though. They are preferable to giving her oral Valium - Ram said when she was really bad that I could give her 10mg every 4 hours if she was bad post-ictal but if these herbal calming pills work I prefer them to Valium, even though they are more expensive because I am prescribed a pack of 30 x 5mg Valium a month which I am supposed to take one half an hour before I go to bed as a muscle relaxant - not to help me sleep. And being "chronic" they cost peanuts, but I do not always take one though, saving some for Pereg if necessary.

I just prefer to use the herbal calming pills although maybe last night Valium would have acted far more quickly for her.

At the moment she is absolutely normal, but then she was absolutely normal yesterday, even when she went out for a pee an hour before the seizure, and yet she still had one.

Oh Pereg - my epileptic gorgeous Pereg. I love her so much and am devastated that the Monster came back after such a wonderfully long streak.

Thanks for listening.

Sorry - you are comparatively new and were not aware that my beloved Pereg has epilepsy. But after the first six months of sheer and utter h*ll we had gotten it under control with medication, and she had been free of Grand Mal epileptic seizures for just under 18 months.

But she is a happy girl and has never had any idea what is happening to her during and after a seizure, and she is far luckier than a lot of the other epi dogs on Dogsey - I mean nearly 18 months seizure-free? It was 18 months of worry tucked into the back of my mind - always there but never thought about it.

Until my beloved Pereg had another GM in the early hours of this morning.

It is difficult for me to accept but what can I do?

So sorry Malka, but let's hope that this is the end of it.......if not, you will cope, I know you will.

It must be a horrible thing to go through Malka.
I have no advice as I have never fortunately had to go through this with a dog and reading about people who do I do wonder if I would have your and theirs strength.
More (((hugs))) and fingers crossed for a peaceful night and a long peaceful stretch again for you and Pereg.

Malka, I'm Epi as well - not had an attack for a few years now but still have to take the tablets - Epilim 2x twice a day. Ive never had a trigger that starts it off either. Fortunately all mine have happened in the house - never outside for some reason. The first I know I've had one is when I come round usually on the sofa after OH has heaved me up there & feeling like a horse has kicked me in the waist area. It is horrible but what I'm trying to say is that you will probably never find out what caused last nights GM. I hope Pereg doesnt have another one any time soon. (((hugs)))

I will cope because Pereg needs me to cope, and I need Pereg - being honest now - as a reason for living.

You went through far worse with your beloved Ollie. The necessary strength comes when it is needed.

Lynne - I have said before that Ram, Dr Ram Perrer, my Vet, is also epi. And that is why I trust him implicitly to look after Pereg. Not that I knew until he first diagnosed Pereg with Idiopathic Epilepsy and I said Oh well, she is not ill, she is just epileptic. And Ram looked at me and said "I am not ill, I am also epileptic". And I said "but you drive"...

...and he said that yes, he had lost his licence in the past but got it back after, I think, a year sz-free, and that his meds are keeping him sz-free. I have never asked him what meds he takes and I never will.

This is why, I think, he and I can together look after Pereg so well. I mean one year and 177 days is a darn good sz-free streak when you think her previous longest one was 7 weeks and 2 days.

But I have been upset in the past when some people say dogs cannot get epilepsy. Well sorry, but canine epilepsy is a fact. I have been more than upset when some people have said Oh get rid of her, you can always get another dog.

And the worst thing? When it had been known that Pereg had been sz-free for so long, being told [and this is by people who have epi dogs] that she probably never had epilepsy in the first place.

I just love her so very very much. And of course I wish she was not epi but she is - but that does not stop me from loving her.

Because she is my girl.