Soul AKA Piranha Puppy Soul Squall! 🙂 Born: April 7th, 2006
Soul has four brothers and we also own Dyce; one of his brothers.
*Here you will find pictures, updates and stories on Dyce's brother Soul! 🙂
Soul has his very own CafePress Store http://www.cafepress.com/bhrr/5814728 whereby any funds raised go to help animals in need of our BHRR Rescue program. Won't you consider helping?
(Piranha Puppy Soul Squall) AKA Soul
9.5 weeks 19.36 pounds (8.8 KGs) H = 13"
11 weeks 25.41 pounds (11.55 KGs)
11.5 weeks 29.48lbs(13.4KGs) H = 16"
14+ weeks 36.52lbs(16.60KGs) H= 21"
16.5 weeks H = 21.5"
18.5 weeks 58.08lbs(26.4kgs) – August 15th, 2006
5 months 25.5" – September 14th, 2006
Almost 6 months 27.0" – October 4th, 2006
6.5 months 28.5" – October 23rd, 2006
Just under 7 months – 31.5" – Nov. 2nd, 2006
Just under 7 months – 106.48 pounds(48.4 KGS) – Nov. 5/06
Just under 8 months – 119.46 pounds(54.3 KGS) – Dec. 6/07
8 months – 32.5" – December 7th, 2006
8 months – 119.46 pounds(54.3 KGS) – Dec. 14th, 2006 *NEUTERED
8.5 months – 33.5"
9.5 months – 34"
13.5 months Just over 135 pounds – May 28th, 2007
17 months – 55.80 KGS(122.76 pounds) – September 20th, 2007
17.5 months – 61.8 KGS(135.96 pounds) – September 29th, 2007
18 months – 36" – October 24th, 2007
22 months – 146.96 pounds(66.80 KGs) – February 19th, 2008
25 months – 144.76 pounds(65.8 KGs) – May 20th, 2008
26+ months – 150.04 pounds(68.2 KGs) – July 4th, 2008
2.5 years – 146.08 pounds(66.4 KGs) – December 1st, 2008
2.5+ years – 138 pounds(62.8 KGs) – February 4th, 2009
3.0 years – 147.4 pounds(67 KGs) – May 28th, 2009
3.5 years – 146.96 pounds(66.8 KGs) – December 17th, 2009
4 years – 158.18 pounds(71.9 KGs) – May 20th, 2010
5 years – 160.38 pounds(72.9 KGs) – June 30th, 2011
Update: August 28th, 2009: New slide of PPSS added #31 taken this AM. He and his brother CH. Dyceman are almost 3.5 years old!
PPSS August 28th, 2009
Updated: March 27th, 2011: On Saturday March 5th, around 1:43 AM; PPSS began to gas bloat. It took a very long hour of GasX, serious walking, stomach massaging etc. to get things under control. I was one step from rushing him in as it was taking a long time to get all that gas out of him. For those that are not aware, PPSS lives on GasX with every meal. You can visibly see his stomach swelling after he eats and as he ages, due to his immature digestive system; it is becoming worse. His mom was a victim to bloat and though she survived the bloat; she developed problems with her spleen shortly after surgery and despite her spleen being removed 3 days later; she passed away. Some Vets will removed the spleen at the time of surgery, othres choose a 'wait & see' approach and in this case, it had tragic results for his dam. She was only 6. I am well aware that PPSS and his brother CH. Dyce are at high risk themselves of being bloat/tort victims. They will be turning 5 years of age on April 7th, 2011.
On Tuesday March 8th, 2011: I brought PPSS in to see one of my Vets as his one pupil was 'blown' and filled with blood. I did not have any atropine at home to treat with until I did get him in yet managed to get an appointment really fast. The Vet was thinking one of two things: 1) Blood disorder and so we did blood work and was advised not to give him any Deramaxx(he is on Deramaxx for his one leg and his other hip) due to NSAIDS having the possibility of causing bleeding 2) trauma. We did bw and it came back only with one slightly elevated level that is normal for dogs who are on Pheno. So, phewwwww on that yet just in case, we kept looking at his gums for the next couple of days to ensure that we were not seeing any red measle like bumps that the Vet advised us to keep an eye out for. Apparently, this is a strong symptom of an underlying blood disorder. So, that led us to narrowing it down to trauma and the thought process was that he could have had a seizure while we were out and hit his eye on something in the house. The strange part is that he was not abnormal upon coming home and PPSS is definitely different for up to 48+ hours after a seizure. AND what was also odd is that there was not any swelling or buising on the outside of the eye and his face. With being so white, bruises, scratches plus marks show up very easily. So, it is a mystery as to what really happened to cause the pupil to fill up with blood but the atropine and also the prednisone(given just in case it was a blood disorder) worked its magic and he is back to normal! He went in for a recheck on March 12th and was told that things were healing well! YAY!
Updated: January 20th, 2011: I am long overdue for an update on PPSS! He has not had a seizure of any significance since April 20th, 2010!!!! He has had some 'phazing' type of seizures and there have been several moments that he has had this 'aura' that he might seize yet we have been able to avoid anything progressing. I took in blood earlier this week to test his Pheno plus Bromide levels and also did a HWT. His HWT is negative, his Pheno levels last March were 106 and now they are 130(still mid-range therapeutic) and his Bromide levels last March were 21 and now they are 19.2(still mid-range therapeutic). GREAT NEWS!!!! Now, we still have not been able to figure out why he is losing weight yet I have upped his food. He seems more tired of late and his poor one hip and then his poor one knee on the other leg. YET, other than that, he is doing great, still eating up a storm, his loveable 'must hunt out butter self'. 🙂 I wish I could take him to more of our regularly scheduled GD Walks/Hikes, yet it is way too hard on that one knee and his other hip.
Updated: April 10th, 2010: At just past 5:30 AM today, PPSS had another seizure. He had such a strong convulsion that he flipped right off the bed before I could grab and move him to the middle of the kingsize bed and he smacked his face/head on Sean's night table. As soon as I jumped over the bed, I was able to grab his collar and as he was seizing, flip him over and on to a dog bed that Porridge had been lying on and away from the night table that he was hitting his face on as he seized. His seizure was not overly long yet it was another really strong one and he lost control of his bladder and he had an apnea moment post 7 minutes which he has not had in some time. It has been 14 days and 6.5 hours since his last seizure. I live with absolute agony and fear in my heart that he will have an apnea moment while I am not around and I will not be here to revive him and he shall die. One of his Vets is working at KAH later today(Saturday) and I shall call to discuss. I am praying that he does not cluster on me. Two more within 24 hours is going to be just devastating….. 10:51 AM Update: His Vet recommends upping his dose another 50 mg so, 775 mg is going to be his dose daily.
Updated: April 2nd, 2010: I brought in bw to have PPSS`s levels of Pheno plus KBr measured. His Pheno was 106 so low therapeutic and according to one of his Vets, it looks like he is handling the Pheno well. His KBr was 27(will doublecheck that as my mind was an exhausted blur at KAH last night getting ready to bring BHRR`s Barkley home) and that was low therapeutic too. His one Vet and I were very pleasantly surprised over these results as he has been upped quite a bit and now is 725 mg of Pheno. The great news is that we have lots of room to `move`for PPSS if needed to try and get his IS under control. Not good news that he has IS yet good news that he is handling the meds well still and that we are room to manouver if or when needed. FINALLY something to really have a smile about….
