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...

Flashback ~ A Decade Ago ~ Gibson   I think of all of my FiveSibes all the time. And my heart dog, Gibson, my inspiration, my hero dog, my partner in Canine Epilepsy awareness advocacy--I feel is always by my side. During the month of November for Epilepsy Awareness Month and March for Purple Day, even more so. Here I am, all these years later, still behind the keyboard, but this is what I imagine. In my mind's eye, I am reaching over with my foot and rubbing Gibbie's soft wooly fur, or reaching down and patting his velvety smooth head as I write. And that feeling, of pure contentment knowing he, and my other four laying nearby, were all safe and with me, is something I surely miss, but will always cherish. You may longer be by my side, but you are always and forever in my heart.     🧡 Memories Are Visits For The Heart 🧡   The Linky tool will open all week for you to join us in the Blog Hop and share pics from yesteryear or yesterday, include our badge and *lin...

    Epi-Star "Jackie"        and  Hu-Mom, Lorraine     by Dorothy Wills-Raftery      Lorraine Trapani and her Epi-dog “Jackie” are a pretty amazing pair. To begin this story, we are going back to when Lorraine was 16 years old, and she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy and “had generalized tonic-clonic seizures for years.” Fortunately, she adds, “I’ve been seizure free for about 20 years (knock on wood.)”   Lorraine, who works for IBM, had a very personal family situation start her on the path to Guiding Eyes for the Blind . In an IBM article she wrote titled, “Miracle on Four Feet,” Lorraine explains how after her husband, Michael, who was also an IBM employee “suffered a stroke during surgery which diagnosed pancreatic cancer. As a result of the stroke, Michael lost half of his vision in each eye, and I became his guide as we fought the cancer which would eventually take his life… the experi...