That's a very interesting and helpful article Kate. Thank you so much for sharing.
My boy Little Joe has been epileptic since he was a very young puppy. He has been examined and MRI scanned by a specialist neurologist, who told me (as if I didn't know already!), that his illness is stress and fear related, with no neurological fault discernable on examination.
Almost every fit he has ever had has taken place outside the home; therefore I have probably prevented many by making him a home based dog, only to be taken out when necessary, resulting in no fits for over 2 years.
He had a check-up recently. As he has been fit free for so long, the neurologist suggested that it's time for some confidence building. She suggested exhibiting him at one or two small, local shows to see how he gets on.
I chose the wrong one for 'small' for his first outing, as it was crowded and noisy, but he enjoyed his moment of fame in the ring and receiving a rosette. When it came to lunch time I thought a short walk might take him a step further towards normality, but we only went a few yards along the driveway before he took fright and fitted for four minutes.
One of the other exhibitors had a 'Stroller' buggy for sale, which I decided to purchase for Joe. As soon as he went in it Joe became a different dog. He absolutely beamed at me. I took him around the hall, then outside and he loved it, especially the fuss he got from other people. Going home on the bus was no longer an ordeal for him, neither was walking on a lead. :lol:
:updte:Joe has been to a couple more shows since then, and has had several 'walks' to and from the shops, which he has thoroughly enjoyed, now feeling safe inside his own space. On Saturday I took him to a small Limit show, in which I entered him in 4 classes and myself in the 60+ handling class. He revelled in the applause when he got 3 firsts and a second. I'm afraid I let the side down because I could only manage a fourth. :mona:
Kate, I'm starting to believe that there is a lot of hope out there for dogs who suffer from this disease. Perhaps we should be more open minded in finding solutions to their problems. I will keep a suitable ice pack in the freezer from now on, because, after all, you never know.