Updated: March 27th, 2010: The decision was to up PPSS another 50 mg of Pheno, so he shall now be receiving 725 mg throughout the day.
Updated: March 26th, 2010: At just after 11:30 AM today, PPSS had another seizure. I left a vm at KAH for both of his two Vets that I consult with; to advise if I should increase his dose or wait until I do his Pheno/KBr levels next week. He last seizure was 15 days and 12 hours ago. Both Vets were not in today yet one of them is working tomorrow. The poor boy lost control of his bladder and also bit his tongue again. I had told Sean a couple of days ago that he had that 'aura' or 'vibe' about him. This time when he seized, his head fell behind a large heavy oversized throw pillow, reducing his air exhange flow and I was very glad to have been there for he could have suffocated himself.
Updated: March 10, 2010: I talked to one of PPSS Vets today(I have two on his case) about his other seizure and it was determined to keep him at the new dosage decided yesterday for he had only been on that new dose for the one day and the one thing that came me a smile today was thinking about what my friend Rebecca said awhile back that PPSS needs a helmet and I really think he does! He has so many scars and booboos on his gorgeous face plus noggin due him hurting himself during his seizures. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful words of thoughts and caring! I am so happy to say that he did not have that third seizure within 24 hours and when we re-test his levels I hope that we will still be in a good therapeutic range and not maxing out on med dosages for him. 😥
Updated: March 10th, 2010: Last night while I was working on my desktop computer; I suddenly heard a banging around 11:30 PM. The dogs came running out of the bedroom and I jumped up, looking around me for Soul yet I knew that he had gone to the bedroom to lie down for he was still exhausted from his earlier seizure that day. I ran as fast as I could through the dogs to get to the bedroom and I found Soul wedged between Sean's night table and the wall of closets having another seizure. This was his second seizure in just 10 hours and he had one foot caught under Sean's night table and was so wedged and was having his violent convulsions, that I could not move him to a more safe position and could only protect as I could and called as loud as I could for Sean who was reading in the recreation room. I noticed that Soul had a nasty cut on the side of his face and his eye was swollen. His lost control of his bladder really badly this time and just at the end of his seizure, he managed to flip somehow and it is a miracle that he did not break a leg or his neck. His last few seizures have taken a different pattern. He does not always pace and pace for 2.5 – 3 hours, of late; he is very tired and will sleep a bit and then is ravenously hungry. Sean helped me clean him up and the floor plus remove the dog beds that he also had urinated on and got him back into my bed. Normally I am there when he seizes to pull him to the middle of the bed when he began to seize and then he would not have convulsed himself off the bed. 🙁 As so many are aware, Soul is literally that, my 'soul' and after the past two days of unprecedented stress/strain that I have been put through with Rescue plus Work, I just felt myself weeping. Strong, hold it together Gwennie just wept and hugged Soul and then she wept some more. This is Soul's second seizure in just 10 hours. Should he have another one before 1:30 PM Wednesday March 10th(24 hours since his first one); his prognosis will look very grim. I had Sean watch over Soul while I grabbed my laptop and I have been snuggling with Soul in my bed. It is now 12:40 AM and he is just starting to stir and his eyesight is completely gone at this time. He has already lost most of what limited eyesight he had when he was born and we shall see if time will restore any of what he had left before this latest seizure. I have also been icing his poor face/eye. I have also have not been liking the immense drooling he has been doing nor the sound of his breathing. I will be listening to his heart shortly. Please pray for my dear precious SoulMan…….
Updated: March 9th, 2010: From conversing with one of PPSS's Vets, his Pheno dosage has been increased another 50mgs for a total of 675 mgs split over the day. We will also re-test his levels in about three weeks time.
Updated: March 9th, 2010: At just past 1:30 PM today, PPSS had another seizure. The poor boy really bit his tongue this time and lost control of his Bladder. I called KAH and talked to his Vet and she will review his file and advise on if we should up his dosage. His last seizure was February 6th, 2010; so just over a month. Today, has been one of those days that I should have just pulled the covers over my head and never got out of bed…..sigh…..PPSS and I could have just stayed hidden away from all the strain out there that way.
Updated: February 10th, 2010: After a very detailed conversation with one of PPSS's Vets; it was decided to up his Pheno another 50 mg daily for a total of 625 mg and to maintain the 4 mls of KBr SID. The great news is that 100 mg of the Pheno tabs arrived today after being on back order for me since early September of 2009. So, I am obtaining another 120 x 250 MG Compounded Pheno from CHIRON and shall also be giving PPSS 1.25 tabs of the 100 mg of Pheno pills SID plus the 4 mls of KBr SID. I also discussed upping the KBr yet we shall wait another month or so before going that route to be assured of therapeutic levels being reached for PPSS. Once we can get him more stable, we will repeat his Pheno plus Potassium Bromide levels to see where we are standing. He was mid-range therapeutic the last time I did them but he is still seizuring and as we have room to move; the dose shall now be increased. The rationale behind upping his meds a total of 100mg instead of just 50 mg is that we are not stabilizing him on the smaller increases in his dosage. His seizures are still happening every 14-17 days and they are becoming more severe when they do happen now. We are also going to divide up the dosages of his meds so that he is back to receiving TID over BID daily as in talking to his Vet about his 'pattern', he seems to be seizing at the high level plus low level of meds in his system from when his meds are being given. Let's hope this can get dear sweet Soul on track for when he seizures, he just hurts that knee on one leg plus the hip on the other leg further and it continues to affect what eyesight he has left. PPSS has gone from not being able to see below his shoulders to be quite severely visually impaired due to his seizures. This boy is a HUGE part of my own soul and I want him to have the best quality of life possible. I have begun to 'up' his training with scent plus vibration(not vibration collars – but floor and door jambs etc.) for it is only a matter of time before he ends a world of complete blindness in addition to his deafness and I want him as comfortable as possible so that the transition for him is a smooth and not scary one. Our almost 11 year old Kona(Newfx) is already pretty much deaf and blind herself now and she has adjusted beautifully with the training of scent plus vibration to her new world. As we focus on the SN's here at BHRR; it is so important that we also do the same training with our own dogs. KEEP dear sweet loving PPSS in your heart.
Updated: February 8th, 2010: The Vet has recommended that PPSS be upped by another 50 mg of Pheno daily. He is now on 575 mg of Pheno and 4 mls SID of Potassium Bromide. I am going to talk to them about seeing if we can obtain compounded 75 mg of Pheno or 100 mg so that I have them on hand for I am running out the 100 mg Pheno Tabs.
Updated: February 6th, 2010: As just past 2:30 AM today; PPSS had another seizure. It was the most violent one to date and while it did not last overly long; it was very severe. He lost control of his bladder and had another apnea moment. From talking to one of his Vets after his last seizure; we had upped his Pheno by 25 mg's more. I shall call later today and see if one of his Vets is working to discuss. This seizure was so violent that I ended up wrenching my back as I worked to keep PPSS safe and moved to the middle of the bed for I could not get him off in time. For those that have seen our kingsize bed, it is about 2.5+ feet off the ground. I was not surprised by this seizure and before I went to bed, I mentioned to Sean that PPSS was going to have one soon. Our beloved cousin plus godmother to our son Mason; Angela Attfield passed away on February 2nd, 2010 and we had attended her wake Campbell's Bay, Quebec Friday night and there has been much sadness in our home. PPSS's routine had been all out of sorts. It has only been just under 15 days since his last seizure as the last one was on January 22nd, 2010 at just after 7:15 AM.
