In my 1st post about Sam I left off where I had agreed to try a holistic approach to treating him for seizures. Sam saw Dr Adams about every 6 weeks for awhile & had acupuncture done, which was new to me. The first visit we were waiting in the reception area & there was a couple young ladies with a Aussie mix or similar herding breed (I forget which breed) sitting there & the dog was quite & seemed relaxed. Sticking out of the top of his head was a needle. I said “acupuncture?” & they said yes & proceeded to explain that they were his 4 or 5th home & if they returned him he would be euthanized. Being an animal lover & in rescue, plus starting my dog on acupuncture treatments that day, I had to know more. They said he was so hyper & destructive that he had been adopted & returned so many times. They heard about acupuncture & decided to try it, well I said he seems so relaxed & they said not before treatment started. The top of their head is a calming spot & that one was going to stay in a little longer. I think the Dr was late for my appointment & they were in the reception area so the room could be cleaned for us. I was impressed & even talked to Dr Adams about the dog, & she was happy with how quickly he was responding to treatment. I am happy to report Sam did quite well with his treatment which was about every 6-8 weeks & herbs daily for many years & no it was not cheap, but worth it, he was my pup & my responsibility & I would do without things if needed to do this for him. We figured out that Sam was chemical sensitive & the spring- summer were the worst seasons for him due to people using chemicals on their lawns, in air etc…. I had a neighbor who had a lawn service come & I had to ask for the schedule so I made sure Sam was out before they came & for as little as possible till it rained. Only quick potty breaks, & back inside. We played fetch in the basement or down the hallway or he played with foster dogs inside. We could go for longer stretches without acupuncture in the fall & winter. Sam went seizure free for 3 years with acupuncture & herbs & no anti-seizure medication. I did a lot of research on seizures & potential triggers & eliminated as much as possible around our home. No scented candles, no flashing lights, no chemical cleaners (mostly only vinegar & water & essential oils) , avoided chemicals any place we could. I washed his paws after walks & did anything I could. His Vet recommended only using Interceptor Plus May-Dec & only every 6 weeks & NO vaccinations at all. Sam was exempt from rabies with the State where we live with a letter from my Vet. I only used Frontline Plus if we were going camping or hiking in woods & always a week before trip so I could monitor him. Seizures are so hard to watch & I wouldn’t ever want to go through this again. Sadly in 2020 my youngest brother died from a seizure. Medicines were controlling them like hoped & the root cause was unknown.
Sam was doing so well I got him into agility training that was taught at my dog obedience trainer’s home the next town over from me. Sam enjoyed it & we probably would have started to compete if the places where mixed breeds could compete wasn’t usually out of state. Weekend travel, hotel, eating out, entry fees ect wasn’t in my budget & didn’t care to do it alone. Sports are a great way for a dog to build confidence.
Sam was my 5th foster & Ace was my 50th when I adopted him. I thought my dogs were going to bond & be great friends, but that didn’t really happen. I think Ace fought the idea more, very independent, they didn’t really fight much, but didn’t play or sleep near each other. It is why I was so careful with choosing a friend for my current dog Hunter. I said I wouldn’t want to live with someone I didn’t really like. A short time after I adopted Ace I took my dogs with me camping at a new place. My sister, her husband & new baby were there as well. We shared a campsite & our brother was coming the next day. My two dogs were in my tent with me & some time during the night something woke me, it was so dark out, guessing around 2:00 AM, I couldn’t see anything. I’m felt around for Sam & then Ace & felt nothing, as my eyes started to adjust to the dark I saw light where the zipper was. I realized that it broke & my dogs were gone. When or where they were, I had no idea. I was trying not to panic, find me shoes & call for them, but not so loud to disturb all the other campers. I was sticking my head out the broken zipper & after a minute or two I heard what sounded like dog tags. I was so happy when it was Sam coming towards me & then I heard another set of tags & it was Ace as well. They stayed together, dogs are pack animals, so guessing that was why.
Sam loved playing fetch & he liked to swim so eventually I found out about the sport of dock diving & it was for all breeds mixed & purebreds. I can’t recall how I found out about it, but Sam completed in it & seemed to love it & I enjoyed the friends we made. Sam got his novice title & one leg into his Jr title. A lady in our group had a pond with a dock at her home & we would go practice there. If a dog wouldn’t retrieve a toy Sam was about to go crazy till I let him swim out & get it. He would carry 2-3 at times but he didn’t have a big mouth. I was concerned a few times that he was taking in too much water & trying to call him back to the shore. The Dock Diving organization was adding more aspects to the sport & honestly I can’t recall the name of the one Sam was training for. One of the guys had a salt water official measured pool at his home & we would go practice & he introduced Sam to an aspect where you used a special duck decoy & Sam was a natural & he really enjoyed it. I later drove about an hour & half to a Cabela’s Sport store & bought one. Sadly Sam never got to use it. He had an extremely bad seizure episode after that, one of the few that I ever had to use rectal Valium to control. My Vet knew I lived alone with him & new I needed to be able to get medicine in him while I found & waited for help. Seizures heat up the body & brain & can kill if their temperature gets too high. I couldn’t lift Sam when he was having seizures (dead weight) & he couldn’t be alone in the backseat while I took him to his Vet or an ER Vet. Sam never was 100% the Sam after that, not to compete, but still enjoyed camping, hiking, fetch & playing with toys.
I will continue more in the next post & may even complete his story, of course all the years are condensed, but they were a learning time for me & what started my whole holistic/natural/Integrative search for the care of my pets & myself in a lot of ways.
I hope you are enjoying my blog & if you have ideas of things you’d like me to write about feel free to add it in comments or email me directly. I write this blog to help pet owners learn ways to help their beloved pets to Thrive & not just survive. I like to learn & I hope I continue to learn for all the days of my life. If your enjoying my blog please share it on your social media, hit the like tab at the bottom of posts, subscribe to my blog (hi & thanks to all my subscribers), visit often & comment on posts. I enjoy reading your nice comments. I can be emailed at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 