Another Seizure

Eliot had another seizure tonight when our friend Jason rang the doorbell. Eliot lept off the chair and ran to the door to greet him and then fell to the floor. Jason shouted that Eliot was choking, but Steve and I knew that it was another seizure. Thankfully it only lasted about 4 minutes as opposed to his normal 6-7 minutes.

This is not the first time that Eliot has a seizure when someone comes to the door. My friend Lisa came over for a visit one night and she rang the doorbell and Eliot had one at her feet. She was so upset she started to cry. He had another seizure when she came over another time, and she didn't even right the doorbell that time! Our realtor came to the door a couple of weeks ago to put the lock box on our door, and she rang the doorbell because she needed the floor plans of the house - she started screeching at me to get upstairs that Eliot was choking... I ran upstairs and sure enough, it was another seizure. It was a bad one too - lasted about 7-8 minutes. I truly thought he'd never stop seizing, and that I'd have to pack the baby and the dog in the car, take him to the vet, and put him to sleep. That was the first time I've ever thought that Eliot was going to die from his epilepsy. He couldn't move his hind legs - he just lay on the ceramic tiles and panted and drooled and was all limp. Just awful.

Anyway, I called the vet clinic tonight after his seizure (as I always do) and told them the details and asked them to put it in his file (it's a giant file...) and to let the veterinarian know. It's funny - I just have to say my name and whoever the receptionist is, they know me and why I'm calling. Actually, it's not funny, it's sad. Anyway, while we were out for dinner tonight, the vet called back and told us that she was going to get quotes on the prices of two new medications for Eliot. She has to get quotes because she said these new drugs are much more expensive than his Potassium Bromide and Phenobarbital. Great. We have spent thousands of dollars on this hound, what's a little bit more, eh? We love him and want him to live a long and happy life.

If there's any advice I can offer when it comes to owning pets, GET PET INSURANCE. Any subsequent dogs we have will be insured, I guarantee that!

Eliot is sleeping on the floor by the window - the seizures really knock him out. But he's doing okay now. :) If I'm this upset and frightened over my dog having a medical condition, I am not sure what I'd do if it were my child with the illness!