“One star shines
just that little bit
brighter for us.”
Megan
Megan’s Diary
Preface
Megan's
Diary
is
an
account
of
her
"good
days
and
bad
days"
of
her
trials
and
tribulations
with
Epilepsy.
It
also
gives
the
reader
an
insight
into a dog suffering with this condition and the constant battle of finding the balance with medications.
Chapter 1
Megan was started on 300mg of Phenobarbital a day she also has 90mg of Diazepam to inject in her rectum if a "seizure" goes on too long.
We
were
delighted!
That
since
starting
the
medication
Megan
had
not
had
a
seizure
for
three
weeks
as
the
last
one
was
particularly
bad!
Where
she
"paddles"
with
her
legs,
and
this
time
her
back
legs
twisted
really
bad,
and
her
head
too,
John
is
a
strong,
but
he
had
real
difficulty
holding
on
to
her
this
time,
and
she
was
badly
foaming
at
the
mouth,
it
lasted
over
ten
minutes.
So
we
phoned
the
Royal
Veterinary
Hospital,
who
suggested
either
bringing
her
down
to
be
put
on
a
drip,
or
give
her
an
extra
Phenobarbital,
as
it
could
distress
her
more
taking
her
to
the
vet,
if
this
happens
again,
we
have
the
valium
to
administer
in
her
rectum,
but
not
allowing
a
seizure
to
go
on
for
longer
than
6minutes then we would take her down to the vet.
Afterwards,
she
was
in/out
of
consciousness
for
3/4
hours,
we
had
wet
towels,
and
ice
packs
round/on
her,
with
an
air-conditioning
fan
to
get her temp down. We were so worried she was not coming out of this one, watching the clock, thankfully she did.
The
postictal
period
can
be
quite
quick
or
for
some
dogs
it
can
take
some
time
to
fully
recover.Later
that
month
Megan
had
another
"seizure"
in
the
morning,
I
was
upstairs
and
it
was
one
of
our
other
Shepherds
who
alerted
us
by
barking!
The
next
thing
I
heard
was
a
thud!
I
ran
downstairs
and
Megan
was
out
in
the
back
garden
having
a
"seizure"
on
the
decking,
I
knelt
down
put
my
arms
around
her
and
she
"fitted"
for
five
minutes.
The
vet
that
day
increased
the
Phenobarbital
up
to
360mg.
A
day
and
we
have
to
give
her
10mg
of
Valium
in
her
rectum
just
to
calm
her
down
as
she
is
suffering
bad
postictal.
He
is
also
going
to
add another medication, and we have to take her down to the Veterinary Hospital to have more blood work done.
During
that
month
Megan
started
to
lose
control
of
her
urine,
and
when
at
the
vet's
her
head
was
tilting
badly,
she
was
really
not
well.
The
vet
decided
to
add
to
her
medication
2000mg of Bromide, then within a week Megan will go down for more blood tests etc.
Megan
has
started
to
show
some
improvement
and
John
had
her
out
and
about
with
him,
having
a
one
to
one,
they
had
some
real
fun!
John
usually
hides
from
Megan,
this
time
it
was the other way around! She decided to hide from him, behind the fir trees and raspberry bushes.
During this time swabs arrived from Dorothy Cullum and Sheila Rankin, two Ladies who work hard for the health of the German Shepherd breed.
The
vet
will
be
taking
oral
swabs
from
Megan,
he
has
also
been
asked
to
supply
health
tests
that
have
been
done
and
information
on
her
medical
history.
We
have
to
include
her
5
Generation
Pedigree.
After
this
has
been
done
it
is
sent
to...Dr.
Cathryn
Mellersh
at
the
Genetics
Department.
He
is
printing
out
a
Clinical
History
for
our
swab
pack,
the
Veterinary
Hospital sends a lot of their "findings and info" to the Animal Health Trust, who are fully aware of the good work they do.
The
following
month
Megan
went
back
to
the
vet
but
he
could
not
take
blood
etc.
as
it
takes
one
to
three
months
to
reach
a
therapeutic
level
on
the
Bromide,
so
she
will
have
tests
over
the
next
three
months.
He
has
kept
Megan
on
the
2000mg
of
Bromide
and
360mg
Phenobarbital
to
try
and
reduce
the
"seizures"
at
the
moment.
Megan
has
been
seizure
free
for one week! Hope it continues.
We
have
again
seen
the
vet
about
Megan
as
she
has
become
very
lame,
we
have
to
lift
her
back
end
when
she
tries
to
stand
up,
she
continually
trips
and
falls
flat
on
her
belly
with
her
legs
splayed,
he
thinks
the
large
dose
of
Bromide
is
causing
her
unsteadiness,
but
does
not
want
to
change
the
dose
until
further
blood
tests
have
been
taken.
Hopefully
things
will improve after she has her blood tests.
Chapter 2
The
Bromide
now,
has
had
to
be
reduced,
to
1000mg.she
was
on
2000mg.
This
time
has
been
difficult
for
her,
she
has
been
getting
her
water
intake
through
a
syringe,
and
not
only
her
back
legs,
but
she
has
not
been
good
on
her
front
legs
either.
We
are
hoping
that
she
will
get
better soon, if there is no change she will see the vet. We have to be positive though, onwards and upwards.