Updated: January 22nd, 2010: At just after 7:15 AM today, PPSS had another seizure. Sean was on his way to work and at these times, it is very difficult for you have all of the other dogs milling around quite worried, stressed and some excited. It was one of his worst in quite some time with him losing control of his bladder. He also had an apnea moment. It has only been 12 days since his last seizure. I will discuss with one of his Vets today as I will be working with her later today.
Updated: January 13th, 2010: After talking to one of PPSS's Vets; the recommendation is to 'ride' it out at this time as his Pheno and KBr levels were in a good range and to wait until the KBr reaches the proper therapeutic level.
Updated: January 10th, 2010: At just before 6:30 AM today, PPSS had another seizure. I am not sure what the 'trigger' was yet I am really bummed. I just brought in blood to have his Pheno plus KBr levels done last week and we were(I have to look up exact levels) around 137 for Pheno and at this stage, the KBr should show 50% of what his levels will be like once he reaches a therapeutic level of KBr; in about another 6 weeks or so(He started back in November). I believe that level was around 9. From talking to one of his Vets on Friday at work; I was quite optimistic that we might have finally reached a good point for PPSS yet it has only been 14 days since his last seizure. So, up to 6 days after the possible 'prediction' (around 8 days or so and we made it to 14) on his schedule/pattern in the past. One of his Vets will be at work tomorrow and I shall call to discuss. I am just so upset for Soul right now. 😥
Update: December 27th, 2009: Sean called to let me know that PPSS had a seizure around 2:30 AM and I am not surprised for I left on the 26th to head to SWO to drop off Mazda to her new adoptive home plus to show my bluez boyz at the shows in Kitchener. I will update his Vet records plus talk to his two Vets when I am back to work. As per my predictions in his past seizure routine, he has been almost 'halving' in time between seizures and this was 16 days since his last seizure. At this rate, he should be having another seizure within the next 8 days or so. 😥
Update: December 18th, 2009: I brought PPSS to work with me last night for I really wanted one of my Vets to take a closer look at his left hip and his right knee on the hind end. The Vet has confirmed that there are definitely issues with both those areas and due to having an emergency come in(lab ate a casserole dish); we did not get the opportunity to discuss the best treatment for Soul. We did talk about doing possibly X-Rays yet with the sedation required; it is not in Soul's best interest. He has had issues on that left hip for years now and he is now not weight bearing well on either side with muscle wasting also happening on the right side. I shall keep him on a good pain maintenance schedule/regime until such time as the Vet and I can discuss Soul's situation further. Additionally, between two Vets and myself, we have a plan in place for medication for his idiopathic seizures come Monday if CHIRON Compounding Pharmacy is incorrect that Pheno will become available as of tomorrow; for we need to move on getting Soul transitioned over as best as we can to minimalize any setbacks in trying to get his seizures under better control.
Update: December 11th, 2009: PPSS had another seizure at around 1:30 AM today. It has only been 27 days since his last seizure and so, we are bumping up his Pheno to 500 mg/daily along with the 4 ml of Potassium Bromide(which has not yet reached a therepeutic level) SID. I also discused with one of my vets my deep concern about what am I going to do when Soul runs out of Pheno for he is not one of those dogs(usually works best with small dogs); to only be on Potassium Bromide. He was to use both together in the attempt to control his seizures. We are unable to locate any 100 mg, 60 mg and even 30 mg tablets of Pheno are becoming scarce and as I said outright; I am NOT putting PPSS to sleep for having idiopathic seizures. AND if we do transition him over to something like Gabapentin, how much time do we need to move in a transition with both drugs and go from one to the other. Most research seems to indicate one month and so, we need to move fast. Gabapentin is an extremely expensive medication BUT we will do what Soul needs to give him the best quality of life possible. My Vets and myself are in complete confusion as to why Pheno is becoming so hard to find.
Update: November 24th, 2009: It was decided to increase PPSS's Pheno up to 450 MG. Additionally, as the 100 MG and now the 60 MG Pheno are on back order not just with our own Hospital since September yet with many pharmacies too(one I talked to has had the 100 MG on back order for almost 15 months now!); we are moving to put PPSS on Potassium Bromide(4 mls SID) as we need to get him at a therepeutic level before running out of the Pheno 100 mg tablets that I currently have and this can take up to 4-6 weeks to achieve. How frustrating that it is so hard to find the 100 mg and 60 mg Pheno. Let's hope that PPSS does not begin to seize again during this transition.
Updated: November 17th, 2009: It was a very late night for me last night with several things on the BHRR plate and I dropped into bed around 3:30 AM, only to jump up at almost 4:15 AM as PPSS was having another seizure. This is only 14 hours after his last seizure and when I could begin to time it; it was over 9 minutes long and I almost did not think I could get PPSS breathing again after this episode. I was also unable to 'get' Sean who was sleeping in the rec room with BHRR's Potter and BHRR's Mazda, so it was a flying solo with PPSS and also trying to keep all the milling dogs who were curious, scared plus some were getting excited by Soul's seizure. I have left a message with my Vet to see if they would like me to up his dosage. 🙁 It took about 2-2.5 hours for Soul to finally settle down again(he loses his vision and just paces and paces and is a real danger to himself) and he did lose his bladder again. So, today, I am a wee bit of a zombie, a worried one at that after barely 45 minutes of rest.
Updated: November 16th, 2009: After being 'clean' for 5 weeks and 5 days; PPSS had a seizure just past 2:10 PM today. I was not surprised. We had an extremely busy and excitement filled weekend at our home and PPSS has had this 'aura' for some time now that he was going to seize. I was planning on bringing him in tonight for I have been worried about his perfusion and have begun to suspect that his heart might not be working up to speed. I ended up canceling that appointment for going to the Hospital is stressful enough for him without having just had a seizure less than an hour before we would have had to leave for the Hospital. PPSS' seizure lasted almost 7 mintues and he lost control of his bowels plus bladder. He had his 'apnea' moment again and it was so hard for me to leave him(thank goodness Sean was home when I left to go to work) to go to work at the Hospital for otherwise, I would have taken him with me.
Updated: October 4th, 2009: PPSS had a seizure at 9:11 AM today and it lasted about 4 minutes. He did lose control of his bladder yet not his bowels. THIS is the first time that he also did not go apnea on me. The seizure was about 10.5 hours after his last dose of 100 mg of Pheno x 2. This seizure is only 7 weeks + 1 day after his last one on August 15th. He is beginning to have them more frequently. As per his past pattern of behavours; he took about 2.5 hours to stop pacing and panting and from being so confused. His eyesight was completely gone again and he tracked me by smell and also continually wanted to get outside. As per his last seizure in August; he had the same interest in wanting to drink yet we limited his intake again. In discussing his last pheno levels with one Vet, we conversed about the possibility of moving him back up to 425 MG per day. I think this is now where we should be heading. I will be re-testing PPSS liver etc. for it has been awhile. I have also been waiting since the beginning of September for more 100MG Pheno Tabs as they have been on back order. I have about another week+ left and then might have to obtain a script to go to the human pharmacy to fill his prescription. I am also not surprised by this seizure for as I have been saying to Sean for the last couple of days; I 'felt' that PPSS would be having one. He just gets this 'aura' about him. With all the excitment of the BHRR Boat Cruise being held on October 3rd AND that it was not our normal routine for a Saturday; I just was not surprised to see him have a seizure. I am just thankful that I was there with him. We were snuggling in bed at the time for I have not had my major PPSS cuddles per my enjoyment of late…..they have been much shorter in duration and that is one of my true pleasures in life. My special PPSS AM snuggles/cuddles! Thanks to all that have been passing along their best wishes plus thoughts for PPSS. It is so appreciated having such caring people plus family in our lives.
