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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

4 m Labrador having seizures- insurance

62 replies

Bambooshoots14 · 25/05/2016 23:11

We have a lovely nearly 4 month old Labrador

Last Wednesday (the day the insurance kicked in after the 2 week exclusion period) he was foaming at the mouth and had a fit (growling and barking and running around with tail between his legs). I took him straight to the vets a couple of doors down. A day later after being on a drip and having anti seizure medication he cams home, no side effects, back to normal. We thought he'd eaten something he shouldn't

Last night at 3am we hear ratting in his crate. Puppy is covered in diarrhoea, foaming at the mouth having a fit. We shower him off, give him the rectal diazepam the vets gave us to stop the seizure (which didn't work) and took him to the out of hours vets. He's been there since (well I've had to move him between out of hours vets and normal vets as neither are open 24h).

He's still fitting/ twitching and heavily medicated. They've run numerous tests but we still don't know what's wrong.

Our insurance policy is £4K per condition. We're already up to £2k after tonight then need to take him back to normal vets first thing so that will rise again (£4-600 per day and again per night). Once we reach £4K what should we do? I can't imagine getting him put to sleep but they don't currently know the cause and I can't afford £1k per day indefinitely. They have suggested a £1.5-2k MRI incase it's his brain but I can't afford that. Sad

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 26/05/2016 00:48

"Once we reach £4K what should we do?"

I'm afraid there aren't really any magical solutions, if he's still fitting then it's either pay for treatment or have him PTS really, you can't leave him like that.

If it was me I'd go for the MRI in the hope that doing that might find the cause, which would then hopefulky lead to a treatment plan rather than the emergency care. Both for his sake and to make the treatment cheaper quicker.

Nowthereistwo · 26/05/2016 05:15

I would want them to give you a proposed action plan with costs. It's no use doing an mri if you then couldn't afford the brain operation and recovery treatment afterwards.

It must be unusual for such a young dog to be fitting. Do they think it will be lifelong?

Depending on above ultimately it could be kinder to pts. They won't know any different.

Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 26/05/2016 08:01

That's the hard decision I really don't want to have to make. But I think it's going to come to that. If I had a temporary illness I wouldn't want to be pts. But without knowing what's wrong we don't know if it's temporary or not. If I knew it was temporary I would happily pay more to fix him.

He's still fitting this morning and vet thinks best case is an infection attaching the neuro. We're heartbroken.

Hopefully test results will come back today so we will know more. My poor puppy Sad

OP posts:
Ginmakesitallok · 26/05/2016 08:04

Has he been fitting continuously all that time?? Shock If so then he will undoubtedly have suffered considerable brain damage. Poor wee puppy Sad

LilCamper · 26/05/2016 08:05

If you do have him PTS he won't know anything about it. Dogs have no sense of mortality.

Sparklywine · 26/05/2016 08:06

How frightening and upsetting for you all, I just wanted to send you best wishes and hope they find the cause soon and that it can be treated (hopefully without too much more expense!). Poor pup Flowers

Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 26/05/2016 08:16

He's been on anti seizure medication which has made him very sleepy but every time he wakes up he's twitching / having a fit

DH got told his dad has 6 months to live last week. And I got told I'm at risk of redundancy. Timing couldn't be worse Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 26/05/2016 12:58

We're getting a referral for a csf (like a lumber puncture) to diagnose whether there's a brain infection. This would be the only treatable outcome of MRI (that we could afford) so makes sense to go directly to that test. It's not looking great to be honest.

This is him last night being transferred between vets

4 m Labrador having seizures- insurance
OP posts:
Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 26/05/2016 14:08

So that plan is out the window as the results would need to be sent to France so wouldn't have results until next week. He can't continue as he is until then

So option is MRI which we can't afford or hope the current anti biotics work. He's got until tomorrow morning when the decision will be made whether to pts Sad

OP posts:
clearingaspaceforthecat · 26/05/2016 14:21

I am so sorry Bamboo, what an awful time for you. It sounds like you are doing everything you could possibly do for your little pup within realistic parameters and with so much else to deal with as well. Be gentle with yourself Flowers

Ginmakesitallok · 26/05/2016 14:29

An mri might show what's wrong, but will it make any huge difference to treatment? What will they be looking for? So sorry

MsMims · 26/05/2016 14:40

How awful, I'm so sorry. Have you told the vets that finances will be difficult? They can often slim down the testing they are doing. I would personally get him referred onto a specialist now, they will have more experience of unusual cases and would hopefully get to the bottom of it sooner. Depending on what care your vets are providing, their charges seem steep. I've paid less than that per day at a specialist.

angus6 · 26/05/2016 14:41

I'm so sorry.