Well
a
month
has
passed
and
Megan
has
had
trouble
walking,
she
has
also
had
many
visits
to
the
vet,
where
they
have
done
tests
etc.
Megan
was also losing her nails. Megan, and has had Petit-Mal, but not Grand-Mal.
We
then
had
to
take
another
trip
to
the
vet's,
this
month
as
Megan
was
starting
to
lose
her
nails,
and
could
not
walk
at
all,
they
got
a
trolley
for
her
to
take
her
in,
the
vet
examined
her
then
she
was
taken
to
see
the
"specialist"
there
who
took
scrapings
of
her
quicks,
looking
for
anything
untoward.
It
turns
out
Megan
has,
SLO
(Symmetrical
Lupoid
Onychodystrophy).
Her
immune
system
is
actually
attacking
her
nails,
usual
diagnosis
involves
removing
a
toe
under
a
general
anaesthetic,
but
the
vet
felt
this
unnecessary
as
she
had
been
through
enough
as both him and the "specialist" agreed she had the condition, so preferred to treat, rather than any more testing.
They
have
put
her
on
Metacam
for
the
pain,
antibiotics,
and
lowered
her
Bromide
to
650mg.
as
her
levels
were
on
the
high
side,
per
day
along
with
360mg
Phenobarbital
per
day.
We
have
to
phone
the
vet
next
week
to
let
him
know
if
any
other
nails
fall
out,
if
so
he
may
have
to
remove
all
her
back
nails
to
avoid
further pain, let us hope it will not come to that. They thought she was so very good, especially as she was in a lot of pain. Megan was as gentle as a "wee" lamb.
The
next
stage
of
Megan's
condition
is
more
seizures
where
our
"wee"
girl
went
temporary
blind,
but
her
sight
is
all
right
now.
Her
medication
of
Bromide
has
been
increased.
Megan is still a strong girl, and through all of this has shown her strength in many ways.
Indy
and
Phoebe,
our
other
two
German
Shepherds
on
a
couple
of
occasions
were
the
ones
who
alerted
us
to
Megan,
having
a
seizure.
Megan
is
going
in
for
more
Blood
Panel
work
etc. Hopefully they will get a good balance soon with her Medication.
Megan
has
been
having
"seizures"
often
the
last
couple
of
months.
The
vet
has
increased
her
medication
(Phenobarbital)
which
has
also
increased
the
side
effects,
ataxia,
etc.
Hopefully in time this will balance itself out.
Megan,
has
had
a
bad
time
the
last
few
months
with
urine
infections,
and
it
has
got
worse,
the
vets
now
think
because
of
the
volume
of
the
urine
(constantly
flowing
out
of
her)
that
there
could
be
another
problem
to
investigate,
she
will
also
be
having
another
medication
added
to
what
she
already
is
taking,
this
is
called
Keppra,
to
help
with
control
of
the
"seizures".
Megan
is
still
on
antibiotics
regarding
the
urine
infection,
it
has
got
worse.
The
vets
now
think
because
of
the
volume
of
the
urine
(constantly
flowing
out
of
her)
that
there
is
another
problem
to
investigate.Megan
is
going
in
to
the
Veterinary
Hospital
next
week,
for
the
day
to
be
tested,
she
will
be
scanned,
biopsy
taken,
blood
tests
etc.
Hopefully
we
will
find
out
what
is
going
on,
and
catch
it
sooner
rather
than
later.
Medication
is
part
of
the
problem,
the
vet
has
said
that
Megan
is
not
a
‘text
book’
case,
they
cannot
seem
as
yet,
to
get
a
therapeutic
balance,
but,
we
do
have
a
bit
lee-way
still
to
increase
the
medication
for
her
Epilepsy,
but
not
yet.
Megan
also
suffered
a
Grand-Mal,
it
was
one
of
the
worse
to
date,
her
whole
body
twisted
like
a
corkscrew.
It
lasted
five
minutes.
We
thought
we
were
going
to
have
to
administer
the
rectal
valium,
then
she
showed
signs
of
coming
out
of
it,
took a long time for her to recognise us, but once she did, there were kisses all round.
Chapter 3
There
is
a
definite
weakness
in
her
bladder,
her
muscle
that
controls
the
urine
is
really
weak,
hence
the
problem.
After
the
tests
that
were
done
on
Megan's
bladder
the
vet
then
decided
to
try
Propalin,
which
would
tighten
the
sphincter
muscle,
but
unfortunately,
this
triggered
a
seizure
so
it
had
to
be
stopped.
We
could
have
tried
surgery
to
improve
matters
but
the
risk
to
Megan
with
the
anaesthetic
was
too
great.
We
did try cranberry tablets and slowly, a change of diet.
Sadly
more
seizures
for
Megan,
we
had
noticed
that
the
past
few
"seizures"
have
lasted
longer
and
are
becoming
more
"intense",
this
was
no
different,
she
was
actually
whining
and
whimpering
through
fitting
then,
it
looked
after
three
minutes
that
she
was
coming
out
of
it,
then
it
started
again,
got
worse,
and
at
the
moment
she
is
lame
on
her
back
leg,
as
it
twisted
so
much,
went
to
get
the
valium
to
apply
it
rectally
but
she
was
starting
to
stop,
it
was
one
of
the
worst
she
has
had,
poor
wee
soul.
We
phoned
the
vet
who
has
advised
us
to
give
her
the
Valium
earlier and also to increase her Epiphen.