Updated: August 23rd, 2009: PPSS's Peno levels came back at 88. The range from Antec says 'normal' is from 66-196 yet I also know that one of my Vets would have liked to have seen him closer to 125. I shall discuss with them later this week for his last levels were 115. I think it is also time to do another liver profile on Soul. We ended up holding off on the ACTH stimulation testing yet perhaps, we should proceed on that front again too. I shall re-visit with my Vets again on this topic too.
Updated: August 15th, 2009: PPSS had a seizure at 12:40 AM today. It did not last more than a few minutes and he did lose control of his bladder. This seizure was only 4 hours after having his 2 x 100 mg nightly tabs of Pheno. He also went through his apnea moment within 7 minutes of the seizure ending. This was the first time post-seizure that Soul expressed an interest in wanting to drink and drink and I picked up all water bowls. He did his 'usual' pacing and being panicked plus 'lost' for the next 2+ hours and today, he is exhausted, stiff and still not 'quite' himself. His eyesight(and it is limited); was gone completely for quite some time and he kept 'tabs' on my by his smell. Today, was the day that I was planning on bringing in bw to run his Pheno Levels yet due to an accident in our home; that has been postponed. His last seizure like this was on April 7th, 2009; so 4 months and 1 week plus 1 day ago.
Updated: June 9th, 2009: PPSS had a pretty rough go of it about a month+ ago. Soul who is already sight impaired(could not see below his shoulders etc.); has now lost more of his sight and has some neurological impairment in one of his hind legs due to his 'clustering'. I am now giving him 100 MG Pheno tablets and he is getting 425 MGs daily(225 MGs in the AM; 100 in the afternoon and 100 MGs in the evening). He was being given 420 MGs daily of the 60 mg Pheno tablets before this(3 in the AM, 2 in the afternoon and 2 at night). I remain very 'aware' of quality of life for Soul and I will be happy when BHRR's Mr. Parker Paws is neutered at the end of the month; for his constant 'humping' of PPSS is doing nothing for his hind end and leg. EVERYONE wants to hump Soul and it is a constant thing to keep the other dogs off him. Even strange dogs in public; just migrate to hump my sweet boy. The one thing that Soul does that my beloved RIP Frost 'T' did; is stick his head out the sunroof of our car and it is such a delight to see how much joy Soul has from this. I also remain very worried about trying to transition PPSS over to KBr; due to the 3 months or so that it would take to reach a therapeutic level and how 'sensitive' Soul is to any changes and how this could 'trigger' him to have more seizures/clusters. Soul turned 3 in April and I truly hope that I have him around(selfish yes) for many more years to come. For those that meet my 'high' maintenance boy; they hopefully can understand the 'magic' that he just possesses and naming him SOUL could not have been more perfect when he was to come to me. The Pheno 'drives' him to constantly try and find opportunities to eat and 'sneak' food and to some; they would not have the patience to have to have 10 arms and be in 10 places at once; yet to me; this is Soul and he was always 'on the go' and I 'understand' where this drive comes from and we just try to ensure that no 'butter' is left out! LOL 😛 I beyond love this special boy and please keep him in your thoughts. I have also begun to look at alternatives to Valium(Rectal administration does nothing) and with giving it IM or via IV; he will develop a 'tolerance' for it sooner rather than later. He has also begun to have some auto-immune issues and I am hard at work trying to find the best balance for him; preferably through diet and holistic measures to keep him 'boosted' up. I also want to add a picture below from June 2nd, 2009. PPSS continues to remain one of the best photogenic Danes I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. 🙂
PPSS June 2nd, 2009 – 3 years old
Updated: April 7th, 2009: Soul had another seizure tonight after being seizure free for 5+ months – since October 27th, 2008…sigh. While it was not as severe(Sean was home with him…I was presenting in Kingston); I am saddened to know that he had a seizure at all. It lasted from 5:58 PM(when Sean could begin to time) for 7.5 minutes. He also had his usual apnea moment as well. I called to talk to his Vet(whom I have tried to deal with since all of this started last June for consistency sake) yet they were not there and that Vet is also not there tomorrow. I; therefore, talked to one of the other Vets and it was hard for there is so much information/history to process in such a short time as they were between appointments but my main question was if I should be upping PPSS's dosage of Pheno. After much talking; we are going to continue with the status quo until I get a chance to talk to the regular Vet I see with PPSS. This Vet along with another one some time back suggested that I should consider switching Soul to KBr and this Vet's reasoning is that Soul's Pheno levels are really high; 6.75 mg/kg. That was news to me for what I had discussed with his 'normal' Vet so, I am going to have to re-visit this when next I see them. I am worried about(and did express this tonight) about the having to be on both meds until the therapeutic dosage of KBr is reached(usually 3 months). I also still need to do the ACTH stimulation test yet scheduling with Sean being home that I can fast, draw bw, IM the meds and then draw more bw; makes it difficult and I do not desire to bring him in and yet from discussing it with this Vet; I could come in on a day off and stay with PPSS. This way, he would not be as stressed and *should* he seizure; we would have all that I need there for him. Soul stresses out so bad at the hospital these days; that I am not keen on anything that might cause him to seize or bloat. This Vet recommended that I also go back to using Valium rectally for he felt that at least it would not hurt Soul; yet I have found little positive effect with the use of rectal Valium and it is most effective as most know via IM or IV; which is not much of an option at home(I am going to discuss this further with one of the other Vets about IM at home). So much to discuss and think about. Sigh…..everything crossed that this shall not be the beginning of a 'cluster' series for him. WHAT a way for PPSS to have as a celebration to his 3RD BIRTHDAY today! 😥
Update: February 25th, 2009: PPSS's Electrolytes came back normal yet his resting Cortisol levels were 1.7 and anything below 4.0 is a bit of concern to the Specialists that he could be Addisionian. The Specialists felt that he could have Addisions or were back looking at Liver problems such as a shunt concern. So, we did the cortisol levels and now I am going to do the ACTH Stimulation Test(I will do it at home for it involves fasting overnight – though some specialists feel that fasting is not a big deal, drawing blood, injecting IM the sterile cosyntropin zinc hydroxide suspension, waiting one hour and then drawing more blood). This test is used to obtain results for Cushing's and Addison's Disease yet no one believes that Cushing's is a concern. If this comes back negative; I am not doing anything more for my poor boy at this time; for he has gone through so much already. *IF* he does have a liver shunt problem it is not good and we will focus on quality of life. At this time, I feel that each test reveals a little something to a puzzle yet no one is able to put those pieces together to diagnose what is really going on here. I will continue with the Pheno(Seizures do happen to Addisionian dogs yet no bw was ever done last June when I first brought him in for the Vet did not feel it was going to be of benefit at that time) and do regular liver panel testing to monitor yet I am not going to continue to test after test and put him through this. Even though, I am doing almost all the testing at home; it is still invasive to him. I care too much for him to keep along this path of testing and receiving no answers and the constant back and forth that it is his liver or it is not his liver. Finances aside; Soul deserves better. He continues to lose weight; not eat as well and is more lethargic and I feel helpless…………..wish we could get a diagnosis………. 😥
Update: February 4th, 2009: The results came back on the Urine Bile Test and Soul was over 10 and normal is 7.3 or lower…..sigh…..There was no protein in his urine which was good. So, now we are back to talking to more specialists about liver shunt problems or even Addision's. So, I am now going to draw more blood on my incredible boy and bring it in on Monday to do Electrolytes and Cortisol testing. The thing that had me most concerned and that I brought Soul in on Wednesday to see the Vet was that he was losing weight rapidly, quite lethargic(no fever though) and not eating or drinking well. WHEN PPSS is 'off' food, that is not good…EVEN when he had his tooth root extracted, it never slowed him down. WHATEVER is going on with PPSS and I am so frustrated as to why we cannot narrow it down is that he is 'fading' before my eyes and I am just at such a loss to prevent it. 😥 I JUST cannot lose him……Just keep him in your thoughts. He is as close to me as my beloved RIP SN's Frost 'T' was and my heart is just screaming out in how unfair this is…….he has so much life to live yet!!!!
