Hello,
I had a two-and-a-half month old puppy. He was not eating, having diarrhoea, vomiting and coughing. Then I saw him foaming in the mouth. It seemed to me like he was having fits as I have seen humans getting fits having the same reaction.
I took him straight to the shelter I adopted him from and let the vet check him. I left him overnight there and went back to see him the next day. He had some attacks while I was there and the vet told me he can't survive (at that point he was not eating or drinking).
I had to make a painful decision to put him to sleep. But reading your article that dogs with fits doesn't feel pain and they can live a normal life, I'm feeling guilty that I made the wrong decision. My other friend, whose dog had the same kind of symptoms, told me that it could be rabies.
Please help me. I'm so depressed that I lost my baby, and now I'm feeling even more helpless. I miss my Johnny so much. - Selvi, Malaysia
Hello Selvi,
Please don't feel guilty or that you did the wrong thing. Dogs with epilepsy without any other complications feel no pain from the actual seizures, but for a puppy as young as yours to have seizures, as well as vomiting and diarrhoea and coughing, there has to be either something else going on as well - perhaps complications, injuries either during or after birth - or it was not epilepsy your puppy was suffering from. It could have been rabies as your friend suggested, or perhaps distemper - only the vet would be able to tell after tests.
But any of those illnesses or complications, especially as your puppy was also having seizures, would mean that he had almost no chance of survival. Even if he had survived he would probably have needed extensive (and expensive) care both in the short term and long term.
I think you did the best thing for him and saved him from a lot of suffering. I hope you will get your next dog from the shelter as well, when you are ready to try again. However, make sure the next one has all the relevant inocculations before you bring it into your home (if your puppy had distemper there will still be active viruses around your home area that could infect any dog that comes in contact). If possible, have the inocculations done and leave it in the shelter for a few more days (the vet will advise how long) to build up immunity before you take it home. If you are living in an area that has heartworm, then also start your new dog on a heartworm prevention regime from the day you bring it home, and be sure never to forget the tablets, whether you decide on the daily or monthly ones.
I know how you must feel right now (I lost my own dear little boy just a few months ago) but a new dog, when you feel ready, does help. - Ed