We
so
wish
there
was
more
that
we
could
do
for
Megan.
Think
the
best
at
the
moment
is
being
done
by
her
vet,
and
by
letting
people
be
aware of this horrible monster.
When
speaking
to
the
KC
researcher
and
saying
why
is
it
still
going
on?
Why
if
in
the
last
30
years
Epilepsy
was
really
bad,
why
is
it
is
still
bad
now?
Why
has
it
not
been
eradicated? Is it the people who do research not done enough? Sadly not all cases are reported to the researchers, they can only work with the information shared.
Their
unwillingness
to
"share"
what
they
knew
has
had
terrible
repercussions
for
breeders
and
pet
owners,
and
more
importantly
the
poor
dogs
that
have
suffered.
We
have
often
thought
that
although
I
am
a
pet
owner,
that
had
I
been
Joe
Blogs
living
down
the
road,
not
known
on
any
dog
groups
etc.
Megan
would
simply
not
been
giving
a
second
thought,
I
was so grateful for the German Shepherd Dog groups who did give me a platform to speak out about this disease.
Megan
had
a
"seizure",
John
heard
what
he
thought
was
her
scratching
on
the
baby
monitor,
but
it
was
Phoebe,
who
alerted
John
when
he
heard
her
whining
and
barking,
ran
downstairs
and
she
was
having
a
"seizure".
Megan
is
still
losing
control
of
her
bladder
frequently
now,
one
of
the
other
things
that
Megan
is
dealing
with
but
she
is
very
good
as
she
stands
and
waits
until
we
wash
and
dry
her
down.
After
extensive
tests
our
vet
is
sure
that
the
rear
end
weakness
caused
by
the
medication
for
Epilepsy
is
to
blame.
Megan
went
to
the Royal Veterinary College for more blood work, for liver/kidney tests etc. To make sure the medication has not affected her organs yet.
We
have
had
the
results
of
the
blood
levels,
Megan
is
at
30,
35
being
the
limit.
The
vet
thinks
he
may
have
to
add
another
medication,
if
he
has
to
Increase
the
Phenobarbital
any
higher.
Megan
seems
to
be,
getting
"used"
to
the
medication
too
quickly,
and
the
severity
of
the
"seizures"
are
increasing,
he
may
use
Keppra,
but
he
will
look
into
that
when
needed.
Sadly
Megan
had
cluster
"seizures",
it
was
so
bad
that
John
had
to
administer
to
her
rectally,
liquid
Valium.
Poor
"wee"
soul,
John
gave
her
some
low
fat
ice-cream
to
boost
the
blood
sugar lost in the brain during a seizure. Afterwards we put the ice packs on, and covered her head with a towel to keep out the light.
After
more
seizures
the
blood
test
results
show
that
her
liver
is
now
not
getting
rid
of
the
medication
efficiently
enough,
so
the
vet
will
now
have
to
look
at
adding
a
third
medication,
in
the
hope
of
dropping
back
on
one
of
the
others.
Sadly
more
seizures
for
Megan,
we
heard
her
on
the
baby
monitor
we
bought
to
listen
to
Megan
through
the
night.
Our
Son,
was
able
to
video
tape
the
seizure
and
the
vet
was
really
pleased,
as
it
has
helped
him
more
to
see
how
the
seizure
effects
Megan’s
Epilepsy,
rather
than
us
explaining
how
it is. He is going to use it for teaching the students.
Chapter 4
Once
more
tests
done
and
her
blood
work
came
back...31.2
the
highest
level
being
35.0.
This
means
the
liver
is
not
"getting
rid"
of
the
Phenobarbital
from
her
system,
the
more
tablets
she
is
on,
the
harder
the
liver
has
to
work,
her
liver
when
it
reaches
35.0
this
being
the
concentration
of
phenobarbital
still
in
her
body,
her
liver
then
is
showing
signs
of
damage.
To
add
medication
at
this
time
(keppra)
is
not
really what the vet wants to do, but soon may have no option.
At
the
moment
we
are
trying
to
manage
the
Epilepsy,
if
the
medication
were
reduced,
the
cluster
seizures
would
begin
again,
that
is
not
an
option.
What
we
are
all
striving
for
is
to
get
a
"balance"
for
Megan,
she
cannot
run,
she
cannot
"play
ball",
she
needs
a
sling
to
lift
her,
to
help
with
getting
up,
so
all
these
things
we
are
hoping
to
improve
on,
giving
Megan
a
better
quality
of
life.
We
know
she
will
not
be
able
to
do
all
things, but at least if she is able to do some of these things, that will be good for her.
Another
seizure
for
Megan
it
was
quite
bad,
the
vet
has,
has
increased
her
medication
of
Phenobarbital
to
660mg
per
day,
this
is
now
the
maximum he can take it. Hopefully, this might help the balance, if not then another medication will be added.
Megan
has
been
quite
ill,
she
was
booked
in
for
the
day
for
nerve
tests
to
be
done,
she
had
this
last
year,
but
was
unable
to
have
them,
as
she
took
really
unwell,
her
temperature
was
up
to
39.7
she
has
an
infection
again,
this
time
in
her
eyes
and
nose,
and
she
could
not
keep
her
balance
at
all
on
her
back
legs.
