"Gunner"

March 8, 2013 - FYI...Remember as I unfold this we together share: The Good - The Bad - and the UGLY. What I am going to unfold is a bit of all.. One of our own is hurting and my hope is for all of us to reach out to her. Within the next two weeks she will have to do the unthinkable; put her dog down. Were there mistakes along the way? Sadly yes. Was there a heart to work together regardless of fault? Absolutely! Before I say reveal who I speak about, I must remind us all there are no absolutes in anything in this life. No one really knows why things turn out the way they do, we just know that sometimes it's our turn to hurt. My hope is to allow our Kennel to hold her while she hurts. Pray for her, send good wishes or simply reach out to ask how she is doing.

This journey has been a long private one. Over the last year her DWA started seizures. When I first received the call we went through the list. To both our horror we discovered the foods she was feeding (Taste of the Wild & one other - name escapes me) had been on recall. That is not an absolute, but certainly a big clue as we truly do not know what wakes that beast. Over the course of the last year He has continually gotten worse. Wrenne Saunders jumped in and felt it was a digestion issue and possibly from the food? She changed something's around and back onto our system adding in supplements and such which seemed to slow the episodes down for a season. We actually both hoped that we had put back to sleep the Epi Beast. I was also concerned with the Flea Treatment she used and though given to her by her vet is still poison to a dog. Something called "Comfortis Tabs" and I throw that out there to make sure everyone has all the players, so when making decisions for your own dogs you can consider this nightmare.

At the end of the day there is no real indicator of how Epilepsy is born inside of our dogs. There are 1000's of reasons a dog can seize. Even though there are DNA Tests being worked on today, there is no way to test for every angle of this horrible disorder. The one thing my friend and our kennel parent wanted me to impart to you, is please stay the course and do not veer from the DWA system. Stay the course she says!

She was open, honest and upfront about every part of this. She never pointed a finger of blame at me or anyone else. If anything she is beating herself up and I hope that we can walk beside her as she has to deal with this and just encourage her and support her.

I am asking you to comfort her right now. Her friend and her heart will be euthanized within two weeks and she is devastated. Her Aussie is suffering now and we know that everything has been done to save him. Please don't try to figure out what made this happen with her or why? We've worked with the best and trust that we've tried everything. Just hold her hand and encourage her.

I have a special plan for her at the Reunion and the Kodiak & Rocky Fund will cover it from all the donations you gave to us in our time of need. I hold Lisa Gunner in a high place because of her willingness to be upfront and honest about all the details of Gunners illness... Theresa

April 3, 2013 - We have gotten news of another Epi Case in our Kennel. My heart is broken for this. There is no testing available yet, but I know it's coming. Some would say that 2 cases in 8+ years is great, but for me it's two cases too many. There are a LIST of reasons a dog can have seizures. The list makes me think we must stop living to protect them, however our Aussie (if Human) would never allow us to keep them in a bubble. So we continue on with making all the right adjustments, Food (Lifes Abundance & Flint River Ranch), Bottled Water, Immune Boost Supplements (NuVet), a very strict shot protocol and no Topical Flea & Tick meds dumped into our dogs (Pet Protectors!). This disease is real! Sometimes it can be controlled, other times the only humane decision is to send our friend back to Heaven into the Arms of God to rescue them from the pain and trauma. We will keep fighting and continue learning and take the precautions that we can as we hope our loved friends are spared from this disease. T

POTENTIAL SEIZURE TRIGGERS

Most seizures seem to occur spontaneously, however, we have found that certain chemicals and emotional stress factors can trigger a seizure. Any kind of stress to your dog is a potential seizure trigger. I have updated the problems as we hear of new findings. Keep your Aussie's diet simple and you'll simply have no issues.

The Guardian Angels have put together a list of things that may trigger seizures in some epi's. Remember, not all triggers will apply to all epi's. In order for something to be considered a seizure trigger the time between the trigger and the seizure is within 30 hours except in the case of vaccinations which can be up to 45 days.

To reduce seizures please pay attention to the list below and see if you can avoid a seizure.

Stress Factors:

* Changes in routine caused by construction, visitors, new family members etc.
* Being left alone
* Car Rides
* Visits to the vet
* Thunder storms
* Changes in barometric pressure
* Extreme cold weather
* Flashing lights from television, cameras, Christmas trees or lightning
* Angry voices
* Loud arguments between people (dogs think you are angry at them and it is the worst kind of stress for them)
* Fatigue
* Nervousness
* Anxiety
* Going too long between meals
* Prolonged excitement
* Any changes, sudden, subtle, radical, etc. (food, environment, etc.)

Medications:

*Vaccinations
*Heartworm Medications
*Flea and Tick preventative
*Some prescription medications

Yard and Garden:

*Lawn Treatments
*Fertilizers like coco-mulch
*Herbicides
* Insecticides
* Bee and Wasp venom
* Toad poisoning

* Flowers or plants (need to research your yard)


* Cedar shavings (in dog beds also)

Household

* Scented candles
* Perfume
* Loud music
* Cigarette smoke

Household Products:

*Pine Sol or cleaners with pine oil or scent.
*Kerosene for lamps
*Camphor
*Eucalyptus
*Borax or Boric Acid (sometimes used to treat fleas)
*Deck and wall stains
*Polyurethane fumes
*Paint fumes
*Swiffer chemicals


Foods and Spices:

* FRUIT - including tomatoes & carrots
* CHEESE
* COTTAGE CHEESE
* MILK

* Tainted Pet Food
* Turkey (uncooked)
* Caffeine* Walnuts
* Moldy cheese
* Rosemary Oil
* Saffron
* Sage
* Foods with Ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT
* Treats with Ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT
* Uncleaned Rawhide Treats
* Pigs feet
* Pork products - unclean/uncooked
* MSG (sometimes called natural flavoring, smoke flavoring etc)
* Changes in dietary chloride (salt) content (from a change in food, treats or water) for dogs on Potassium Bromide

Keeping a journal of seizures and suspected seizure triggers will help you identify anything that might contribute to seizures in your dog. A sample seizure journal can be found on our website at: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm - Seizure and Medication Record.

 

 

 


Desert Willow Aussies  About Us  Our Dogs  Available  Litters  Why Buy From Us  Testimonials  Placed Pets • Policies  Gallery 
 Aussie Breed Info  Puppy Care  Pet Store Puppies  How Could You  Retired Dogs New Puppy Parents Links
Flea & Tick Pet Protector  Lifes Abundance Pet Food
  Flint River Ranch Pet Food  NuVet Immune Boost Home 
 

Content and Design Copyright 2006-2013
© Desert Willow Aussies & About Time Design
 All rights reserved.

Site Design & Creation by:
About Time Design - When Only the Best Will Do!
Maintained by: Desert Willow
Theresa & Mel Gorduyn
505/565-5665

DesertWillowHolistic@yahoo.com