Monday, June 29, 2015

A Story About Emma

Everyone who has read my blog for any amount of time knows how much we love our furbabies, Emma and Fishy. However, what some of you may not know is that our sweet Emma has epilepsy.


This is a common health problem that most Dachshunds are predisposed to and let me tell you it is one of the scariest things you could every experience. Emma's dad, Scoop, had them once he hit about 3 or 4 years old and it was terrifying for me because I had no idea what to do, the only upside is that they have no idea what is going on.

Once Emma hit the same age she started having them as well. I remember the first seizure she had, we were sitting on the couch but she stood up and instantly fell over with her paws curled under and shaking. I scooped her up and held her like a baby, talked to her, and hoped it wouldn't last long. It lasted for maybe a minute, I took her to the vet and was instantly told they couldn't do anything for her. Seeing this little 10 pound dog having no control over anything was heartbreaking.

After I moved to NC with Kyle, her seizures became more frequent and lasted longer. I had told Kyle about the seizures but he didn't realize the severity until I found him on the bathroom floor holding her one night sobbing because he didn't know how to help her.

We finally found a vet that would put her on medication to regulate the enzymes in her liver. She has been on that medication for 6 years and while it hasn't eliminated the seizures (she had one last night), it stops them from happening as frequently. She has blood draws to check her liver every 6 months and it is something that we take very seriously. She will be on medication for the rest of her life but her health and welfare is the most important thing. 

It's so important to take care of your pets and help them live long and happy lives. I have seen too many people lately letting their pets go months and years without vaccinations and proper care, it makes me angry!

So I guess what I am trying to say is take care of your pets, they deserve it!


34 comments:

  1. Oh gosh! I want to send Emma a big hug from MaddiethePug! We worship our pets, too, I like to think Maddie is so important to my husband because he had her for so long and she's been through so much with him. I bet your husband feels the same about Emma! And you of course haha. But anyway, I'm so glad you shared this with your readers!
    Dog people are awesome. :)

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    1. Thanks friend! Emma is Kyle's baby and it would crush him (and me) if anything happened to her.

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  2. Oh no, had no idea that dachshunds had epilepsy... :( I'm glad her meds help her out... And yes, agreed, pets should be loved and doted on just like us :) Love animals!!

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  3. Thank you for sharing such an important cause. I too, believe that pets are part of our families and if we choose to have them we need to care for them! Sending love Emma's way! xo

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  4. I couldn't agree more with your last statement. I just had Jett to the vet this weekend for something and if you are not prepared to spend your time, effort, and money on your pets, you definitely shouldn't have pets. I'm glad they've been able to help Emma as much as possible!

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  5. SO scary Jen! I had no clue either that the breed was more prone to them. Learn something new everyday and I'm glad you found a vet who made her a much better pup with meds!

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  6. Poor puppy! Hope she is feeling better!! There is nothing worse than watching them go through something and not being able to help them!

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  7. Epilepsy hits close to home for me. I have a cousin who has it and she has seized so many times that she no longer is allowed to drive. She's expecting twin boys in July (!!) and my whole family is so happy she was able to conceive while having epilepsy. And it's just as scary for your fur baby too, I'm sure. I'm so glad Emma has such loving parents.

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  8. So sad! I'm so glad that Emma has such sweet parents like you and Kyle. She is one lucky pup!

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  9. :( Poor baby! So glad she has you- all dogs deserve good care and loving homes!

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  10. Awww pool girl, but that's great that they have medication to lessen the number of seizures. I had no idea about that predisposition with Dachshunds!

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  11. Poor little girl! The part about her and Kyle is heartbreaking! My sister's dog has the same problem. I don't even like him, but it makes me sad to think about him going through that.

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  12. Oh this makes me sad, I didn't know dogs could even have that! Poor thing.

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  13. Poor Emma!!But she is lucky to have you guys who take such good care of her. I miss having a dog so bad, and the kids keep begging me for one, but with everything going on I don't want a puppy to get any less love and attention than all these crazy kids!

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  14. She is so lucky to have you two as owners!!! You take great care of her!

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  15. What a sweet baby! She is so lucky to have you guys in her life, taking such great care of her! Hugs!

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  16. Aww, poor Emma! Y'all are such great pet parents.

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  17. I would freak out if my cats had a seizure! Emma is so lucky to have parents who care about her. I know lesser people who would have just gotten rid of her. :(

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  18. Poor Emma! My childhood dog had epilepsy and it was so scary to watch and go through. You two are such wonderful parents to your pets!

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  19. I 100% agree with you that people need to take care of their pets. Pets are an important part of the family. I am glad that Emma doesn't get siezures as often. That is so scary! estherdavison@gmail.com

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    1. Yes! It's so important, I wish more people took it seriously.

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  20. Aww I'm sorry to hear she has seizures. I love that you and Kyle are such good doggie parents though!!

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  21. Aww, poor baby. I honestly hadn't heard of dogs having this before, but I would be so scared to see one of my dogs having a seizure, especially not knowing what it is. You are so good to your animals; they are lucky to have you.

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  22. I had a shepard/chow mix that had seizures. It is so scary to watch them. Emma is lucky to have you two taking care of her!

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  23. I agree Jen! We would love to have a second dog but the possible medical expenses prevent us. I would want to make sure we could provide any medicine or procedure for any animal we have. Our alternative is fostering. We've really enjoyed the company and benefits.

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  24. Aw, I'm sorry. But I agree with you: if you have pets, you need to take proper care of them!

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  25. You know our situation with Duke and we went back and forth debating putting him on medicine or not. For us the seizures have stopped but it is never an easy decision when you aren't sure what is right. We did however make vet appointments and work with them. I know so many people who don't and it kills. I'm glad that Emma is doing well on the medicine. She is adorable!

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    1. We debated for a while about putting her on medication because knew that if her enzyme levels went up it meant the medicine wasn't working but thank goodness for those blood draws every 6 months.

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  26. Aww I'm so sorry!! That's how we felt about poor Weiser when nothing would help him. I don't know how people can just sit by while their pet is sick and not do everything they can :( I'm glad you have her on a decent medicine. I have a friend that is going through the same thing with her dog and her vet just finally prescribed medicine. Hopefully it works for her too.

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  27. Poor Emma! I had no idea! The seizures sound really scary. She's lucky that her people take such good care of her. :) I agree that people should take care of their pets. I don't understand why some people get dogs (or cats or whatever) if they don't do what's best for them.

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Love hearing from you!! :)