The
vet
was
excellent, and Megan has been put on antibiotics, and Metacam. The SLO has come back pretty bad, and the new nails growing in are already splitting.
We
came
back
home,
then
late
on
in
the
afternoon,
she
had
a
seizure,
she
had
to
be
taken
back
down
to
the
vet,
as
afterwards,
her
gums
went
grey
and
she
was
staggering
about,
the
vet
then
did
a
glucose
test.
That
came
back
okay,
she
was
given
the
test
on
her
back
legs
and
the
leg
would
not
straighten
up.These
couple
of
weeks
have
been
hard
for
her
she
is
mainly
getting
her
fluids
through
syringes,
although
she
is
starting
to
take
the
fluid
replacement
drinks
better
from
us.
We
had
an
option
to
let
her
stay
overnight
there
at
the
Veterinary
College,
but
we
would
rather
have
her
at
home.
Today,
she
has
a
better
colour
in
her
gums,
John
stayed
with
her,
and
kept
up
the
fluids
during
the
night,
so
she
would
not dehydrate, her balance is still bad, on her back legs.
Hopefully
the
antibiotics
will
help.
Then
we
might
be
able
to
address
the
problem
with
her
balance.
John
tries
to
spend
as
much
time
as
he
can,
sleeping
on
the
couch
downstairs,
rather
than
in
bed,
as
he
was
sure
she
was
going
to
have
a
seizure.
We
thought
we
were
over-reacting
a
bit,
then,
she
had
one.
Megan's
health
was
our
first
priority.
Quality
of
life
means
just
that,
we
provide
that
for
Megan,
she
has
that
round
the
clock,
supervision,
and
care.
On
her
"good"
days
we
see
her
enjoyment
of
life
yes
she
has
her
"bad
days"
that
has
become part of her life and ours. We would remove this disease if we could, but we would never change or regret having Megan. We loved her dearly.
Indy,
alerted
us
by
barking
frantically,
Megan
was
in
the
throes
of
having
a
"seizure”,
hearing
that
awful
thud
and
seeing
her
so
contorted,
John
held
her
and
spoke
softly
to
her
all
the time, until it passed once more.
Megan
for
the
last
few
weeks
has
been
quite
unwell.
She
is
having
a
real
hard
time
doing
many
things,
when
trying
to
get
her
out
and
about
she
struggles
so
badly,
that
she
is
practically
being
lifted
on
the
walk.
Megan
now
has
become
so
insecure,
(feels
so
bad
when
I
read
that)
her
actions
tell
us
that
she
is
scared.
Think
each
time
she
has
a
"seizure"
or
clusters
there
is
a
definite
difference
in
her
afterwards.
I
know
that
there
are
unfortunately
many
rotten/horrible
illnesses
out
there
that
our
dogs
can
suffer
from,
but
Epilepsy
is
one
of
them,
and
until
you
have
a
dog
with
it,
you
really
do
not
have
any
idea
what
they
go
through,
it
is
one
of
the
most
life
destroying
diseases,
you
watch
the
life,
vitality
and
personality
slowly
being
sucked
from
your
beloved
dog,
and
in
turn
from
your
family.
John
and
I
are
frequently
haunted
by
thoughts
of
...
is
there
more
we
should
be
doing?
That
is
why
this
"diary"
of
thoughts
and
sharing
Megan's
journey
is
so
important,
not
just
for
us
as
a
family,
but
for
the
people
who,
like
ourselves
are
caring
for
dogs
with
this
condition.
This
lovely
German
Shepherd
has
been
reduced
to,
an
old
lady,
struggling
to
stand,
wants
to
run
but
cannot,
howls
constantly
(not
an
exaggeration,
as
friends
have
heard
while
on
the phone to me), hungry all of the time, and cannot as yet hold in her urine, that in itself is bad, but manageable, the seizures are another matter.
Chapter 5
I
have
read
many
comments
about
Epilepsy
being
a
disease
easily
controlled
with
medication.
In
a
lot
of
cases
this
is
true.
Megan
at
this
time
takes 15 Tablets every day, and is still not responding as she should, every dog is different.
Many
have
taken
a
lot
of
time
to
try
and
discredit
our
vet's
diagnosis,
and
how
Megan
ended
up
with
Epilepsy,
maybe
if
the
same
amount
of
time
and
energy
was
spent
checking
for
problems
within
the
lines,
and
taking
the
necessary
steps
to
prevent
these
health
problems,
Megan
would
not
have
Epilepsy.Our
girl
has
to
deal
with
it,
we
have
to
deal
with
it.
About
time
they
dealt
with
it,
too.
Instead
of
as
our
Breeder
put
it..."Give
it
enough
time
and
it
will
die
a
death."
They
do
not
pay
our
vet
bills
nor
do
they
ask
or
enquire
how
Megan
is
doing,
yet
they
have
so
much
to
say,
I
suppose
the
best
defence
is
offence.
This
"diary"
of
Megan
has
always
been
about
her,
my
motives
have
never
changed.
We
will continue to be a voice for her and others. Megan will not go through all of this for nothing. More cluster seizures for Megan.
Our
"hope"
for
the
long-term
outlook
for
Megan,
is
for
the
medication.
That
she
is
on
at
the
moment
(21
tablets
a
day)
will
be
reduced.
This
can
only
happen
when/if
her
"seizures"
level
out
to
a
regular
pattern,
ourselves
and
the
vet
are
hoping
for
one
every
6
weeks.
