So Very Sad...RIP Kermit

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I am so very sorry, I am sure that Althea is also. Hugs for you all.

Could be her meds, might also have her eyes checked. Kermit could have startled Althea and the dog just reactively snapped/bit.

We also have parrots and some of our dogs are trusted with the birds but it is always a risk we have to weigh. So do I know how easy it can be to totally trust them (birds and dogs) together.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
Upon examining the scene of the crime, DD found feathers on the opposite side of the room from where the body was found, as if Althea caught Kermit, she escaped, then was caught and killed (or maybe she carried Kermit to where we found her?). The weird thing is, we didn't hear any screeching, and that bird could make some noise.
Of course, we'll always feel guilty that her wings were trimmed, and that maybe she could've gotten away. On the other hand, DD often took her outside, and sometimes a door would be left open, so it seemed like a logical thing to do.

 

[dutchhollow]

Have you ever found the reason for the siezures? Usually epilepsy shows up at 2/3, if this didn't start until she was almost 9, you might be looking at a brain tumor.
They can cause the symptoms you have talked about, change in temperment, behavior, aggression.
I am sorry for your dd's loss of her bird. I hope she can get past it and love her friend again.

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
She's had siezures for about 4 years now. They had become increasingly more frequent. From 1 every 3 mos or so to 1/mo., to every couple weeks. Then she'd have more than one in a night, about once/week. Finally, she had those 4 in a few hours. Since she's been on the meds (since Feb), she hasn't had any at all, but she's loopy - distant, distracted, wierd. I'm hoping we can do a med. adjustment. There's no doubt in my mind that the siezures will kill her (if the meds don't first?). All round crappy situation.

 

[gritsar]

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
Yes they can kill. My sisters Black Lab had epilepsy severly. He died at the age of eight years. My sister watched him die the night he started having literally dozens of grand mals back to back. When she described it to me I wanted to slap her for not taking the dog to the nearest vet for euthanasia or even having her husband shoot the poor dog-- shoud have just been put out of his misery.

Poor Decon.

I just hope if she can't be stabilized that you will recognize her condition and follow thru with the humane thing. It is hard but better than watching them suffer like my sisters dog did.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Unfortunately, your daughter has to work through this on her own. Forgiveness is a huge thing to ask for...

I know when Thunder killed one of my favorite chickens (chicken's fault, not Thunder's), I thought I'd never forgive him. Then I realized that he's a hunting dog...it's just part of it. He never offered to kill anything else, but once a bird got out of the pen and he was out as well...it just wasn't a good thing.

That being said, can I run through a list of what might have happened?

Option 1:
The parrot was attempting to fly and crashed into the wall, killing itself? Althea grabbed her to see what was wrong?

The BF and your daughter had never left the parrot and dog alone with each other before? Perhaps your daughter was the only thing that was keeping your dog in her place in the social hierarchy? Once your daughter left the room, Althea tried to go up on the totem pole?


Maybe I'm giving too much of a thought process on this...

 

[lagpmgdsls]

So sorry for your loss. I have no words of advice but can offer my sympathy. We have been in a similar situtation.

2 yrs ago my Golden, who was 15 at the time, snapped at our mini daschund puppy and killed him. He snapped over a bone and with him being 65 lbs and the puppy just 5 lbs, he crushed his skull. It was very tragic and took awhile for us to get over. We miss him alot. I made the decision then to not get any more dogs until my Golden passed on.

Again...so sorry.

 

[SillyChicken]

As I mentioned in my previous post. My dog suffered brain damage and it was from a similar incident as yours... a cluster of seizures back to back. When they seize, they stop breathing.. too many so close to gether will cause brain damage. Our dog was having them one after the other, we had to take her to the vet to be sedated to near death before she would stop. Once she came out of it she was a different dog. She was 2 at the time. She had previously had extensive OB training. We had to start over. RE house break her, re basic ob train her. She gets easily confused. She has to have a very structured environment, any changes sends her into a panic.... we switched her off the phenos to the bromides and she slowly stopped with the seizures, she's been seizure free for 4 years and is almost 9 yrs old.

Brain damage most definatly can cause a shift in personality. Your dog's situation is a bit different because of the ages of the events. A tumor is very likely. Her metabolism could also have changed because of her age. I would discuss dosages and possibly changeing the meds to bromiads since the pheno is not helping anymore. She also needs her liver checked.

Good luck to you.

 

[thebritt]

I just want to thank you all for the kind words and sharing your experiences.
DD took Althea with her today - after classes they'll go to the beach and hang out. She's forgiven Althea - she knows the dog isn't in her right mind. Althea will have bloodwork tomorrow and they'll discuss getting off the pheno.
Rodriguez - DD has left the bird and dog unattended before (I posted earlier that DD re-entered her room to find the bird sitting on Althea's head). That's why this was such a shock. When DD re-entered her room this time, Althea was pulling feathers off Bird. Needless to say, DD has a lot of guilt

.