Another Fit

Hello

Bruce's Mummy here again

Bruce is not himself today so I am writing this for him. He had another fit in the early hours of this morning. He was an irritable boy yesterday - we met Emily and Troy, and Bruce started off ok but then he really bullied young Troy and even muttered at me when I took him away from him. He was not right all day - he didn't want his morning cuddle to end, which was lovely, but concerning, he was picky about his snacks, he was good about giving his Frisbee back to me when he usually plays silly beggars and tries to make me chase him, he was extra sleepy...he just wasn't Bruce.

In the early hours of this morning, he tried to climb on top of me and then keeled over and hit the ground with a bang and started fitting. It was only a brief fit, thank God, but still too soon after the last one for our liking.

I have a feeling that the phenobarbitone levels have dropped in his bloodstream. When Bruce was a puppy, he was a very fussy eater, but phenobarb has a side effect of making dogs extra hungry and thirsty and Bruce has been a greedy so and so since he went on them. Lately, he is eating less and begging less. He also seems less sedated - he is more lively and more naughty, which again is lovely (apart from he also hints at being aggressive and needs reminding how to behave rather more than he did before) but isn't, I accept, necessarily a good sign in terms of his sedation level...and sadly, he needs the sedation to control his fits.

My other worry is that part of his pre-fit 'aura' does seem to be this bullying, borderline aggressive streak - it's nothing major, no teeth-baring or snarling or anything, my last two dogs could be much meaner if they were minded to (Beauty with anyone who tried to take her bone and The Old Fella particularly with my brother, who still enjoys telling the tale of the day Benj killed a bunny and he tried to take it from him. However, this behaviour is just not Bruce - he has always been a bit of a playground bully, but that's more a socialisation thing - unfortunately there wasn't a bigger, older dog around to put him in his place at the stage in his adolescence when he needed it! But any aggression in a dog this size needs to be controlled, I know - yet how do you train it out of a dog who's only doing it because - and crucially when - he is sick?

Anyway, I just thought that I would let you know that Bruce is ok - he has been pacing a lot but has settled down now, he has seen Emily and Troy several times in the last few days and has had requests from both of his girlfriend's owners for a walk sometime soon, he saw Juno and was polite to her so all is reasonably well.

Of course, he might just be reacting to Auntie and I being stressed while we await the results of all the tests being done on The Mother. Whatever the result, it won't be good news because she hates her life now she is old and in a Home, but obviously we don't relish the thought of her dying or particularly want her to die - and we don't exactly look forward to having to visit her on her deathbed. So we are stressed ladies, and this is probably affecting our Brucie...

I hope that Bruce will feel well enough to write for you all soon. We will call Mike the Vet tomorrow and tell him about the fit and see if he wants to see Bruce - the six monthly blood test that checks his blood drug levels is due in November anyway so he may bring that forward, or he may say to wait until then and hope that Bruce settles down. Either way, we will keep you posted.

Bruce sends regards

Bruce's Mummy

p.s. I can hear him barking at a cat - obviously he's feeling better :)