Hopefully
with
a
lesser
severity
that
is
occurring
at
the
moment.
Many
dogs
stabilise
very
quickly,
and
some
lead
fairly
"normal"
lives
all
be
it
with
more
supervision
and
care,
but
there
are
dogs,
that
are
very
difficult
to
find
"the
balance",
Megan
is
one
of
them.
Also
the
medication
slows
up
the
body
metabolism
but
also
increase
her
appetite,
so
she
ballooned
at
the
start
and
the
difficulty
now
is
trying
to
drop
her
Weight.
The
back
end
weakness
(ataxia)
makes
it
very
difficult
to
increase
her
Exercise
as
she
can
only
walk
for
a
certain
amount
of
time.
Megan
is
on
a
special
diet
with
added
supplements
to
try
and
drop
her
calorie
intake.
Megan
this
week has had more "seizures".
We
were
all
hoping
that
if
she
could
make
it
to
6
weeks,
without
a
seizure,
then
we
could
reduce
her
medication
by
half
a
tablet,
not
much
I
know,
but
it
would
have
been
a
positive
step in the right direction.Unfortunately we made nearly 4 weeks, but the "seizures" were more intense. We now start at the beginning again, and counting.
The
threshold
or
the
point
at
which
the
brain
triggers
a
fit
can
be
lifted
to
a
point
where
the
anti-convulsant
medication
dampens
down
the
electrical
storm
in
the
brain,
therefore
a
seizure
is
not
triggered.
This
is
the
desired
point
of
a
dog
with
Epilepsy.
Megan
is
one
where
when
the
medications
are
increased,
her
system
quickly
gets
used
to
them,
which
makes it very difficult to be able to control/stabilize the Epilepsy.
Cluster
seizures
are
hard
to
treat
and
almost
always
need
the
addition
of
Potassium
Bromide
(KBr)
Megan
did
not
start
out
with
cluster
seizures
but
when
she
had
them
KBr
was
added
as
was
Rectal
Valium.The
purpose
of
the
rectal
Valium
is
to
sedate
her
heavily,
to
allow
the
Storm
in
the
brain
to
calm
down.
The
danger
of
the
clusters
is
they
could
start
and
not
stop,
hence
the
reason
for
constant
supervision,
at
this
time,
until
things
improve.
The
whole
Epilepsy
experience
is
exhausting,
frightening
and
scary,
but
for
many
dogs
the
medication
do
work,
and
keep
the
seizures
under
control
for
the
most
part.
Hopefully,
in
time
they
will
work
for
Megan.
Have
to
keep
a
Positive
attitude,
and
Megan
has
proved
to
be a "wee" fighter, plus we are so fortunate to have such an excellent vet who gives her the best treatment and care.
We
have
always
said
that
the
only
thing
that
is
Predictable
about
Epilepsy
is
it
is
so
unpredictable.
I
wish
I
could
post
about
all
of
Megan's
wonderful
days
that
she
has
had,
unfortunately
I
cannot
do
that,
I
seem
to
only
be
able
to
post
when
she
has
had
her
next
seizure.
I
truly
hope
that
the
day
comes
when
Megan
can
be
seizure
free,
for
even
over
a
short
period
of
time,
although
the
longer
the
better.
We
are
not
complaining,
as
we
know
that
a
good
day
is
worth
all
the
others
that
are
difficult
and
we
do
savour
those
days
and
those
moments.
We
and
of
course
Megan
are
so
fortunate
to
have
a
wonderful!
vet,
who
is
always
open
to
even
our
suggestions,
as
we
know
they
have
hundreds
of
animals
to
treat
we have only ours.Hopefully, this is a bad time, and that many good times will follow.
Chapter 6
Megan
went
for
a
wee
stroll
today.
I
am
sure
there
was
a
smile
on
her
face,
she
investigated
all
the
new
smells
and
was
fascinated
by
the
voles
running
about
under
our
feet.
The
walk
was
slow,
but
sometimes
it
is
just
good
to
take
in
all
the
wildlife
and
things
you
may
miss
when
your walk is that much quicker, even spotted bunches of snowdrops.
Our
son,
very
kindly,
had
some
time
off
and
he
looked
after
Megan,
then
it
was
Indy
and
Phoebe
time,
went
for
a
great
trek
on
the
Deer
Path,
it
was
lovely,
the
dogs
had
a
super
time,
have
came
back
rather
dirty,
but
we
saw
lots
of
deer
and
buzzards.
Thought
it
would
be
nice
to
share
the good times with Megan
Well
sadly
more
seizures,
Megan
had
a
Grand-mal
it
was
a
bad
one,
she
was
whining
and
had
lost
her
sight
for
a
short
time.
Megan’s
tablets
had
been
reduced
by
60mg
=
1
Tablet
for
the
last
few
weeks;
she
has
really
been
a
little
livelier
and
more
aware
of
her
surroundings,
and
better
on
the
back
end
weakness.
Unfortunately
she
is
now
having
cluster
seizures,
which
means
the
balance
is
not
there,
yet.
Will
see
what
the
vet
has
to
say.
Megan
is
still
unwell,
we
hated
the
increase
of
her
tablet
again,
the
vet
(who
is
great)
was
quite
disappointed
himself,
but
it
really was a case of Megan having really bad seizures (sometimes clusters) that could do a lot more damage.
