Yesterday after we got up I noticed Kody's coat was looking odd. Fur in places was sticking out in the wrong direction. Something was bothering him because he was scratching and biting himself a fair amount. I checked his belly and his skin looked OK. I can't really see through his short fur on his back which is where the hair was weird. This started a long day of me thinking of possible allergies.
Then at about 6:00pm I saw that his nose was swollen, which is what happened when he got bit by a spider last time. I called the vet and made an appointment for the next day. They said if he seemed to be having trouble breathing to take him to the emergency vet. His nose wasn't as bad as last time, so I wasn't too worried.
Of course, he completely got over it while we slept, but I went to the vet anyway because I just wanted to ask her questions. She said it probably was some sort of a bug bite. Probably a different bug because the symptoms were not exactly the same as last time. I told her I had been letting him him sniff around in the old leaves in the forest in the same spot where he had been bit the first time. I had thought, "What's the chance of that happening again?" Apparently quite high.
I don’t know if it was pure coincidence or related somehow, but back in August, my Lily, a longhaired black and tan, got bitten by something and her nose became 3x it’s normal size. I was told to give her baby benadryl that evening until we could see the vet in the morning.
In the morning, the swelling had “drifted” back towards her neck and ears – I, of course, was beside myself. Finally, we got to the vet’s office and while we were waiting, she began to open and close her jaw as well as froth at the mouth. I started to cry and yelled for a tech and Lily and I were rushed in to see the doc. He took her out of my arms and began the exam, eventually telling me that it was an allergic reaction and Lily suffered an injection and a couple days of pills hidden in cheese.
Since then, Lily, who is 4 years old, has had two seizures. One when we returned to the doc’s office the next month; one when I took her to get groomed the month after that. She has not had any since but I haven’t taken her anywhere as I’m terrified that she’ll have another seizure. It’s so heartbreaking to see my little girl like that – even though I understand the illness as I work with people who have seizures. In fact, Lily starts a seizure by opening and closing her mouth – just like she did the day at the vet’s.
I’ve been wondering – is the swelling and the subsequent occurence of seizures related in any way? No one seems to know – but in my mind, there is a connection.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your story. Sounds like your dog got bit by something pretty severe. My vet talked about how we have black widows and other more poisonous spiders in our area, so we have to be careful. I think as humans we don’t stick our noses in piles of old leaves, so we probably think it’s safer than it is.
I don’t know whether the seizures are related, but I do understand what happens when your dog is hurt and you feel helpless. You start connecting everything hoping to come up with an answer as to what happened, but we can never really know. It’s sometimes too bad dogs can’t tell us, and they don’t even let out a peep when they get bit most of the time. It keeps us guessing.
Also, you really hit on what dog owners who really love their dogs go through. It’s hard, we get so emotionally connected. When these things happen, it takes a very heavy toll on us.
I struggle with this, I really do. We have to accept that we don’t have as much control as we would like. It’s odd, we are totally responsible for our dogs. We can control what they eat, where they go, even how they behave. But there’s still so much we don’t control, and we have to learn to live with that. My dog just I think swallowed a piece of a chicken bone that was on the sidewalk today. I freaked out. And all I was left with was that I would have to wait and see what would happen, that’s all I’ve got. It sucks.
Having said that, I think you should start taking your dog places again. You’ll learn how to deal with seizures if they occur, and maybe you’ll start learning the triggers. Unfortunately dachshunds having seizures is somewhat common. This is your training. Take it slow, small steps.
Good luck, I know how you feel. And thanks again for commenting!
Thanks Matt – what you said makes a lot of sense – I should get her out and just see what happens. Seizures are scary things – especially to others who don’t know what’s going on. I truly didn’t know seizures were common in this breed – after all of the research I did before finding her.
I hope Kody is feeling okay – I’m sure he’ll be fine and hiding under blankets without missing a beat!!