Update: January 23rd, 2009: PPSS's thyroid levels came back as a 8.1(normal is 8.0 – 36.0), so quite low on the 'normal' range. I talked to another Vet and he was not too worried until he looked at all the other results that have been coming in for Soul and one of the first things he mentioned was 'cancer' too. He does not feel that Soul is Hypothyroid either based upon all that I have written in his file, the test results to date and have told him(no weight gaining etc.). I have never run into a Hyperthyroid Great Dane(extremely rare condition in dogs, common in cats) and we do not suspect that with him. The next step is the Urine to rule out that and Soul is just not co-operating at home for me to take it and so, either I will cysto at home or bring him in to do a cysto to get a sample. He is eating, drinking, sleeping and playing well and other than seeming to be a bit 'tired' at times; he is doing fine and so, we keep plugging ahead on things to get more answers. The Vet did seem to think that we should be putting Soul on Kbr and lower the Pheno until such time as we get the therapeutic levels of the Kbr where they need to be(can take up to several months to reach a therapeutic level on Potassium Bromide) and then take Soul completely off the Pheno. I will talk this over with the 'main' Vet I have been seeing with Soul to get her thoughts too. I am also going to post on the K9 Epileptic Board to see what the thoughts/suggestions might be there.
Update: January 19th, 2009: It has been a very busy week for PPSS and I. The sample that I asked Sean to drop off on the 14th of January showed that PPSS had low protein and albumin levels. The Vet asked if I could bring in another sample for this one was 1% hemolyzed(breaking down of red blood cells & it could have happened at the lab) and just wanted as clear as sample as possible. About 1/4 of bw sent to the lab is 1% hemolyzed for any blood samples drawn on any given day yet she just wanted to send off another sample to be sure of the readings for we had gone from low normal for the albumin to now low. So, I stuck poor Soul twice(one in each hind leg) on Saturday January 17th and brought the samples in, they were spun and both were fine to send off. The results came back on Monday and while the protein is now fine; yet the albumin is still low and in fact lower than last week. The Vet has been talking to specialists since last week's sample came back low and we decided that we would also move to doing a Urine Bile test amongst a Urinalysis etc.(4-6 hours after Soul has last eaten) to see what else we could be looking at. From the Vet talking to specialists today; it appears that everyone is pretty much on board that the Pheno is not causing the low levels and so we are testing for thyroid(a Free T4 Panel has been sent out today) and are going to be looking at his kidneys(Urine testing for loss there) plus gut now. The concern for the Vet(AND I refuse to panic at this time) is that we are now looking at A) something like Thyroid -hypo *BUT Soul is not putting on weight etc. and is not exhibiting any signs of thyroid issues and in fact, more than anything, I have had to 'up' his food due to some small amount of weight loss B) He is spilling/losing through his gut – IBS *BUT Soul has not been exhibiting vomiting, diarrhea or any other signs of IBS(though SN's can have immature digestive/immune systems) C) We are looking at Lymphosarcoma – (Cancer) and that terrifies me the most at this time *BUT this is not that common in a dog young like Soul(though as Sean and I well know; we have had several dogs will the 'rare' and 'not common' conditions over the years, so this does not make us feel overly great about things). Talk about feeling like one has been smacked in the stomach from Soul's levels being normal (low normal) on December 31st, to now looking at such severe conditions as possibly Cancer. Sean and I have noticed that Soul has not been as energetic or 'lively' as he has normally yet nothing we have 'read' into that too much and so, I am not quite sure what to think/feel at this time. 🙁 The hard part right now is even trying to get a urine sample from Soul at home….sigh…..not the easiest thing to do in the world with a Dane that has that 'shy' bladder around people/dogs being too close to him when he is peeing…..The other problem is that if we put him on something like Pred for one condition; he cannot have Chemo etc. I will update his blog as I can…..
Update: January 15th, 2009: I drew blood from PPSS yesterday AM and asked Sean to drop it off at the hospital; when he was dropping off Dana for her spay yesterday. We will see what the results bring back. As we are down to one vehicle right now(the car is not behaving……); it is quite the juggling act for us to get to/from our work, do Rescue, take animals in for appointments; pick animals up etc. SIGH………
Update: January 7th, 2009: PPSS Albumin levels came back fine(low Normal) and his Pheno levels are now 115 and so we believe that we are in good shape at this time. The Vet would like for me to bring in some blood to do a full liver panel on PPSS within the next while as well so I will probably do that next week. She would like to catch the liver levels before they get too low of which only doing an Albumin test would be the result. There seemed to have been some miscommunication on just what test should have been done when I asked the question(do a full panel or just the Albumin) to another Vet yet no real worries for we will do the full panel now. She also recommended fasting him overnight before taking his blood. With how stressed Soul becomes at the hospital at this time, I am going to draw his blood at home and bring it in one day that I am working. That seems to be a great solution.
Update: December 31st, 2008: PPSS came with me to work today and though, I would have liked a new weight on him; he was really stressed – he is not fond of the Vet Hospital and who can blame him due to him being there to be neutered, having pneumonia, having had a tooth root extracted and also for seizures. The days of him LOVING to come to work with me are long in the past and I am not going to push him at this time and bring him with me to hang out here and there for I do not want him anymore stressed than the 'evil' necessity of bringing him in for his tests and exams and have him seize on me. He has had a recent weight as of the beginning of December so, I was not too curious as to where he stands now. He had his Pheno levels and Albumin level done and I am hoping that with the increased dosages of the Pheno that his levels will be over 100 this time. I had a nice long talk with his Vet about his seizures and what I have been learning on the epileptic forum and we also discussed some of the human drugs on 'trial' with dogs out there and if they might be effective for Soul. I am happy with the Pheno at this time and Soul acclimatized much faster this time to the new dose(ie: no major 'sedation' phase and no noticeable change in his hunger level…THANK GOD!) and as it is known that it is a great thing if a dog is seizure free for even 2 months at a time; I am really thrilled as to where we stand at this time. As of today, we are almost 9.5 weeks seizure free!!!!! YAY! YAY! There have been a couple of 'moment's' where I thought Soul 'might' seize on me and in applying some of the distraction, calming and focus things that I know plus have read how effective they have been to other dogs with seizure problems; perhaps(*if* he was on the verge…that will never truly be known)we averted a seizure. Doing these things at least did not hurt and every day, I look at him and my heart just bursts with love. I cannot believe he and his brother CH. Dyceman are going to be 3 in 2009 and I was telling Sean that my heart is already beginning that pitter patter of wanting another SN's to join Soul in my heart within the next 5 years! 😉 As most know, these very incredible creatures hold a very important place in my life.