It
is
2
years
this
Month
now
that
Megan
started
having
seizures,
we
are
all
so
frustrated
that
we
cannot
seem
to
get
the
balance
right
with
Megan,
we
may
have
to
move
on
to
add
other
medication.
Which
we
really
did
not
want
to
do
this,
our
vet
too
does
not
like
adding
more
chemicals,
but
he
has
to
do
what
has
to
be
done.
Will
see
how
things
go
after
her
Blood
screening
and
Liver
Tests.
We
see
the
difference
in
her
already
adding
the
tablet,
she
has
bad
rear
end
weakness
and
at
times,
cannot
control
her
urine,
and
so
unsteady
going
out
on
her
walks,
which
she
really
was
starting
to
enjoy,
it
was
getting
a
wee
glimpse
of
how
Megan
could
and
should
be,
we
feel
so
sad
and
bad
for
her,
and
only
wish
the
best
for her.
Megan
is
one
of
these
dogs
that
is
proving
hard
to
stabilise.
The
seizures
have
made
5
weeks
in
between,
but
her
quality
of
life
suffers
as
she
is
very
sedated.
Whenever
we
try
and
lessen
the
medication.
The
seizures
become
more
frequent
and
then
she
can
have
clusters.
Nick
(vet)
also
keeps
up
to
date
with
the
latest
research,
he
is
Senior
Lecturer
there
at
the
College
and
is
very
good
and
caring.He
is
just
as
frustrated
as
us.
Megan
is
struggling
at
the
moment
and
we
had
to
pick
up
Oxycare
as
she
has
yet
another
infection,
had
such
a
bad
night
and
wish
I
could
do
more.
John
ended
up
coming
downstairs
and
slept
on
the
couch,
to
make
sure
Megan
was
going
to
be
okay.
The
vet
next
month
is
doing
quite
extensive
tests, so hopefully all being well we can make another start.
Megan
is
still
unwell,
she
is
having
problems
with
focal-seizures
and
is
unable
to
hold
in
her
urine,
think
though
that
is
due
to
the
increased
medication.
Megan
this
week
has
only
been able to get out in the garden, even then she is struggling, although the snow does not help.
We
have
seen
a
big
difference
in
her
this
week
very
agitated,
pacing,
and
always
looking
for
food,
she
then
wants
out
but
you
have
to
stay
out
with
her,
and
all
she
wants
is
to
lie
in
the garden at night.Hopefully, this month the tests might tell us a bit more, and where to go from here to help her feel better.
Well
Megan
had
a
seizure,
she
had
quite
a
bad
one,
which
left
her
temporarily
blind
for
a
wee
while,
she
now
can
see
but
is
still
very
disorientated.
Really
cannot
understand
why
they
are
becoming
more
frequent
again,
thinking
of
anything
we
have
done
or
changed?
It
was
Indy
and
Phoebe
who
alerted
us
initially,
they
are
in
another
room,
but
heard
Megan,
and
started
whining
then
we
heard
her
on
the
baby
monitor.
Phoning
the
vet
to
see
what
he
recommends,
think
we
will
have
to
up
her
medication.
Back
to
the
19
tablets
a
day, was dropped half a tablet to ease the back end weakness, but she seems to need the extra half a tablet.
Chapter 7
We
feel
so
helpless
with
this
condition,
it
seems
(at
the
moment)
anything
we
try
works
for
so
long
then
her
system
gets
used
to
it.
Megan's
vet
is
super
and
we
think
he
is
right
we
need
to
try
Keppra.
What
worries
us
both
is
the
in
between
time,
where
trying
to
help
Megan
recover
from
these
seizures,
can
take
a
wee
while,
then
when
you
start
to
see
a
difference,
the
Monster
comes
back
and
she
has
to
start
all
over
again.
Think
you
cope
because
you
have
to,
Megan
relies
on
us,
although
it
is
soul
destroying
and
sometimes
lately
we
both
feel
so
helpless
and
wish
we
could
do
more
for
her.
We
will
do
anything
we
can
for
her
and
try
anything
we
can
for
Megan
she
deserves
a
chance
of
being
able
to
enjoy life.
Megan is still unwell and has had a few more episodes. At the moment she is having a bad time settling at night.
We
have
to
take
her
down
to
the
vet
this
week
for
the
Tests
as
this
has
to
be
done
before
any
new
medications
are
introduced,
she
is
having
a
hard
time
of
it
just
now,
it
seems
like
the
last
2
years
since
being
diagnosed
we
have
come
right
round
in
a
circle,
back
to
the
beginning,
I
know
that
along
the
way
we
have
learned
lots
about
this
condition,
but
feel
that
Megan
has
went
through
such
a
lot
in
this
time.
In
saying
that
we
are
trying
to
remain
positive,
as
Megan
has
such
a
super,
caring
vet
and
hopefully
once
the
tests
are
done
and
the
results
come
back
then decisions can be made to help Megan get a better balance with the Epilepsy.
Well, the vet got another blood smear test done and there was no bleeding internally, they feel that it could be down to the medication.
We
were
told
that
Phenobarbital
can
do
strange
things
to
the
blood/hemopeoisis
(generation
of
blood
cells
in
the
bone
marrow).
Her
Phenobarbital
levels
were
31.5
limit
being
35.
