Sunday, June 07, 2009

A Seizure???

Well, which would have been a nice weekend, turned out not so great. Biko had a seizure last night! It was shortly before midnight, right as I was drifting off, when it happened. If you need to get to the light switch fast, you sure won't find it. At first I didn't know what was going on. She wanted to get up but stumbled around, until I held her, and stroked her. She was unfocused and tense. Has anybody experience with seizures? Where did that come from???
After the seizure was over, she relaxed, drank some water, got up, shook and stretched. Then she was annoyed by all the fuss we were making, and wanted to go back to bed. It was scary!!!
I'm going to call the Vet first thing in the morning, so I can understand what's going on. I hope he can enlighten me.

Today we had a lovely walk, and she had great appetite, in fact she was not satisfied with what she got, and stood at her bowl, until I gave her some more. She's not food oriented, so she really only eats when she's hungry.

***

I know it looks really trivial, but I'm still going to show you my potholders. There's more in cheque to be shown, so I have to get on with it. Since she's snoozing right under my desk by my feet, seemingly O.K. now, I can focus on something else.

As I said before I was inspired ne driven to do some potholder crocheting by some lovely examples like here or here or here just to name a few.

4 finished potholders-7

At least a couple of years ago, there was a craft shop closing it's doors in a mall, when I happened upon it on their very last day of business. I bought a lot of different things, like this cotton yarn I've used for my potholders. Of course I could not choose my colores, just get what was there. Still, I was happy to find these in my stash. Very useful for this purpose.

4 finished potholders-4

I crochet the fronts first, there are still some shapes I would have liked to try out too, but I was afraid I would run out of yarn, since I wanted to do it doubled with backsides. To make this a set I planned on crocheting them all together with red yarn. I like the contrast of the red on dark blue.

potholders

1. potholder: Circle of Friends : this is a lovely motif, either in one color or several
2. potholder: Old Fashioned potholder : I did it wrong, but stuck to my mistake and I still liked the result

3. potholder: motif # 125 from the book "Beyond The Square, Crochet Motifs" by Edie Eckman: this was a head scratcher, because you get 5 rounds written as well in a chart, and it says "if you made these rounds you'll understand how to make it larger". Each of these 5 rounds was different, there was no pattern for me to see, but I winged it for a few rounds.

4. potholder: just a simple round crochet, no pattern


My favorites are the "Circle of Friends" and the round potholder. There are so many more out there, but that's O.K. for now. I've already moved on to my next crochet project (a bag). Yes, that's right, I'm totally crochet crazy right now.

June 6-working on my crochet bag

Before it was time to pick up my husband from the airport, I had a lovely time on the balcony. I multitasked too. Some crochet, drying my hair, supervising my son mowing the lawn, having tea and apricot cake, which I made in the morning. And also make sure to give Biko a way out, since she always wants to flee when there's a lawn mower in action.

***

34 comments:

Ann said...

Love the pot holders. You are inspiring me to learn crochet just to make those pot holders.

Sharon V said...

I'm sorry to hear about Biko's seizure. My friend had a maltese mix who had seizures. All they were able to do was put him on meds and told her to watch for signs, and keep him someplace safe (as in not on a bed).

She was supposed to keep track of how often he had them and what he was like right after.

I hope she's going to be OK.

Otherwise, your potholders are lovely.

Anonymous said...

Oh no, poor Biko! (And poor you!) I hope the vet can give you some insight as to what might have happened.

Kris B said...

I have had some experience with dogs and seizures. My dog I had before Rohan would have them. His was caused by a tumor that was close to his brain. He was an old dog when he started having the seizures. At first he only had them every once in a while but as time went on they got worse.

Rohan our dog we have now has had one seizure. His blood work didn’t show anything but it was determined his seizure was from poison. He likes to play with the frogs in our area and the vet said they can be poisonous to dogs. I was also told some fertilizers can cause them and feeding dogs certain people food can trigger them to. I have kept Rohan away from the frogs and we haven’t had any more problems. My experience is limited to these two dogs. A vet would obviously have more information for you.

I’m so sorry that Biko had the seizure. I know how terrifying it can be to see your pet/friend go through one. It sounds like Biko's was mild. When they are worse they will foam at the mouth and snap. Whatever you do don’t put your hands close to their mouth. They don’t know what they are doing.

I would just sit with them and wait till it was over. Sorry for posting such a long comment.
Your potholders look awesome!

Michelle said...

I have a GSD mix rescue dog who has regular seizures. It's not uncommon for ideopathic (which means "they don't know why") seizures to show up in dogs aged 1.5 up through about 7 years. We treat Baxter with two medicines, Phenobarbitol and Potassium Bromide. His case is worse than normal.

Usually if your dog has one or fewer seizures monthly medication is not recommended as treatment. Biko is not aware or conscious during the seizure and although it's terrifying as a dog owner it won't hurt her.