We had a collie that started fitting at 4 months. He fitted once or twice a day for a couple of weeks. The medication from the vets didn't seem to help.

One night I sat with him while he fitted, slept, fitted, slept throughout the night. He was admitted at the vets the next morning and after a couple of days they'd stabilised his fits enough for him to come home. We were waiting for an appointment to take him up north for an mri.

Sadly the back to back fits had caused some brain damage. He was constantly distressed, didn't seem to know us or his surroundings and he became aggressive towards the children. We took the decision to pts.

The vet said there was something very wring for such a young dog to be fitting so badly and in his opinion the end result was always going to be pts.

I don't know if that helps and don't know if it was the right thing to tell you this. Of course every dog and every situation is different. It was a terrible few weeks for us and I hope things work out for you. Flowers

tabulahrasa · 26/05/2016 15:28

"Depending on what care your vets are providing, their charges seem steep. I've paid less than that per day at a specialist."

That's a point actually...they charged me £250 per 24 hours in the high dependency ward at the vet school, that would be a lot less than you're paying.

Hope he turns a corner soon, it's horrible just waiting to see what happens Sad

Bassetfeet · 26/05/2016 15:41

So sorry to read this Bamboo . Your poor puppy .
One of my collies had continual fitting and it was the vet nurse who told me kindly that she would be probably brain damaged . It is an awful decision to make but can be the kindest thing . I could not put her through lumbar puncture or any more tests .
Am thinking of you and your DH . So sorry .

MozzieRocks · 26/05/2016 18:47

SadSo sorry you are in this situation.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 26/05/2016 18:50

The charges seem horrendous. It cost us less to have an out of hours oxygen tent and constant monitoring (heart failure Sad)

All the best.

Sparklywine · 27/05/2016 07:58

How is he this morning? Been thinking about him a lot, wishing you all strength for today.

Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 27/05/2016 08:48

Thank you all. We decided to go for the MRI. Waiting to hear if they can fit him in today

He had a fit when we picked him up from day vets at 7pm (too much stimulation) but hasn't had one since yeay! So that's only 1 in 24 hours (one before that was 7.30am yesterday when being picked up from night vets.

He seems a lot brighter this morning and even had a little play with a bag in the boot Smile. Still early days so trying not to get my hopes up but it's progress

Re costs. Yesterday was much cheaper as no tests were done and minimal meds needed and he was classed as stable overnight so £150 for day and £250 for night. The £1k a day was when he was £550 at night as classed as unstable and more meds used. Then £550 in day as he had lots of tests and meds.

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 27/05/2016 09:33

It's still seems kind of high TBH, mine was in the HDU with drips in and allsorts...it's a bit beside the point at the moment though.

Fingers crossed for him. Smile

Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 27/05/2016 14:14

Sooo... Got an apt with the specialist at 11

Specialist thought could be his liver instead and took him away for ultrasound and if that didn't show anything then MRI

Just got a call. Ultrasound showed a foreign body! Hardly surprising given he eats anything and everything. They are going to try and pull it out and if not then an op. It's going to be expensive but if it is this causing the issues then not an ongoing issue!! Bit early but... Yeay Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Bambooshoots14 · 27/05/2016 14:16

Also he's had drips in since going in with fluids and anti biotucs and prob other things. Look how cute (if not a bit poorly!) he is

4 m Labrador having seizures- insurance
OP posts:
Shriek · 27/05/2016 14:41

poor dpup and you and your family with all this going on at the same time! Sad

i was so relieved to read your update and keeping fingers tightly crossed that its the foreign object!

I also was stunned at the prices you are being charged and having to transfer from day to overnight all the time???? [wrong, wrong, wrong]

one of mine had to have round the clock nursing care and i've also had one admitted for fitting (older) but charges nothing like you have quoted here.

thank goodness for that scan, lets hope.....

Shriek · 27/05/2016 14:46

the foreign objject is by far the more likely outcome (unless genetic history)

DayToDayGlobalShit · 27/05/2016 14:55

Oh no, you poor things. What a horrible time. Fingers crossed they will find the foreign body and he will soon be on the mend Flowers

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