Update: December 11th, 2008: PPSS's Pheno levels came in at 83 and this is down from the 95 it was when we last tested. 🙁 The Vet would like to get him over 100. So, we have increased him to 7 tablets of Pheno 60 mg; spread out with 3 in the AM; 2 in the afternoon and 2 at night. We will re-test on December 31st, including his Albumin to see how his levels are plus his liver. He is doing really well though. Seizure free for almost 6.5 weeks! YAY!
Update: December 1st, 2008: I have PPSS in with me to work to do his Pheno Levels testing. I was not able to do them back in November due to Tain plus Cherokee being not well and having BHRR's Dana come into our program. Poor thing, just does not handle the Hospital very well and of all the dogs I could bring in with him; 'momma' suck Tain is not the one to have with him. 😉 His weight is way way way down and I am wondering if our scale has not yet been calibrated for that is almost a 20 pounds drop and he does not look thin. We will see what his results are and he remains seizure free for almost 5 weeks now. Two new pics of Soul!
Update: November 20th, 2008: I have scheduled PPSS tomorrow night to come to work with me and we shall run new Pheno levels on him. He continues to remain seizure free and knock on wood that his levels will be be good. We are in day #24 and seizure free. YAY!
Update: November 15th, 2008: PPSS is doing great! Hungry as heck and doing massive counter surfing due to the Pheno but he is finally beginning to stabilize on the new dose of Pheno and is not as 'sedated'. Mid-afternoons are his 'best' times for zooming and playing and he is just that much more clingy to me these days BUT we are so thrilled with things at this time. He no longer is allowed to be in the bedroom while we are away for I worry that should he have a seizure; that another dog could hurt him.(it is not uncommon for other dogs to attack a seizuring dog). We have always tried to work out our schedules that Soul is never alone yet this is not always possible so for his safety; he gets to hang out in the main area when no one is home. He is getting used to it(he is a creature of habit and routine and he is the dog that ALWAYS notices if something has been moved or is different in the house!) and I am pleased that he is no longer so stressed when we leave. I also now know to close and lock both doors(sunroom and front) for the little monkey can now open both doors and when I returned from putting the kids on the bus one day; the front door was open and my PPSS was sitting very happy with himself in the sunroom……..Both doors are completely locked now at any time that he is has to be left unattended. What a houdini this boy is….he could always get out of his crate as a puppy to until we put 'clips' on. I shall be bringing him in within the next week+ to re-test his levels. This week had been very busy with Maggi going in for a recheck on her digital cyst she has had since April and then Tain.
Update: November 4th, 2008: Soul has not had another seizure since we have upped his frequency and Pheno meds. Having owned two other seizure dogs in our lives; plus that we specialize in assisting the SN's here; Soul's seizures do have me a bit confused in addition to my Vet. I have been doing a lot of research and have also put in a request to join a Yahoo Seizure Group called K9Epileptics as I would like to share/learn plus support with others who are going through this. I have learnt a lot in my research about Soul's Apnea(though his is after his seizes and I am trying to get more answers on that one) in addition to understanding more about his complex partial(behavoural) seizures – the fly biting, the running, apprehension and lack of awareness and his grand mals. It is also going to be nice to be part of a group that really knows and understands what Soul is going through and us. I have benefited greatly from joining the DCM Yahoo group(though it was not in existence when my sweet SN's Frost 'T' was alive) in gaining more awareness and knowledge and I hope to do the same here. We can all continue to learn no matter how old we are and in what profession we are in and I look forward to possibly being part of this group. Soul is still in the sedation part of getting used to the new levels of his meds and his hunger continues to rule him, the poor thing. The one other thing I have noticed after his seizures first began in June; was how depressed he had become and people thought that was 'odd' yet my research has shown that this is not all that uncommon in dogs; just as it is in humans. Soul is slowly adjusting to not being able to stay in the master bedroom while we are gone for I do worry about his safety should he seize during a time we are not home and the other dogs are present.
Update: 4:00 PM on October 27th, 2008 From talking to the Vet; we shall up PPSS's Pheno dosage to 2 x 60 MG Tabs; every 8 hours and re-test his levels in 3 weeks time. His last level was 92 and the Vet would like to see us get him to over 100. We might also test trough and peak this time around. It had only been 6 hours since his last pills to that seizure early this AM and so we will also up the frequency so that there is less time between doses of his meds. He has not had another seizure in over 13 hours now. Once he finally settled down; he slept until almost 3:00 PM today; the poor thing. He now keeps trying to 'get' me away from my computer to lie down again and I might just do that as I am still trying to get over my icky sickness!
Update: October 27th, 2008: I keep saying that I need to update my babies pages during the good times and not just during the bad yet this update is not a happy one either. 🙁 At almost 25 minutes past 2:00 AM today; Soul had another seizure. I had just turned out my light to try and get some sleep as I am not sleeping well myself due to my bad cold and it is hard to explain; yet something did not 'feel' right. Tain was not settling down in his crate in the main area which is very unusual and PPSS who always sleeps right beside my head; was almost tense and while I was softly petting him; he suddenly stiffened up; began to almost 'air snap' over and over and as I rushed off the bed to turn on a light; he jumped off the bed, crashed into our wall of closets and ran into our ensuite; trying to bite at his hind end and kept looking behind him(this is the same behavour as he has exhibited in the past). With what little remaining voice that I had(I have pretty much lost my voice due to how sick I am); I yelled for Sean as I was running into the main area to get him to hear me; knowing that I had just mere moments before PPSS went 'down' into a full seizure. Sean had been sleeping in the rec room as I have not been well and he rushed right up. He helped get all the other dogs out of the bedroom and closed the door while I was touching Soul and supporting him; knowing that he would fall to the floor soon into the actual seizing part of his seizure. He had that same panicked and lost look on his face, the poor thing. When we could begin to time his seizure; it was timed at 3.42 seconds yet it was quite a bit longer as we could not safely time before that point. Sean and I guessestimate that the actual time is more likely close to 6 minutes. While he did not lose control of his bowels, he did pee over himself and had lots of foaming and bit his poor lip again. His heart was just racing. Very predictably, within 7 minutes after the seizure was over; he went non-breathing and I had to really stimulate him to breath. Knowing that this is his pattern; we are prepared for it; yet my own heart just sinks when this happens. This seizure was not as 'violent' as his one's in the past yet it was still very strong. 🙁 When we could get Soul up on his feet again; his eyes were very dilated; he could not 'see' us; was very confused; was still not recognizing us, fearful and was doing his massive 'energy' pacing(just as he did in the car to the hospital this past summer). Soul is not one to need 'sleep' immediately after his seizures; he paces and paces and paces for a long time first. As I am writing this it has been just over 70 minutes and Soul is finally just starting to slow down. His eyes are not as dilated and he is not as disoriented. He keeps wanting to go outside yet when we did let him out; he went right through the horse tape and if we did not catch him; we know that he would have gone right over our e-tiered retaining walls. He is still panting a bit yet is settling down some. Once he gets past this stage; he will then do his long sleeping episode. While Soul is in this pacing phase; he is very much a danger to himself for he would walk through a window if we did not monitor him closely. I will take him into the Vet's later today and while we had planned to run his pheno levels etc. again in 3 months time; we might push that up. His last Pheno was given around 8:30 PM last night and so he was not close to his next dosage of meds and I am worried………….These SN's babies just get so deep into my heart that it just tears me up inside when things like this happen. I JUST love him so very much. I just cannot lose him….:-( Right now; he has decided that my one leather sofa is going to be his resting spot and the 'no' leather rule can go out the window at this time. He is now having moments of actual 'staying still' in one place and whatever works for him to help him relax; is just fine.
