Goodbye to this sub
Our boy Luke lost his battle with epilepsy last week. We have not even had him a year.
I thought i would keep following this group and maybe be able to answer a random question or provide some reassurance when needed but the more i see posts the more i think of my boy.
He only ever had one focal siezure with us, every single other siezure was grand mal. He was on pheno, Levetiracetam and fluoxetine for anxiety. We fed him Acana Lamb and Pumpkin with milk thistle added for his organs. I was very careful with his treats and he had mostly whole ingredients: sprat, freeze dried chicken, yak cheese, unseasoned blended chicken and vegetables that i froze for his pupscicle ball. We went on walks and ran around the yard regularly. His bloodwork always came back fine, we had an appointment scheduled for this Wednesday where I was going to talk to the vet about a referral for a neurologist.
We had some bad siezures at the end of july and then we went over two months with only one siezure on a night where we got home really really late and threw off his schedule a lot.
He was perfect, never messed in the house unless his meds had changed and we didn't read his language fast enough. He was gentle and sweet, always took his meds with no problem. Lawn mower didn't bother him, the cat being a bully didn't bother him after the first month, he didn't dig, jump, or bark unless you riled him up. He didn't know how to play fetch but he would rip around the yard with you like nobody's business. He loved to cuddle up with me for a nap, he'd slide up right between my side and my arm and rest his long nose up on my shoulder. He never licked, he would always stick his long snoot right up to your face and SNIFF. His little cheeks puffing in and out.
I know for this sub, telling people to get pet insurance is a lost cause. But if someone sees this and is able to make the decision, do it. I can't help but think if I had pet insurance on Luke I would have made different decisions throughout his care. His epilepsy was already diagnosed and being "treated" when we adopted him, so though I searched around, it was never an option.
Good luck to everyone dealing with this, we are incredibly thankful for the time we got to spend with Luke. Though we knew our time with him would be shorter than with a "normal" dog, we didn't expect it to be this short. Having an epileptic dog can teach you a lot about yourself, your partner, and life, but i would never choose to fight this with another dog ever again.
Thank you all for the advice and guidance, and again, good luck with your pups battles. May their lives be as full and joyful as my Luke's, though I pray they are much longer.