Saturday, we spent most of the day away from home. We went up to Lake Tahoe to take a hike and then saw some family up there. We thought we would be home by 1 or 2 pm, but we got home closer to 4:30 pm. Walter was acting just fine. I made dinner, we ate, and then I did the dishes. The girls took a shower and then went to bed around 8:30. Walter snuggled beside me under the blanket on the chair and we just caught up on some tv.
Around 9:30ish, Walter started bobbing his head which meant that he wanted to get out from the covers, so I pulled the covers off of him and he kept bobbing his head. Then he was moving around a lot and started panting. I thought he was going to throw up, so I said, "Walter, get up and go outside buddy". I told Rory that I thought he was going to throw up, so we followed him outside to check on him. Since he had his incident in January, we are very cautious about him getting sick.
I had grabbed a flashlight on the way out and Rory turned on the decorative lights outside. We watched him walk around and then he fell over. His body went stiff, he arched his back and started convulsing. His eyes were open, so he never lost consciousness. He didn't bark, he didn't lose his bowels, he didn't foam at the mouth, he wasn't bleeding, he wasn't drooling and he didn't "chew". Side note: I am writing what happened and what didn't happen for others, so in case they experience this, they can see what to look for as I had to turn to google.
Anyways, his seizure lasted about 30 to 60 seconds. After he stopped shaking, he tried to get up, but he was very disoriented and his back legs were not working very well. He was very weak in the back legs, so he laid back down. Rory, picked him up and we tried to talk to him and see if he was ok. I seriously thought my dog had passed when this happened and I was crying....hard. Definitely not something you should do. You should remain calm and talk to your dog in a soothing voice.
We tried to put him back down again, but his legs were still weak, so we picked him up again and held him. After trying again, he was able to walk inside. I grabbed his blanket off our bed and Rory cuddled him on the couch while we both searched google for what just happened, if we should take him to the vet and what we should do. I also called my mother-in-law when Rory was holding Walter outside to have her come over just in case we needed to go the emergency vet. She ended up staying the night just in case, and fortunately, Walter was fine.
Now for a few things that we read and confirmed with Walter's vet on Monday. The type of seizure that Walter had was a petite mal seizure. Since his seizure didn't last around 5 minutes, he didn't lose consciousness, he didn't lose his bowels, he came to more quickly and he didn't have another seizure after, it was a petite mal seizure. When your dog has a seizure, it is best not to pick them up unless they are near something that can hurt them. Then they suggest that you move them by their hind legs out of danger. If you can, film the seizure (we were not able to and did not know that you should). Time the seizure, take note of anything that happens (lose their bowels, lose consciousness, foam at the mouth, etc.). Talk to your dog calmly and reassure them that they are ok. If you are inside, turn off the lights or put a blanket over them as light makes it worse. Once it is over, you need to watch your dog. See if his behavior normalizes and he starts to get back to himself.
We cuddled Walter until bedtime (which was really late that night and I didn't sleep much after that), and then didn't leave his side the whole next day. We monitored him closely for 24 hours (we went outside with him anytime he had to go to the bathroom, followed him around the house, etc.) and then our vet said to make it 48 hours. Once the 48 hours have passed, you are more in the clear. Not to say that it won't happen again, but you will usually see things go downhill or another happen in that time frame.
After everything that has happened in the last few months with Walter, it has definitely made me realize that animal lives are not forever. I can see how Walter's face has grayed over the last couple months. I have seen how he has slowed down, but yet, he is still full of energy and will bust out the dog door to run the length of our backyard. I have seen his demeanor change after this incident, but I know that he is still full of life and love.