To
begin
with
on
the
KBr.
(Bromide)
she
was
given
a
loading
dose
of
3000mg.to
boost
the
amount
in
her
system,
it
is
now
reduced
to
975mg.Megan
has
been
started
on
the
Keppra
to begin with 1500mg a day. If all goes well in 4 days (to give it a chance to work) we will be able to drop the Phenobarbital by half a tablet (30mg.)
We
are
hoping
that
this
will
also
help
her
back
end
weakness,
while
not
increasing
the
seizures
which
in
turn
will
help
Megan
get
out
and
about
and
give
her
a
better
quality
of
life.
We
are
well
aware
this
condition
will
never
go
away
or
be
cured
but
if
the
difference
can
be
made
for
Megan
to
have
a
better
quality
of
life
i.e.
less
seizures,
less
ataxia,
could
result
in more walks, more happy days for Megan. Whatever needs done will get done to help and improve on Megan's quality of life.
The
last
few
days
we
have
noticed
the
back
end
weakness
coming
back
but
are
still
remaining
hopeful
that
given
time
and
the
medication.
Still
might
need
to
be
adjusted
the
Keppra
could
be
helping
her.At
the
moment
she
is
not
feeling
too
good
as
she
has
Colitis,
but
is
being
treated
for
it,
what
we
have
to
watch
though
is
that
the
medication
for
her
Epilepsy
may
not
work
as
well
due
to
the
inflammation
in
her
stomach.
We
will
keep
an
eye
on
her
and
hopefully
there
will
be
no
episodes.
Megan
has
been
really
unwell
for
a
wee
while
with
infections. We were at the Veterinary College yesterday where she was given a good examination etc. Her temperature was high 41.6.
Do
not
know
as
yet
what
is
causing
the
infections
it
could
be
the
medication
or
Epilepsy?
It
seems
her
immune
system
has
been
compromised,
she
has
been
given
a
course
for
a
week
of
Synulox,
then
we
have
to
take
Megan
back
for
more
tests.
We
have
been
trying
to
keep
her
cool,
as
she
has
been
quite
agitated
and
howls
a
lot,
she
really
is
such
a
good
wee
girl,
just
think
she
is
confused.
We
feel
so
frustrated
for
her,
she
lies
there
most
of
the
time
like
a
furry
rug,
just
looking
at
us
going
about,
and
watching
Indy
and
Phoebe
playing,
usually
tug-of
-war.
We
so
want
her
to
be
able
to
get
up
and
about.
Hopefully
these
tablets
will
help
with
this
infection
and
in
turn
help
Megan
to
feel
better
within
herself,
to
be
able to get up and about for wee walks etc.
Chapter 8
I
Thought
I
would
share
this
photo
that
I
took
of
Megan
today.
As
you
know
Megan
has
not
been
too
well
and
lately
we
have
had
some
of
our
saddest
moments
with
her,
and
then
she
can
give
to
us
some
hope
which
really
does
bring
us
great
joy.
This
is
probably
not
one
of
the
best
but
so
special
to
us,
just
getting
Megan
out
there
in
the
meadow
with
the
buttercups,
watching
the
butterfly's
and
horses,
and
just
being
out
in the world.
Anyway here is the photo of Megan taken in the meadow. Megan in the buttercup meadow.
Well
Megan
is
still
a
wee
bit
unwell,
and
the
hot
weather
is
having
Her
struggling
a
bit,
try
to
get
her
out
early
and
in
the
cool
of
the
Evening.
Megan
is
so
anxious
at
the
moment
and
is
having
real
anxiety
Problems,
her
nails
are
splitting
so
getting
them
off
for
her
is
better
as
it
is
sore
for
her
to
walk.
When
we
had
her
down
to
the
vet
we
Noticed
that
she
had
her
line
back
right
round
her
teeth,
Megan
has
had
This
since
the
seizures,
it
is
like
someone
has
taken
a
red
felt
pen
and
drawn
a
line
round
her
teeth,
we
at
this
moment
do
not
know
what
it
is,
her
gums
are
good,
her
teeth
are
lovely
so
we
think
it
might
have
Something
to
do
with
the
Epilepsy.
We
are
helping
her
with
her
water
Intake
as
at
the
moment
she
is
having
trouble
taking
the
water
in
she
Will
not
at
times,
get
up
to
drink
and
her
lapping
of
the
water
does
not
mean
that
she
actually
gets
any.
We
did
speak
about
her
howling,
the
vet
still
wonders
if
it
is
all
part
and
parcel
of
the
Epilepsy
and
the
effects
of
the
seizures or is she frustrated and trying to communicate?
Hopefully, once we can get the medication, adjusted things will start to improve Megan went in for blood tests yesterday, as you will be aware she has been unwell for a while.
We had a phone call this morning from the vet regarding the test results, they are as follows.
Her
liver
tests
came
back
today
ALT
was
142
now
358,
AP
was
319
now
1084,
bile
acids
was
7
now
17.7.
The
vet
is
very
concerned
about
Megan,
she
will
be
going
in
tomorrow
for
a
full body scan to check her organs are all okay. The levels are dangerously high and her liver may be diseased. We will know more after the scan.
Have
found
it
quite
difficult
to
put
down
in
words
what
is
going
on
with
wee
Megan
at
this
time
and
also
the
results,
which
are
still
inconclusive.
