Wrapping Up November Epilepsy Awareness Month With Epi-Star MAX
Epi-Star "Max"
With today being the last day of November, Epilepsy Awareness Month, it’s also the last day of my month-long #FiveSibes #LiveGibStrong Epi-Star features, where keeping in line with the concept of my award-winning book, EPIc Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy, I highlight some wonderful dogs from across the globe who do not/have not let having epilepsy stop them from enjoying life.
Now, even though today is the final day of awareness month, let’s keep in mind that advocating for Epi-dogs is not just one month, it’s every day. So even though we use Epilepsy Awareness Month to highlight Canine Epilepsy, we continue to advocate for awareness all year long to:
a) let other Epi-dog families know that they are not alone in their journey;
b) there are many resources and support available to Epi-dog families; and
c) but most importantly—Epi-dogs can-and DO-live full, happy lives for however long we are blessed to have them. They can certainly do all the things non-Epis can do—and enjoy life as only a dog can!
I began this series in the beginning of the month with my beloved Epi-dog, Gibson. Today, it’s only fitting that I wrap up the month with a very special Epi-dog and hu-mom I met online almost 13 years ago when my Gibson had his first seizure and I was frightened, had no knowledge then of seizures, or where to go for information, or even how to help my boy. I put a message out on the then-popular social media site, MySpace, and a lovely gal (who is a medical nurse and one of her dogs was an Epi-dog) wrote me right back, and even gave me her phone number so we could talk. She helped me navigate the new unknown path I was embarking on—Canine Epilepsy, and I will always be so thankful for that. And, we are still friends across the miles today, thanks to our Epi-angels, Gibson and Max, for bringing us together.
Today, please meet Laurie Dansby's beautiful boy, Max.
In my book, Laurie introduced readers to Epi-Star Max. “One day I was headed out to the store when I saw this little puppy on the sidewalk in front of my house. He appeared to have a collar, so I went ahead and went to the store. When I returned, he was still sitting in the same place. I could not resist seeing what was going on with this little guy. When I approached, he appeared scared, but so grateful that someone was paying him attention. His collar turned out to be only a flea collar. I brought him in, and my other dog Lexi took to him immediately. I realized with horror someone had dumped this little guy on my front lawn. At the time, I really did not want to take in another dog and even tried taking him to a no-kill shelter. They took him overnight, but the next day I knew I had to have him back. I arranged to bring him back home. When I took him to the vet, the vet informed me he was only about three months old. How could anyone dump a baby?”
When Max was two years old, Laurie said he had his first seizure. And then another around Christmas of that same year. “I am a Registered Nurse, and have seen my share of seizures on people, but this took me by surprise. I was terrified. I held him and talked soothingly to him throughout the entire seizure. I knew to time it. It lasted about 20 minutes. I had never seen one go on that long, but now I realize it was multiple seizures. I held him the entire time, and he did release his bladder all over me. I didn’t care. I could tell how frightened he was. When it was over, I immediately called the vet and told him what happened.”
Ultimately, Max was put on Phenobarbital, a medication that Laurie adjusted over time as needed, and, under Laurie’s watchful eye, he went years without a seizure!
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Max, my Epi boy,” reflect Laurie. “He’s been gone a while now, but I often see a cardinal out back and know that it’s him visiting me.”
Laurie vividly recalls that day when Max had his first seizure. “I remember how scared I was. I took him to the vet once it was over and we ran some labs which were normal. The vet recommended we wait to see if he had another one before starting him on a lifetime of treatment. There’s really no way you can prepare yourself for that next seizure.”
Max made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge in May of 2019 at the age of 17. “I look back on it now and I know he had a wonderful life with me,” reminisces Laurie. “Once we stabilized him on medication, he did not have a seizure for several years. Epi-dogs can live long, happy lives. I would never, ever change my time with him.”
"What brings a tear to my eyes at this point, however, is remembering how he used to look at me, with such love in his eyes. Almost as if he was saying, ‘Thank you, Mom, thank you for caring for me.’ I wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was always perfect in my eyes.” ~Laurie Dansby
After after we lose our beloved dogs, our human-canine bond with them is not lost—it is forever. We can feel them with us, and there are days I still hear my FiveSibes thundering around the house or across the back deck as they push the patio chairs around and join in together in their howling songs. Most recently, I woke up to hear my Wolfie, the last of my FiveSibes to pass; I heard clear as day his “Momma” woo-cry. And Laurie agrees. “I often feel like he’s here in this house with me, even though I have since moved into another. But I know he’s with me. I still see him running around the backyard with not a care in the world. It was like watching a tennis match, back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”
Of his days with Canine Epilepsy, Laurie says, “All he knew was those seizures were scary for him. He knew beforehand when it was about to happen. Just thinking about him now puts a smile on my face. What brings a tear to my eyes at this point, however, is remembering how he used to look at me, with such love in his eyes. Almost as if he was saying, ‘Thank you, Mom, thank you for caring for me.’ I wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was always perfect in my eyes.”
💜
Note: These
are the personal stories of Epi-dogs as told by their families. As
always, discuss any medications, alternative treatments, new foods,
etc., with your veterinarian first before giving to your dog.
Other Stories in the Epi-Star Series:
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