If you have any more questions about anything please feel free to email me.

CelticCastOn said...

Did you call the on call vet??? I would with something like a seizure... wonder if its related to Sam at all...
Let us know how it goes

Marissa said...

Seizures a strange, indeed. The potholders are lovely- they remind me of polish pottery for some reason.

Walden said...

Nice looking pot holders. I hope Biko is okay.

Kim said...

Oh my, I hope the vet can shed some light on Biko's episode and give some reassurance.

Your pot holders look great!

Susan said...

Unfortunately I have experience with seizures in dogs. The most important thing you can do is time the seizure. There can be all kinds of causes of seizures but the most common is epilepsy which is treatable. As long as the seizures are infrequent, treatment isn't usually necessary.

The big danger with seizures is that they cause the dog's internal body temperature to rise. Overheating can cause death. That's why it's important to time the seizures. Your vet can give you medication (Valium) to administer rectally if the seizure lasts more than five minutes. It will stop the seizure and help prevent any more at that time. Make sure the dog has access to fresh water after a seizure to allow the body temperature to cool off.

Anonymous said...

My son's older Golden has seizures and seams to recover from them each time & is doing okay. I've never seen her have one, but I visited the same day & you would have never known anything had happened. Seeing the vet for evaluation & advise is important, but I think that it might not be life threatening. I know you recently lost your Sam and I'm sure you're worried sick. Sending you hugs.
- Denise (dlotter on ravelry)

leandra said...

Hallo Monika!

Ist "seizure" ein epileptischer Anfall? Ich musste an den Hund meiner Schwiegereltern denken, der war Epileptiker und hatte nach jedem Anfall enormen Hunger...

Ich hoffe aber nicht, vielleicht wars ja doch eine einmalige Sache. Halte euch die Daumen!

Alles Liebe
Martina

Cloudberry said...

Oh, I hope Biko is feeling ok and that there is nothing wrong with her.
Your potholders looks great :)

hannah said...

Poor Biko, that must have been scary! I used to have a dog with my ex-husband who had seizures every once and a while. We did know why because he was kicked on his head by one of our horses one day. That was really scary because my ex thought the dog would die right there. But after the seizure he came back at it senses. Since then he every once and a while had a seizure and although we were worried he always got through it after only a short while. He lived on for years after that as a happy dog and died when he was over 13 years old which is a nice age for a Bouvier!

Of course you should consult the vet but maybe it isn't a large problem. I keep my fingers crossed...

I love your potholders and also the bag looks lovely already.

wolltrunken said...

Liebe Monika!

Schon komisch, dass das gerade jetzt, so kurz nach Sams Tod, mit Biko passiert. Ich hätte ihr auf jeden Fall erst einmal Rescue-Tropfen oder -Drops (Bach-Blüten) gegeben, gibt's das bei Euch?

Macht Spaß, die Häkelei mit dem Farbverlaufgarn, nicht?

Liebe Grüße

von Birgit

Renata S. P. said...

Hi Monika!
Lovely potholders!
I hope your Vet have an explanation about Biko's seizure. And I hope that won't happen again!

momsue84 said...

OMG, good thoughts, prayers and hugs to you and Biko. Our border collie mix, Monty, had a seizure once. Scared us to death. The vest had no explanation, and he never had another one. Please keep us posted. Love the potholders.

GoldenTracks said...

Monika,
The pot holders are very pretty!
I don't have much to offer on dogs with seizures except to say that I do know they can be controlled fairly easily with meds. Having delt with seizures on the human side, we used to run a barrage of tests, many times only to find no answers. They can occur once and never raise their ugly heads again or they can become recurrent. Either way....better living thru chemistry. Wish I could offer more.
Hope Biko does well.

Preita said...

OMG how scary! My best wishes to Biko and you! I hope it's nothing serious!

Great pot holders. God I need to really learn how to crochet!

Anonymous said...

Hi Monika, your potholders are lovely. The colors work well, and the patterns really pop. I'm so sorry Biko had a seizure, you must have been terrified. I had a little terrier who had cancer which spread to her lungs and then she started having seizures and the vet said it went to her brain. We had to have her put down, there was nothing else they could do. This is a worse case scenario and I'm sure Biko will be okay. Let us know what the vet says. Shirley, in PA

shannon said...

josie is epileptic. her first seizure was so early in the morning i wasn't 100% sure what i'd seen, but after we rushed her to the emergency vet (where she did NOT have another) she exhibited some post-ictal behaviours...drooling and they were sure she had one. at that point we did not put her on phenobarbital, rather we ended up waiting several years. dogs, like humans, can have a single unexplainable seizure.

she's only had one since being on the meds for a few years now and it was over so fast i missed it as i was getting out of bed to comfort her.

i would just watch her, watch for changes in her, and only put her on meds if she has one that lasts much longer than the first. josie's final one before meds was the longest we'd ever seen, about a minute. the ones leading up to it were only about 12-40 seconds.

hang in there, monika. it may just be the single one. i will keep fingers crossed here!!!

xo

sgeddes said...