Update: July 4th, 2008: I brought PPSS in with me tonight to the Vet along with Lil Linus(WASN'T that a sight in my car with the sunroof open!)to have his pheno levels tested. I knew that he he had put on a bit of weight yet I was very dismayed to see how much……I really like Soul to weight a little bit less at his current age/size. While 5 pounds might not seem like much; it really is on some dogs and I really like to see my dogs very muscled and on the lean side. The pheno is making PPSS very very very hungry and he has resorted back to a puppy stage of trying to raid the garbage and counter surf. He has also become quite pushy in trying to get food out of the other dog's bowls if they have not quite eaten all of their food and their bowls are left sitting. This has become quite a challenge with him and he is constantly thinking of ways to outsmart me the goober! LOL Gotta love him for his thought processes! Soul will have been seizure free for 21 days as of tomorrow and that is the best news of all. The other thing that the pheno has done is make Soul more sedated so he is not as active and that has been part of the problem in trying to find that right balance of food intake in relation to the little exercise he does get. He really is quite 'doped' at times on the meds. I feel truly terrible for him for he literally makes distressed sounds to let me know that he is hungry. As mentioned to the Vet, I said that I am now feeding him three small meals a day. I have taken his two meals and split them up into three, so that he is getting fed more often. PPSS takes his pills wonderfully be it in a rare PB thumbful of goodness; yet mostly just put into his food bowl. I have also begun to notice that PPSS's hair is falling out and around his collar area on the back of his neck; it is quite pink. He is now wearing a collar even less than before. PPSS has become that much more attached to me as well since his seizures and he really 'pouts' if my attention is not on him when he wants it. We have worked through most of these 'moment's' and he seems to be much more understanding again about 'sharing' mom and that he is 'ok'. Not as much now as in the first few days after his seizures; he seemed to be quite worried about being by himself; YET I also was worried about this as was Sean and we worked our schedules out so that in those first few days; he was never alone and I think he got used to it! While we might not have been 100% by his side; I think he felt reassured as did we being around and now that he is more confident again about himself(for he was very confused and scared when he had his seizures); things have settled down in the 'must be glued to mom's hip' 24/7 EVEN in the shower! LOL I will never forget the feelings I had when I thought PPSS had died on me in his first non-breathing episode after his seizure and I am just that much more diligent about kissing and hugging all the dogs plus my kids here every night and telling them how much I care about them. One just never knows what tomorrow may bring and the specialness of these moments are just that much more strong after experiencing the hell of June 14th, 2008 in thinking I lost my Piranha Puppy Soul Squall! 🙁
Update: June 15th, 2008: It has been so long since I added an update to Soul's page and I wish I had better news to impart. For the last few months, I have been suspecting either a heart condition or seizures; and after testing to rule out any heart problems; it was determined that PPSS was having some small seizures and monitoring would be in order as they were not significant enough to warrant medication. However; just before 10:00 AM on Saturday June 14th, PPSS ran panicked into our bedroom where I was cuddling with some of the dogs and initially, I thought he was looking for me as Sean plus the kids had just left to do some errands; but I could tell that he could not really 'see' me. He then ran towards the wall of solid oak closet doors and began to bite at his right rear hind end plus leg. He then fell on his side and as I was leaping towards him; he began to seize. He seized so violently, he knocked off the hinges, one of the solid oak doors and for those that have seen our closets; know that they are very heavy and large. Poor baby lost control of his bodily functions, began to froth, bite his lower lip and I was trying to pull the closet door off him, pull him towards a safer location, watch his head, shoo out all the other dogs that had become very excited and upset over what was happening AND also try to grab a phone to call Sean back. Soul went very blue and purple on me and I kept trying to stimuate him to breathe. Fortunately, Sean had not gotten too far(still on the laneway) and was minutes away. He rushed back and assisted me. Soul was disoriented, lost his vision and could not do more than even weakly lift his head. He began to shiver and though, he had some colour back; he was not doing well. For someone that is a strong person, I was weeping and called KAH in tears to say that I am rushing him in. His seizure was strong, his body position was one of agony; like some of the screnes I have seen in animal cruelty cases; where dogs had been poisoned and their bodies were all contorted in sheer pain. It was horrifying. Sean and I have owned four seizure dogs in the past four years(Phantom with his due to brain/spine tumours; WinterGirl whom we lost to a cluster of serious seizures and became severely brain damaged, Jasper, our Golden and the one's that PPSS has had up to now) plus my background in being a paramedic and working at the animal hospital plus seeing many come into rescue with seizure conditons; has given me years of experience in dealing with these situations; yet I HAD never seen anything like this. As we were trying to treat him for shock, mobilize him and get him to the hospital; he went non-breathing on me; going from white to purple/blue. The Vet at the hospital believes that most likely he was still breathing very very very shallow at this time, yet agreed that by stimulating him back and possibly avoided another seizure. I was very honest with the hospital; that this was an emotional 'Dane' to me and all objectivity was out the window at times. In driving him to the hospital, Sean and I had to swap vehicles for by now; PPSS could not sit still and was climbing over everything and bashing his head into the doors and windows and with my broken finger; I could not safely keep him contained in the back of the car. By the time, we got to the hospital; he was stable and walked in on his own volition yet was very stressed. When PPSS becomes stressed; the best thing for him is 'quiet' time. One of the techs believed that I left them at the hospital by himself for 2 hours sans myself was because I needed recollect myself, when in fact, there is no way that he would have settled down with me there. He is not like Bronson or Dyce; he needs to be quiet in a place of safety by himself and sure enough; he settled down and slept until I returned. A catheter had been put into him in case we need to hook him up to fluids etc., yet it was not needed. I came home with Valium to insert rectally 20cc should he seize again(the Valium is only good for 20 minutes) and also pheno(2.5 tabs – 60 mg every 12 hours) and we will test the levels in 2 and 4 weeks. The vet did not believe that doing bw at this time would be of benefit and since I got him home, he has had 3 more seizures and I was better able to time these. Each seizure was just under 8 hours of each other and while I could not get a good time on his first seizure; the other three from when I began to time them 2.45 minutes; 3.32 minutes and 4:01 minutes; which means they are in fact longer than that(at least 5-10 minutes needs to go on top of the times we got; for we had to ensure Soul was 'safe' first as that is our number one priority, put the other dogs away from Soul, get to the stop watch, come back and begin to time) due to not beginning to be able to time until he was safe as that is my first priority. From talking to the Vet, it is not how violent the seizures are that we should be concerned about(she also sent me home with mucho literature….)but the frequency and length of them. Apparently, seizures of 2-5 minutes are 'norm' and to Sean and I; having owned several other seizure dogs; I seriously thought PPSS had died on me; it was that horrific. After each episode, Soul also went non-breathing within 7 minutes each time. He needed 'hard' stimulation to get him to breathe again. I am not one to 'freak' out and I was a mash of welling tears of what PPSS has gone through. He has been resting a lot between seizures; drinking and eating some and it shall take a few days for the pheno to really kick in. The one thing that has not come back to normal, is his vision(already impaired) plus his personality is not yet back to being Soul. His pupils are also now quite dilated. I shall be bringing him with me to work tomorrow as I won't leave him home alone. Piranha Puppy Soul Squall could really use some hugs……
Update: November 8th, 2007: I meant to update Soul's page long before now…..After a couple of really 'shakey' weeks with Soul's mouth; it finally decided to turn for the better. Sean and I kept him on the Antirobe and kept flushing the area several times a day and had Soul on a very restricted play schedule which make it very hard for such an active dog. Yet we could not risk the area getting any worse by him injuring it further. The swelling continued and more stitches were being pulled out due to the swelling and the pain had to have been just horrific for PPSS, yet what a trooper he was! We literally we just inches away from having to do more surgery and that it would have been so very evasive and the Vets were already discussing just what could possibly be done surgically as there really was no more area in his mouth to expand too. I thank all the blessings and stars that we did not have to go that route for none of the Vets and neither were we comfortable about even attempting more surgery unless absolutely necessary. My PPSS has since packed the weight back on and I need to get a current weight on him and he has very much entered the 'teenage' years of forgetting everything he ever learned….sigh! LOL He really misses Luna though and I need to add new pictures of my boy!
