Last Saturday, one of our basset hounds, Chelsea (female, 13 years old), suddenly experienced a seizure. It came out of nowhere. Unfortunately it was late, and we don't have any 24 hour vets in my area so we had to wait until the following morning. By that time, she had at least five more attacks.
When we finally managed to get her to the nearest vet, she was given a sedative and prescribed medication for the seizures. So, we took her home. But then the seizures got worse. At one point I guess it was once every hour. As soon as we could, we got her back to the vet, where she was given an IV and additional medication supposedly to help with the effects of brain trauma. It was also discovered that she had gone partially blind. We were then referred to a bigger veterinary clinic.
Before we went there, however, the seizures suddenly stopped. But Chelsea wasn't the same anymore. She didn't recognize me, my wife, or anybody else in the house including my three other dogs. She seemed constantly anxious, disoriented, and lost. She would wander through the same areas of the house and would stand for hours on end, refusing to sit or lie down, constantly panting and salivating. She also couldn't really control her bladder and would urinate and defecate at random.
Earlier today we finally managed to get her to the new clinic where she was also x-rayed. The diagnosis was possible IVDD. The vets couldn't really rule out things like brain tumors, but MRIs for animals aren't available where I live. Chelsea was then prescribed gabapentin and phenobarb, along with aktivait to help her rest at night. We're scheduled to do a follow-up check in a week, so, fingers-crossed and all that.
What really concerns me--or what really breaks my heart, to be honest--is her mind. She doesn't recognize anyone anymore, she appears constantly disoriented, she would snap at us whenever we try to clean her up ... she even ignores most of the treats she used to love. At best, she doesn't mind a pat on her head or shoulder. She also doesn't seem to be able to adapt; she remains confused about her surroundings as well as the humans and dogs around her; she would get stuck in corners or circle around the same place over and over again.
It's one thing to see your dog struggle with pain and distress, but it's complete agony to be unable to at least comfort her.
So, I guess, what I'm trying to ask here is, has anybody any advice or experience in dealing with dogs that have somehow lost their memories due to trauma? Or perhaps references to cases similar to mine?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/jomfyb/my_dog_had_a_series_of_seizures_and_now_doesnt/
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