I'm sad to hear about Biko. Hopefully your Vet will have some insight to the problem. Keep us updated on her status.

I really like the potholders and I think the colors work well together. Good Choices.

Marianne said...

Our Mochajoe had seizures, scary indeed. We found this site which has a LOT of information, very helpful information. It also explains that a dog having a seizure is quite like running a marathon and they need calories once they've recovered. (which explains why she wanted more food) We also took little preventative measures every night before bedtime, that info is all on the website.
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm
My very best to Biko, I'm hoping it was a one time episode.
Glad to hear your husband is back!
I love your potholders, cheerful colours. I like the 1st and last one the best too.

Dixie dyb@cinergymetro.net said...

My wonderful lab mix Noah also has regular seizures. Idiopathic epilepsy. They started when he was 5 years old. He has them in clusters; he will go for a while without having any and then has anywhere from two to four that day. He is on phenobarbital and potassium bromide regularly with liquid Valium to give him anally after he has more than one seizure.
It's very scary for the owner. I don't think they know what is happening. Noah always wakes up and looks at me like "what just happened?"
It's possible that that will be the only seizure that Biko has. However, if you start experiencing regular seizures rest assured that there is knowledge and help out there. There is a wonderful book "Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Living With and Without Seizures" by Caroline Levin. Also there is a very knowledgeable and helpful email list called EPIL-K9 which you can join from their website--- http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ - which also has TONS of information and resources.
I'll be sending positive energy to you and Biko!

Anonymous said...

the potholders look so fun to work on! Nimitz had a seizure soon after we got him and what happened is pretty much what you described. He seemed to have no clue that anything happened and the vet said that unless it happened again there wasn't really anything worth doing about it. It hasn't happened again so we've never done anything other than have a little note in his file about when it happened. Hopefully Bikos episode was also just an anomaly!

Alexandra said...

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that! I hope she'll be OK! My cat had a seizure about a year ago, I took her to the vet, he said sometimes animals just have them. She's been fine since, never had any problems, it was just that one time.

The potholders are really pretty! I love the colors combinations!

Angelika said...

Wow, a seizure. How scary. I wouldn't know what to do. I hope she is fine now.
Your potholders are too cute. I need some quick projects like this, but nooo, I had to start on a whole lap blanket.

Frieda said...

OMG I hope that it's nothing serious and that the vet can shed some light on what could have caused the seizure . I imagine that it must be difficult to diagnose . Good luck , keeping fingers crossed that Biko will be fine.

Love the potholders , colours are bright & cheery !

Carrie K said...

Oh no! I hope Biko is okay, what did the vet say? A friend's cat has seizures but the vet says he is fine otherwise and just prescribed him something. Must have been scary for you!

Those potholders are really cute.

Beverly said...

I hope everything turns out okay at the vet.

Your potholders are beautiful. You picked out some great colors from the leftovers.

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

Oh, I'm just back home and so sorry to hear about Biko. Steve said that she needs a catscan to make sure there isn't anything going on in her brain. But, your vet will know what's best. Oh, I do hope it's nothing and just a fluke.

I love potholders ~ so practical and fun to make. I have an idea on one I'm going to try and make.

My gosh, at least you have your knitting and spinning to keep you sane with all you have been through. Hope it's nothing.

Anonymous said...

My first white shepherd (Blitz) had grand mall seizures as a puppy. Put on meds, controlled for about one year. It was so very scary to watch. I am such a softy with the animals it about killed me! One night Blitz had one seizure after another,the vet was kind enough to come to my house and give him Valium - but he had gotten too over heated. The hardest thing I have ever been through with my dogs. The other dog (mut) had small seizures - that were food related. Table scraps. Once we stopped feeding table scraps she was fine!

Many things can cause seizures, some you may never get an answer to! Biko just lost Sam, might be grieving! Probably a one time thing! Hope the vet has answers for you. Best of luck. Kim D.

Robin said...

My older son's dog, Bailey (a border collie and setter or lab mix), had seizures recently. Brian was sitting across from Bailey and all of a sudden she had a seizure - couldn't walk, etc. He got her in the car and took her to the emergency vet (regular one wasn't open on the weekend). She had several more en route to the vet. They kept her overnight and did all kinds of tests. Told Brian the next day that they couldn't find any reason for the seizures and that she might not ever have them again. They then took her to their regular vet and he essentially told them the same thing. Since then, she's been fine - no seizures. Weird and scary! Hope Biko is OK.

hakucho said...

Love your potholders!!! very pretty :)