We are in Manning Park, BC, enjoying some downtime in a chalet at the resort here, our third annual stay. We are nothing if not creatures of habit!

This is a full family affair, with both adult sons and the older son’s girlfriend/partner. Rounding out the party are their 12-week-old puppy (a lab/husky mix) and our nearly 3-year-old Australian Shepherd. It’s a quiet vacation, except when the dogs are rough-housing on the floor and fighting for the same bully-stick… it doesn’t matter how many sticks are on the floor, the best one is the one the other dog is chewing on! Our dog is very socialized with other dogs as she goes to doggie daycare a couple of times per week. She is teaching her puppy “nephew” to play without hurting. And he is giving her some good exercise and stimulation. There are also lots of trails here and opportunities for good long walks — yesterday’s was three hours around the lake! (No, not me.)

For the humans, there is a good restaurant (although someone has to stay with the dogs) and lots of home-cooked meals, with everyone doing their part. We try to bring all our food in at the beginning of the week, as the nearest grocery store is around a 45-minute drive. There’s just a little general store at the resort with “essentials” like beer — milk is not always available lol but beer always is! (In fact, they ran out of milk last night, so my hubby has made the long drive to the grocery store.)

There’s also a nice indoor pool with hot tubs, sauna, steam room, and gym. I really enjoy the hot tub (even though it’s more like a warm tub) as it soothes my hip, especially if we’ve been walking much. My older son and his girlfriend have done some hiking in the mountains sans puppy (they’re on an 8-hour hike today) as well as other trail walks with him, but my big excursion was into the small town of Hope (that of the 45-minute drive) yesterday to browse the gift and craft shops. Hubby makes good use of the gym here, and my younger son goes on long walks with one or the other of the dogs and also comes with me to the pool. Most trips to Manning we’d expect to be able to swim in the lake with the dogs, but it’s been a little too cloudy and chilly this time around. We even had to put the heat on this morning!

Regardless, it’s nice to have the relaxation time away from work and home responsibilities. The month or so leading up to this vacation has also been very stressful. In a good way for my older son and his girlfriend, who bought a condo, moved in, and bought a puppy, all within a few weeks. But not in a good way for our dog and us.

The Canine Epilepsy “Adventure”

On July 17 around 1 a.m. (technically the next day), when I was just finishing up laundry and going to bed, our dog had a grand mal seizure. I could hear a noise from the other room and came in to find her foaming at the mouth and wild-eyed, with legs paddling like crazy — a very scary sight! I tried to comfort her and let her know I was there, while my younger son and hubby came down to assess the situation. As it has been a really hot day and her water bowl was empty, we thought maybe it was a one-off event brought on by overheating.

Unfortunately, the next day while my hubby and son were with her, she had another seizure. This time, she was very disoriented afterwards and barking at my hubby, not seeming to know who he was. After a visit to the pet emergency hospital, we had a one-week prescription for Keppra (Levetiracetam) to try to stop the seizure cluster. We also have a rescue medication, Diazepam, in case a seizure isn’t stopping. (This one would not be easy to administer, as it comes in a little glass vial that you have to break using gauze, pull into a plastic syringe, and then administer rectally. It has to be done quickly with three separate vials, to get to a level to stop the seizure and hopefully prevent damage.)

With her on the one week of Keppra, all was good, leading us to think it was just a one-off cluster after all. However, within 12 hours of finishing the meds, she seized again. My hubby tried to comfort her as it was finishing, but he could only reach her head as she was in her crate (her safe space). In her disorientation, she bit him, teeth gashing open his hand in two places! (Lesson learned? Never go near the head of a dog having a seizure!) So in addition to trying to get more meds for her, we had to drive to the hospital for my husband’s hand! Did you know that stitches are not recommended for dog bites, due to the naturally present bacteria in their saliva? The treatment is to bathe it in salt water regularly and rebandage it— unless, as the jokester doctor said, I was mad at my husband and wanted him to lose his hand! We went for the regular salt water bathing, instead, lol. And pleased to report that his naughty-finger has healed well.

So, it seems we have an epileptic dog, which apparently is not uncommon in Australian Shepherds (although the mother’s human family had assured us that there was no known epilepsy in her doggie family). Anyway, with the renewed prescription, all was good… until it wasn’t.

The night before we were scheduled to leave on our trip, she had another seizure at midnight. Then again at 8:15 a.m. And again around 1 p.m. So now the vet has added Phenobarbital to the other drug, and we are on a 12-hour schedule for one and an 8-hour schedule for the other. But we were in a real dilemma as to whether to travel to our vacation location where the nearest animal emergency hospital (in case a seizure really won’t stop) is more than an hour away or to have one of us stay home with the dog. The vet seemed ok with us going, though, so we bit the bullet and went, despite heightened anxiety. So far the combo seems to be working, and I think the extra exercise here and deep sleep is doing her good. We are only a month into having an epileptic dog, so it is very stressful and my anxiety is on high alert. It may take a while to find the right mix of meds and know what to expect.

Regardless, we are having a good time, celebrating my hubby’s birthday on Monday and then my younger son’s today, coincidentally the birthday of a celebRAty you may have heard of. (Glad to hear that the auctions went well!)