On Wednesday Oct 3, I made the decision to have Frankie put down. We were between a rock and a hard place. She needed the pheno to control the seizures, but the pheno caused ataxia (hind leg weakness) and she could not walk. I started saying my goodbyes to her. The tears would not stop. I felt physically sick to my stomach. I told her all about doggie heaven - she would see her brother, Scooter. She would meet her sister Kelly. She'd be able to run and play and have dog bones, and not be in pain. She'd be happy. I would miss her so much. She is my beautiful beautiful girl.
Thursday morning, I called the vet and scheduled her appointment for 4p.
But thank Al Gore for the internet!! I did more research about pheno. There are both temporary and potentially permanent side effects. The ataxia and lethargy are temporary effects- lasting 2 to 3 weeks. Surely I could hold out a few more weeks?? What would happen if I cut back on her dose a little, maybe her strength would come back.
I googled some "post distemper" video's on You-Tube. There was one showing a dog running and playing with another dog. Looked pretty normal. There was a video showing a dog walking, but kind of moving sideways and hunched over. Looked pretty horrible.
I did take Frankie to her 4p appointment. The vet assistant picked her up and carried her into a room. They had blankets waiting for her on the floor. Tell the vet to put those bad drugs away, I said, today was not Frankie's day. The vet and I talked. She did not express an opinion one way or another, but we did have the conversation again about quality of life and Frankie needing the ability to walk.
So that brings us to today, Oct 8. I've cut her dosage back - .5 pill at 8a and 8p. .25 pill at 4p and 4a. I noticed that as the pill would wear off, her seizures would start back up. This second smaller dose, helps to even out the med.
Yesterday, with supporting Frankie under her chest and hips, she was able to walk 10 feet across the yard to get to her dog food. Today Operation "walk Frankie walk" begins with my friend, M's help.
I hope my next blog includes a video of her moving on her own four feet....I'll keep you posted.
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