seizures/epilepsy

[kacey719]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a little bit of my kitty, Ares, story in case it might help someone else at some point. Ares turned a year old in September of this year (2014). A month later he strated having seizures. He had one a day for 5 days straight usually in the early morning while he was sleeping. After the first one, we took him to the vet and they ran a comprehensive blood panel which showed nothing significant. I had had his heart scanned in September already and aside from a leaky valve he was fine with no signs of HCM and no murmurs. After the seizures continued for 3 days, we decided to put him on an anti convulsant medication called keppra which had to be special ordered. We received it 5 days after his first seizure and started giving it to him and he went 16 days with no seizures. In the meantime, we got in to see a veterinary neurologist. After a thorough exam, she said she believes he has inherited epilepsy. He has recently had 3 more seizures a few days apart. We are heartbroken that we can't do anything more to help him but we will continue to try and give him the best life we can. He's a very normal and happy kitty the rest of the time. I am linking a video of his seizure this morning. If anyone comes across this thread because they are experiencing something similar, please feel free to reach out. I did speak to his breeder but she has no knowledge of seizures is his bloodlines.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/wm3atdadec7a32c/AADyG1RBLCEi9KkDfF-Zv6xha

 

[Hairless Blessing]

Do some reason, I can't see the video. But, I am so sorry for your baby and you.
I know it is a heart breaking scary scene.
I had a Boston Terrier, that all of a sudden started having seizures
one night, it was from diabetes. It was awful. She then, went into a coma.
I send prayers for you both.

 

[1sphynxlover]

Watching the video, I see the love, you both have for Ares. To me,it was a very heart wrenching video. I pray that Ares medicine will start relieving his seizures. You are both wonderful Sphynx parents. Little Ares, is so blessed to have the both of you.

 

[admin]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share a little bit of my kitty, Ares, story in case it might help someone else at some point. Ares turned a year old in September of this year (2014). A month later he strated having seizures. He had one a day for 5 days straight usually in the early morning while he was sleeping. After the first one, we took him to the vet and they ran a comprehensive blood panel which showed nothing significant. I had had his heart scanned in September already and aside from a leaky valve he was fine with no signs of HCM and no murmurs. After the seizures continued for 3 days, we decided to put him on an anti convulsant medication called keppra which had to be special ordered. We received it 5 days after his first seizure and started giving it to him and he went 16 days with no seizures. In the meantime, we got in to see a veterinary neurologist. After a thorough exam, she said she believes he has inherited epilepsy. He has recently had 3 more seizures a few days apart. We are heartbroken that we can't do anything more to help him but we will continue to try and give him the best life we can. He's a very normal and happy kitty the rest of the time. I am linking a video of his seizure this morning. If anyone comes across this thread because they are experiencing something similar, please feel free to reach out. I did speak to his breeder but she has no knowledge of seizures is his bloodlines.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/wm3atdadec7a32c/AADyG1RBLCEi9KkDfF-Zv6xha

So sorry to hear this. I hope you will find a medication that will control the epilepsy 100% of the time. I am not familiar with epilepsy but do remember when I was a kid having a dog Muffin who had it and we were able to successfully treat it with medication (no idea what the meds were) but she was ok 99.9% of the time. There are definitely option for meds and epilepsy.

 

[Yoda mom]

@kacey719 , Ares is surrounded by love and the best of care with you. Thank you for your strength to post an actual video so we can learn through Ares and not feel alone and come together with love and support.

I believe you and your vet will find the right meds to bring Ares' seizures under control. Others may chime in too with their successes as we have often seen with dogs..

Sending positive thoughts your way for baby Ares!
Give him extra smooches from me
Pleas keep us updated on Ares

 

[Calicocious]

So sorry to hear of this! I hope your able to control it with the meds and wish Ares a long life. Please keep us posted, we are all here for you.

 

[Sphynx Asylum Dad]

It's hard to watch that video, as it brings back memories of my first pet. I had an Australian Shepherd (Toni) that was born just a few months before me. We grew up together, were inseparable, and he had epilepsy. I can remember just trying to keep him from hurting himself when he had a seizure, they were a bit more violent than Ares, but he was a medium sized dog too. Once his seizure was over, I'd lay with him when I was smaller, and would cradle him on my lap when I was big enough. We would usually 'cuddle' for 10-15 min after a seizure then he was mostly ok- maybe a little slow for a while, but the seizures really sap their energy! He would usually have 1 or 2 seizures a week, most were in the late afternoon or early evening. My dad kept track of EVERYTHING for a long time trying to find a trigger, but we never did. The main reason I felt compelled to post is that Toni lived to be 15 years old, and didn't die of anything related to the epilepsy. (We actually had to put him to sleep due to debilitating hip dysplasia when he could no longer control his bowels and bladder). Keep giving him love, let him know that everything is OK during the seizure, don't restrain him, but just be sure he doesn't whack his head on something hard. I'm confident he will have a long, healthy, happy life aside from this condition- he sure does have a good family!!! Message me if I can provide any more support or insight- but I really think you're doing a great job!!! Cuddles and head kisses form our asylum to you and Ares!

 

[kimmyhm]

so many memories, MImi suffered a fit two days after her inoculations, so scary to watch, luckily Mimi's was a one off, I hope you get some meds to keep it under control. (((Hugs)))

 

[Jebsmom]

That was hard to watch ,but glad you posted . Your poor baby,I hope the meds get figured out soon !So crazy how something like that can just come out of the blue!

 

[kacey719]

I wanted to thank everyone for the support. It is hard to share going through something like this, but it's so difficult to find information about epilepsy in cats I wanted to share in the hope that if anyone else ever goes through this I can help them know what to expect. I really appreciate all your kind words and @KansasSphynxDad thank you for sharing your story. That gives me hope.

 

[kacey719]

Also, I'm sorry the video goes on so long. I took this video to show his neurologist and she was very curious about the post ictal period and how he acts which is why I kept recording. It's the only seizure I've been able to get on video.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

I hope they can get things under control. I will be honest, I could not bring myself to watch the video. I have witnessed our Bengal have 2 seizures and it is horrifying to see. In our case it is not epilepsy. But so far so good his meds have been controlling the seizures. We know of only the 2 incidents in 2.years. Don't give up hope

Patti

 

[Sphynx Asylum Dad]

@kacey719 I think the long video is great- people really need to have access to videos like yours so they can really see what happens. So many people think it's a much shorter and simpler event than it really is- your video really puts it in perspective. Thankyou for taking the time to post such a helpful video! Keep your chin up, Ares will feed off your positivity too!

 

[kacey719]

@Catzzzmeow, did you find the cause of your bengal's seizures?