Epi-Star "Cheyenne"    Cheyenne with Hu-Dad, Mark       by Dorothy Wills-Raftery  Cheyenne was a beautiful eight-week-old Belgian Sheepdog when she became a member of Terry Kelley and Mark Pilant’s family in September 2009. “Months before, we had lost our first Belgian, Player, to cancer and wanted to honor his life by getting another Belgian,” explains Terry. “For the first five weeks with us, all was well. Cheyenne was a sweet puppy, played with our other dogs and was respectful of our cats. Then, at 13.5 weeks of age, she had her first focal seizure. We were out in our front yard, and I saw her suddenly become very unsteady and start to wobble. It was over in 10 seconds. Part of me dismissed it as just being a clumsy puppy, but part of me knew it was something more.” Four days later, Terry explains how she and her husband were in their front yard with Cheyenne videotaping her puppy antics, “when she suddenly froze, became disoriented, and started to sh...

  Epi-Star "Manilow" B. Magic   and Hu-Mom, Barbara   by Dorothy Wills-Raftery    In my continuing month-long Epi-Star series, based on the concept of my book EPIc Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy , I am highlighting some amazing dogs who have/are living and loving life with Canine Epilepsy, a few who starred in my book. Today, we are looking at the life of Barbara Drury’s beloved yellow Labrador Retriever she named Manilow (after her favorite singer, Barry Manilow). Manilow, Barbara told me when I was I was writing my book and interviewing her, that right from the beginning he was her “best friend.” He came into her life as a 12-week-old puppy shortly before Thanksgiving in 1996.   To purchase the book, and if you live in the Devens, MA, visit Manilow's Canine Playground as Barbara has some copies for sale that she purchased from me. Or, you can go to our   ArcticHouse Books...

Your dog just had a seizure. Or, maybe this is not the first one. The first thing always is to contact your veterinarian. If it is a first-time seizure, your vet may say "wait-and-see" if there is another.  This is a fairly common practice. Typically, a vet will need to run some tests, including bloodwork, and these are important in helping to diagnose and treat your Epi-dog.   Once you've contacted your vet, take some time to think about what your dog was doing or eating prior to the seizure. Was s/he outside? Inside? Did s/he go by any plants or in the garage? Was hot or cold out? Any construction going on? Was your dog sick lately or acting differently? Any new scents around, like a new room freshener or candle burning? What was s/he eating prior? All of these things are important to note so you can inform your veterinarian. The list of possible triggers or causes is staggering. And not all seizures are Canine Epilepsy.   The most important thing to do if your dog has...