Terrifying times!

Sorry for the hiatus. Willoughby and I had a crisis moment this weekend. My poor rescue pup, somewhere in the ballpark of two years old, had a seizure at 1:30 Saturday morning. Reader, it was hand-down the worst way to wake up, ever. It only lasted a minute, but I have never been more terrified. Thankfully our awesome vet was able to squeeze him in and get some bloodwork done, so I'm waiting for more results, but it sounds like the problem is somewhere in his digestive system. Why do I have a feeling that Willougby is about to be eating better than his mom?...

Meanwhile, you'd think nothing had even happened to the pup. An hour after the seizure he jumped up and ran to his food bowl like, Hey! That took a lot out of me! Feed me, woman! Apparently his brain just needed to reset, and no other symptoms have popped up.

I'd like to leave you with a couple of tips I learned from the vet and some research I did this weekend on canine seizures. If your dog is ever unfortunate enough to have a seizure:

1. Don't panic. The dog is scared enough. Your panic isn't going to help.

2. Look at your watch/clock/phone. The seizure is going to feel like an eternity when in all likelyhood it's only about a minute long. The length of a seizure is important for your vet's diagnosis, so try to get a ballpark.

3. Pet your dog and reassure him/her that it's okay. Do not try to grab his tongue or anything since he'll probably bite you, accidently. When they come around they'll be panting and totally unclear on what just happened, so reassure your dog that all is well and you're there for him.

4. Call the vet. It's not an emergency unless the dog continues to have consecutive seizures. But if all seems well after the episode, a visit to your vet isn't necessary until they open for regular business hours.

5. Do some research on the internet, but not too much research. This is a personal tip as I freaked myself out with all the "what ifs" and "could bes" on the many pages dedicated to doggie seizures. With words like "epilepsy," "head trauma," and "brain tumor" flashing in front of my eyes, I was a crying mess, convinced that I was going to have to put down a dog I've had for 5 months. Once I got a little more sleep I came to my senses and realized that the odds were not in favor of those options, and so the crying stopped and I handled the vet visit and consequent tests. Your vet is the expert, not the internet. Listen to him.