My dog, important question

[gritsar]

Quote:
Good luck and let us know.

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Hope your pup feels better soon...

 

[thebritt]

We have a border collie on meds for seizures as well. She also has a thyroid problem and is on meds for that, too. The side effects of the seizure meds and the thyroid issue causes her to be ravenously hungry and thirsty. We've cut back her food, but she still hunts out anything edible, including chicken food, crumbles and scratch. The second we aren't watching she'll squeeze into a coop and clean the feeders

. I'm sure it's not good for her - "like grain through a goose" applies to dogs, too.

I'd have your pup's thyroid level checked so you can rule that out. Hope your pup feels better soon.

 

[Dar]

this may sound silly but what kind of dog are we talking about here?

 

[Cara]

Have you considered gold bead implants for him?

 

[mekasmom]

Quote:
Do you have any experience with those? I have heard that they are a reliable alternative therapy.

 

[Cara]

We are saving to have them done for our Bloodhound. She has Wobbler's Syndrome (compression of her spinal cord in her neck). The vet that we have been in contact with (Dr Brad in Boulder, CO) typically uses the implants to treat seizure patients and has had good results. He reported that he has only had two patients that did not improve, and they were so severely affected that medication was not controlling the seizures either.

In Penny's case it's about the only option. There is a conventional surgery that can be done, but the neurologist did not recommend it as it will create pressure elsewhere on the spinal cord and has a 50% chance of paralysing her. It's also very painful with a long recovery time, and we just won't put her through that. Not to mention the fact that I cannot carry a 100lb dog around while she is recovering, and the surgery costs approx. $10,000. The neurologist recommended acupuncture. She has been having regular acupuncture treatments which have helped, and the gold beads act like continuous treatment. They can also be used to treat hip dysplasia, arthritis and several other conditions.

The relative cost is significantly lower, approximately $750-850.

This link is quite helpful. Dr Durkes brought the treatment to the US, and always makes time to answer e-mails. I don't know how he finds enough hours in the day!

http://www.durkesanimalhospital.com/Seizures/tabid/62/Default.aspx

Here is a directory of veterinarians offering the treatment. It is a little out of date, but a good starting place:

http://www.danebytes.com/gold_bead_implants.htm

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Baxter is 6 years old, this started when he was 2 . He's a Boston Terrier, but big for his breed, about 35 pounds.