Gavin's StoryGavin was adopted December 2003
Gavin arrived in the summer of 2003 into
our program when his owners could no longer care for him. His
bright smiling face quickly won us all over. He had a classic
Corgi smile and was quite snuggly. Soon after he arrived we began
to notice that something wasn't quite right about Gavin. He had
no real energy and just didn't seem to feel good. Then we noticed
that he was drinking a lot of water. We took him into our vet and
found that he had a urinary tract infection. After a standard
course of antibiotics, Gavin still wasn't feeling himself. Off we
went to a specialist who suspected the infection had been going on for
so long that it had reached his kidneys. He suggested a month of
antibiotics. After the month of medication was complete, Gavin
began to feel better.
Then the seizures started.
His foster mom, Mandy, woke in the middle of the night to the sound of a horrible noise. She was instantly on her feet and saw Gavin slipping into a seizure. Gavin had two seizures that night and was rushed to the Emergency Vet Clinic. We were all saddened that such a wonderful boy was going through so much. We consulted with our vets about possible options for Gavin. A full diagnostic profile was run, as well as a liver function test, and results were normal. Our vet suspects that Gavin may have a mild form of epilepsy. We decided to not medicate him at the time, but instead opted to switch him to a better dog food (Solid Gold) and monitor his condition further.
Gavin had a series of three seizures two months later. After another full medical work up we again consulted with our vets. Because Gavin clustered (a term used when seizures occur in a series) and his seizures were beginning to become stronger, we decided to start him on an anti seizure medication. With his medical history, we began to wonder how we were going to find adopters that could understand Gavin’s special needs. Mandy loved Gavin wanted to adopt him, but her present situation for adding another dog wasn't right.
Our hearts were lightened when we contacted Grace and Greg, who had already adopted two other dogs for us. They were grieving the loss of Janie and were ready for a pup to help them heal. Gavin went home in December of 2003. We are just so grateful for Grace and Greg. We know they will love Gavin and treat him like a prince.
Update December 2003 - Gavin, now known as Tiv (Hebrew for Good), has settled into his new family and has quickly won everyone with his dear self.
Dogs that are exhibiting seizures should always been seen by a veterinarian. In some cases, seizures can be life threatening and should be treated as an emergency. Dogs should also be tested by veterinarians for tick transmitted diseases which can affect the nervous system and cause seizure activity.
Then the seizures started.
His foster mom, Mandy, woke in the middle of the night to the sound of a horrible noise. She was instantly on her feet and saw Gavin slipping into a seizure. Gavin had two seizures that night and was rushed to the Emergency Vet Clinic. We were all saddened that such a wonderful boy was going through so much. We consulted with our vets about possible options for Gavin. A full diagnostic profile was run, as well as a liver function test, and results were normal. Our vet suspects that Gavin may have a mild form of epilepsy. We decided to not medicate him at the time, but instead opted to switch him to a better dog food (Solid Gold) and monitor his condition further.
Gavin had a series of three seizures two months later. After another full medical work up we again consulted with our vets. Because Gavin clustered (a term used when seizures occur in a series) and his seizures were beginning to become stronger, we decided to start him on an anti seizure medication. With his medical history, we began to wonder how we were going to find adopters that could understand Gavin’s special needs. Mandy loved Gavin wanted to adopt him, but her present situation for adding another dog wasn't right.
Our hearts were lightened when we contacted Grace and Greg, who had already adopted two other dogs for us. They were grieving the loss of Janie and were ready for a pup to help them heal. Gavin went home in December of 2003. We are just so grateful for Grace and Greg. We know they will love Gavin and treat him like a prince.
Update December 2003 - Gavin, now known as Tiv (Hebrew for Good), has settled into his new family and has quickly won everyone with his dear self.
Dogs that are exhibiting seizures should always been seen by a veterinarian. In some cases, seizures can be life threatening and should be treated as an emergency. Dogs should also be tested by veterinarians for tick transmitted diseases which can affect the nervous system and cause seizure activity.
| Seizures & Epilepsy Resources |
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| Websites: The EPI Guardian Angels: a resource source for information, support, treatments and solutions for veterinarians and owners of dogs with Canine Epilepsy Canine Epilepsy Resource Center Information on Health Concerns & Resources - Links to helpful resources - This link will take you to another page on our website |
Books: click on the book cover for more information  Canine Epilepsy: An
Owner's Guide to Living With and Without Seizuresby Carol Levine, RN |