Update: October 2nd, 2007: I took Soul back in tonight for his follow-up and the Vets agree with me, that his mouth is looking terrible. Another stitch had popped due to swelling and one more is likely to go soon. To make matters worse, he has begun to play with the area with his tongue and teeth. To do more surgery and one of the Vets agrees with me does not seem to be promising right now for there is very little area to work with and what if it is also not successful; then we are in an even worse situation than now. There is only one small area in his mouth that is healing and even that is progressing even slower than either Vet would have expected. At this time, we will continue with the Deramaxx for pain and as an anti-inflammatory; the Antirobe, limit his activity, flush 2-3 times a day and re-evaluate on Friday. I am not liking the smell yet the Vets say that the area is still flushing pink well. Poor guy……….this has to be so uncomfortable for him. Today was the first day that Soul did not show signs of really wanting to play or eat either. Keep everything crossed for him. I will try and take new pictures to post of his mouth as it is a great documentation tool for the Vets as well to see the changes.
Update: October 1st, 2007: Not sure where my update from Saturday is………. 🙁 Soul weighed 61.8 KGs(135.96 pounds) which is more indicative of what he has been weighing of late so the scale had to have been wrong when he was in on that Thursday September 21st. The Vet said that he mouth definitely does not look good but that mouths heal really quickly and that it is quite possible that it was the swelling of the mouth that pulled the stitches over anything he did; which does make sense as we have been keeping PPSS quiet as can be. We are flushing three times a day with salt water and a disinfectant, going to keep him on antibiotics 5 extra days and I will bring him in with me to work on Monday to re-evaluate for the Vet said that by then, we will have a better idea of whether it is going to go on the *healing* side of the require more surgery side. He was just on the bubble when I brought him in and the Vet said that mouth wounds can turn really fast as on Friday AM, his mouth looked fine. He is still on the Deramaxx and eating well yet he does have a bit of a fever. As of last night, I noticed yet another stitch has been 'popped', so that whole side and bottom portion of his flap is no longer stitched. HE was a great patient, not moving a muscle while we worked on him and received many compliments on his excellent temperament; especially knowing that he had to be in some pain with all that we were doing in his mouth. He had a couple of black hairs(most likely Dyce) lodged up under the flap and we had to tweezer them out and he did not flinch once. The Vet said that it is a much better thing to have the upper canine removed than the bottom due to gravity and that less food etc., will get lodged. The grey spot pinked up really well and bled a healthy colour when it was flushed on Saturday; so that was also a great sign. I think it is almost time to re-dye my hair after the last couple of weeks between Dyce and PPSS! 🙂
Update: September 29th, 2007: I check Soul's mouth twice a day and just before going to bed tonight after coming home from work, I looked into his mouth and he has ripped out a line of stitches……sigh………and there is that lovely early smell of infection brewing. I will be taking him back into the Hospital tomorrow to determine the best course of action. It is already looking red and inflamed and despite being on antibiotics; things are not looking or smelling so great in that area of his mouth.
Update: September 25th, 2007: PPSS is now home. I was called into work last night and he was very upset to smell and see me yet I could not spend much time with him until I took him home for duty called. 🙁 I felt terrible for him. He had a terrible bout of diarrhea on the X-Ray table before surgery as he was so stressed. He had a bad night yet is doing much better today. I have the root of the tooth with me(and will post a picture so people can see just how long these roots are) and he is wearing his 30cm collar(WHICH fits him!) and is wearing a pain patch now. The root slid out really easily which supports that there are not the strongest teeth in his line somewhere for it should have been very difficult to remove it. IT is also smaller than I thought it should be for a 17 month old Giant Breed. The flap looks great and Kudos to his Vet for such a great job(her first flap too! :)) We have been giving him hydromorphone for pain as well as his antibiotics in addition to the Deramaxx. He has eaten some wet food today and is resting much more comfortably. The headache this poor guy must have! Thanks to all for the calls, emails, PMs and the Karmies sent on LNS. HE has quite the fan club cheering for him! Now, to get his brother Dyce back up on his feet from his emergency neuter and get some of those lost 27 pounds back on him!
Update: September 21st, 2007: PPSS will be going in for surgery on Monday to extract what is left of his upper left canine. When I was looking at his teeth yesterday; I noticed that it was broken off right at the gumline. We will extract the tooth and do a 'flap' with stitches. He is now on Antirobe 2 tablets every 12 hours for 10 days as he cannot have Cephalexin or Clavamox. He has dropped quite a bit of weight(I guess LT is keeping him trim! LOL) and is now 55.80KGS. It is believed that he and Dyce might have 'weak' teeth in their lines for Dyce had a broken tip of his left lower canine(noticed in the wee hours of the AM) just before his very first show last November and he was still a puppy. The force it would take to break these teeth is unbelievable and neither dog chews on rocks, crates etc. to have caused them to break. In over 35 years of having dogs; I have never seen anything like PPSS tooth. It was a very recent 'thing' for it was just beginning to swell and there was no bleeding. He has continued to play and eat as normal. Keep him in your thoughts on Monday. I did a new blood panel on him last night to ensure that his internal organ functions are operating within normal parameters before surgery.
Update: May 28th, 2007: Piranha Puppy Soul Squall weighed in at just over 135 pounds. This means he has put on almost 25 pounds from his terrible ordeal with the toxic cells in his one lung plus the pneumonia. His HW test was negative and he was a model puppy hanging out at the Vet Hospital! His heart rate was 150 and so we will monitor.
*Soul will be going in for his annual exam(he has fully recovered from his pneumonia)on May 22nd, 2007. I cannot wait to see just how much weight he put on from being so sick. Soul reacts to both Cephalexin and Clavamox and that did not help in his recovery from his terrible pneumonia. The Clindamycin and Doxycycline is what he needed to become heathly again.