A Dog Seizing and Bobby McFerrin Drunk

Originally Posted March 18, 2002

Gallery 2 has been operational in part all weekend. In the future the size (file size) of each photograph will be smaller so that those of you, like myself, still using dial up service will be able to access the pictures quicker. I don't know about anyone else but the icon for my internet connection is two cans joined by a string.

Keith Greenstein is in Los Angeles for a month. He is checking his e-mail so send him a hello and beg him not to stay on my behalf: kgreenstein@westwayne.com

Ben has learned to kick a soccer ball and seems to have a pretty good time doing so. He also enjoys making raspberry sounds with his hands and loves to have someone do it with him. He will trade licks with you. Think of Bobby McFerrin drunk. Scratch that. Never mind.

Atticus has an appointment with a doggy dermatologist. His skin problem has grown out of control and we have not been able to control it with diet. Paula believes that the irritation might be contributing to his seizures of which he has had at least four stacked sets since the weekend before Christmas 2001. Hopefully the dermatologist will find out what he is allergic to an we will be able to remove it from his environment. More likely is the possibility that he will require medication.

Now for those of you who have not experienced a dog seizing I will try to describe the event as accurately as possible. As the seizure approaches, Atticus seems to want to sit down but before he can he starts to back up until his legs propel him up and over onto his back. He then makes an absolutely horrendous sound that if heard in the woods at night would chill the blood of the most seasoned serial killer. His mouth opens wider than would be thought possible and begins to foam. His legs begin to run but in slow motion. Every muscle in his body seems to pull in a different direction. Sometimes he loses control of his bowels. And after about a minute of all of this he pants and pants and pants. This is called the post-ictal state. He is no longer actively seizing and is once again oxygenating but is in an almost catatonic state. He doesn't have the energy to stand at first and once he does he lacks the coordination to walk. He gets a five minute break and then he does it all over again at least two more times. A pre-requisite for the seizures seems to be that I am at the station since I have only seen one of the attacks. It just so happens that I should have been at the station the one night I witnessed what I just described but had taken the shift off. Perhaps Atticus' schedule is too inflexible to accommodate my sudden change of plans.

He has been on phenobarbital for a month and hasn't had a seizure that we have known about since beginning the medicine. The only lasting side effect seems to be an enormous increase in his appetite, a side effect not foreseen by the vet or any of the literature on phenobarbital.

So there it is. That's what's been going on with us. What's been going on with you. E-mail us and share. We would like to hear all about it (please be sure to cc K. Burnham if you do.)