Seizures Possible Brain Tumor (Threads merged )

Hi All

I am typing this with tissue in hand.

My Collie X Casper who is 13yrs old started having seizures on Friday morning.

I came down to make a cup of tea about 5.00am on Friday morning as i couldnt sleep, i grabbed a couple of bicuits & of course Casper & Freckles my other dog a Jack Russell followed me into the lounge as usual.

About 10mins later Casper started to stare as if he could see some thing i couldnt, i spoke to him & he started to go unsteady on his feet, he has done this before a few times, however not for a while. I have mentioned this to my vet who said that he was noise intorrerable.

So when he started to do this on Friday i was terrified to see him then slump on his side & his whole body went rigid & i realised he was probably having a fit.

I rushed him to the vets who said he may have had a fit & gave him some diazapam. We had to go back later that morning for blood tests & my vet gave him some tablets to take. He results showed that his blood sugar level was high, his liver was not working as well as it should be.

My vet wanted to take more blood the next morning, unfortunately we never got to that stage. He fitted again at 11.20am, again at 6.20pm, 9.00pm & then again at 11.50pm. I had given him the tablets as informed by the vet, but by this time i felt enough is enough he needs to be seen again. His seizures were coming more often & it was almost like he never really came out of the prevoius one as once the fit had stopped he would then get up struggling all the time & would then walk into things i could not get him to settle, after about an hour of pacing he would then flake out on the floor & sleep but for no longer than an hour & would then fit again & the process would start all over again.

He was sedated over night & when the vet brought him round about 6.30am this morning he started to fit again. He has been sedated all day the vet phoned me again at lunchtime to say that he was still sleeping & would speak to me later, i am waiting for his call.

I asked the vet if i was being unkind ,but he said that it was to early to give up on him yet. Which he has said again to me this afternoon.

I dont know what to think, he said that a scan could be done if i had £2,000 spare, which of course i havent but at the same time i want to do everything i can for Casper. The vet feels that it would be a waste of money to have a scan done.

The vet feels he most probably has a brain tumor, but i keep thinking how does he know if no scan has been done, he also mentioned the possibility of Diabetis due to the high blood sugar levels.

I am aware that he has age against him, but i am absolutely devasted. Have any of you every had experience of this before or could give me any advice.

The bottom line is i will not allow Casper to suffer in any way, but at the same time i need to have done everything i can for him.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, i cannot imagine life without him, i so desperatley want to see him in his bed again and coming in and seeing us when we are watching the TV the house is empty.

I apologise if i have repeated myself etc but as you can imagine i am not really with it at the moment.

Thanks

Amanda

I know what your going through, i was in the same position a few years ago with my first dog.
We was adviced the very same thing, our dog started having fits, completely out of the blue, took him to the vets, they gave him all the drugs and kept him in over night, he then had another (life threathening) later that night, to the degree he couldn't stand, he was on all the meds to prevent him fitting, but was consently on the verge of another.
We was told about the cat scan, as the only thing the vets hadn't tested for was a brain tumor, all his test were normal.
The vet told us the cat scan would only provide the explaination or confirm it was a tumor but the treatment would be the same as what he was already recieving.
By the morning he was consently twitching and still not responding to the treatment so we let him go.
When we went down to be with him, he didn't even recognise us and we had him 10 1/2 years.
Although there is alot on un answered questions, we had to face the truth about his medical state and it wasn't fair on prolonging his life with no chance of recovery, just so we had answers.
As difficult as it is for you right now, look at your boy, try and let your head rule your actions, and do what you consider the best thing for him.

If you need to chat just PM me.

I feel so sorry for you.

I'm afraid I have no advice to give, but wanted to send you a hug for what you must be going through.

There are several dogsey members with dogs that have fits, but these have been from a relatively young age, not coming on through old age.

It does seem that the scan would not really help you as such, just confirm what may or may not be the cause.

I'll be thinking of you both - it sounds very bleak, but you are being a wonderful owner in putting Casper before your own feelings.

(((hugs)))

Amanda, you must be feeling so shocked, events have happened so quickly

I am assuming from your post that Casper isn't insured? Looking at the situation logically, the £2,000 scan can't really help a lot either way, If Casper has a tumour it probably won't be treatable in a dog his age (hence the vets comments about wasting money ) and if he doesn't have a tumour the seizures are a reality anyway and their sudden appearance in a dog of that age very worrying. I am concerned about the liver not functioning correctly, it could be an indication that there is something more going on.

I am sorry I can't be of more help to you , I am trying to decide what I would do in your situation. I guess if Casper wasn't in any great distress I would sit it out for a couple of days to see if he could be stabilised.

I have learnt that sometimes no matter how much we do to save a beloved dog it isn't always possible to help them, there are times when we just have to admit defeat and take the pain that comes with losing those we love...
Thinking of you...((hug)) xx

Hi Minihaha

Thanks for your reply.

I am just hoping & praying that he can hold in there a bit longer.

But at the end of the day i will always do what is best for him.

Once again many thanks

Amanda

It's good to share the problems we face, even if it is just to talk to some one, but i think mini sums it up.
If nothing else it helps hearing other peoples thoughts, or helps you to know you are doing your best for him.

I am very sorry about your precious baby. The high sugar level is very odd, when dogs have seizures their sugars usually drop very low. I would have your vet investigate that a little more. I agree with everyone else about the scan. I wouldn't do it either. I hope and pray that meds will control the seizures. Stay strong.

So sorry to hear this, Amanda. It's so distressing seeing a dog fit, when there's little you can do about it. You fell just totally helpless.

I hope Casper stablises quickly, and the vet can give an explanation as to why the fitting occurred.

Hugs honey x0x

So sad to read this. Casper's lucky to have someone who cares for him so much. How is he today?

So sorry to read this, my thoughts are with you.

Sending healing vibes to Casper and a big {{{hug}}} to you xxx