The
vet
is
not
continuing
with
testing
at
the
moment
as
he
feels
Megan
is
going
through
enough,
he
is
treating
each
symptom
at
a
time,
and
has
put
her
on
another
course
of
antibiotics
to
clear
up
a
respiratory
infection.
Her
scan
showed
an
enlarged
adrenal
gland
her
liver
is
patchy
but
this
could
be
down
to
the
medication.
The
vet
does
suspect
the
onset
now
of
cushing
disease?
But
further tests will have to be done, but not at the moment, as Megs is still so unwell.
We
had
to
take
Megan
back
down
to
the
vet
about
a
week
ago
as
there
was
still
no
change,
which
we
were
all
hoping
there
would
be,
but
she
also
developed
marks
(red
half
moon)
around
her
stomach
and
it
looked
like
Bruising,
we
sent
photos
down
to
our
vet
who
told
us
to
bring
her
down,
could
be
the
effects
of
Keppra,
but
not
sure.
We
have
been
given
Steroid
Cream
to
apply
and
at
this
time
have
had
to
stop
the
Anti-biotics.
We
have
been
hoping
that
this
would
clear
in
a
few
days
but
a
week
has
past
and
there
is
no
difference
the
cream
is
being
applied
but
the
bruising
is
still
there,
Megan
is
still
very
slow
and
unsteady
on
her
feet,
her
last
seizure
was
different,
no
paddling
with
her
legs,
no
falling
on
her
side
but
she
had
the
head
tilting,
fly-snapping/frothing
and
her
body
was
shaking,
do
not
know
as
yet,
if
this
one
has
affected
her
more
that
any
others?
We
will
see
how
Megan
is
this
week, hopefully there will be some improvement.
We
have
been
unable
to
get
Megan
out
for
a
walk
for
over
a
week
now,
it
has
been
out
in
the
garden,
and
whenever
we
go
in
to
the
house
Megan
comes
in,
going
to
try
And
work
up
to it for the Week-end and hope she will manage it. We are attending to her various symptoms and Megan will be seeing the vet next week.
One
step
for
Mankind
and
One
Giant
leap
for
Megan.
Megan
had
a
lovely
"wee"
stroll
today
down
raspberrylane,
it
was
nice
and
sunny
but
not
too
hot,
she
had
no
falls
and
was
a
lot steadier on her feet, and seemed to enjoy all the Smells, so happy for her.
Chapter 9
Today,
as
it
has
been
so
lovely
outside
I
foolishly
thought
that
Megan
could
be
taken
out
on
a
"wee"
journey
ride
to
our
"special
place"
very
quiet
and
Megan
might
feel
more
relaxed,
well
did
I
get
that
wrong.
Had
to
guide
her
away
from
the
car,
as
she
is
showing
signs
of
anxiety
and
tried
to
get
back
to
the
car
then
she
started
to
fall,
and
could
not
get
up
and
looked
so
"worn
out",
we
went
right
back
to
the
car
and
home.
The
muscles
in
her
body
do
not
seem
to
be
able
to
hold
her
up,
she
at
times
cannot
lift
her
head
up,
we
are
so
overwhelmed
with
sadness regarding Megan and what she is going through. Really hope these upcoming tests will give us the answers we are looking for.
Over
the
winter
time
things
were
not
so
good,
but
could
have
been
worse,
so
we
were
trying
to
remainpositive
and
hoping
that
things
were
going
to
get
that
bit
better
for
Megan.
Well
we
have
now
had
to
increase
one
of
her
medication.
As
she
has
had
more
seizures,
(Clusters)
three
of
them
being
Grand-mals,
she
has
been
unable
to
control
her
urine
and
is
quite
exhausted.
Megan
is
going
back
down
to
the
vet's
for
blood panel work to check her levels and also to investigate further suspicions of Cushings disease.
Megan
has
got
worse,
and
when
out
this
morning
early
hours
to
do
her
"toilet"
she
collapsed.
We
have
got
her
in
at
the
Veterinary
Hospital
now,
where
we
know
she
will
be
so
very
well
looked
after,
they
have
staff
there
24
hours,
and
they
know
Megan
and
are
so
very
kind
with
her, which we are grateful for, the tests will begin today.
Megan
has
had
Scans/X-rays,
blood
work
taken
yesterday,
we
got
her
home
Last
night
as
she
was
retaining
her
urine
the
whole
day,
and
was
very
anxious,
she
is
going
back
in
today for more scans etc. Megan was able to give us a urine sample this morning. Her blood count is still dropping, but slowly, hopefully the tests might reveal more today.
Late
last
night
Indy
(our
male)
was
showing
signs
of
distress,
John
rushed
him
to
the
vet,
where
he
went
into
shock,
the
vet
has
worked
on
him
through
the
night,
he
was
on
oxygen,
and
a
drip
and
they
have
Administered
steroids,
his
eyes
swelled
and
were
bulging
out
of
his
head,
today,
his
eyes
are
the
same,
but
he
is
off
the
oxygen,
they
are
doing
more tests and scan on Indy today.
John
is
back
with
Megan,
she
has
to
go
in
every
day
for
blood
tests
and
a
blood
count,
and
to
be
monitored,
to
date,
she
has
lost
half
of
her
red
blood
cells,
we
are
still
awaiting
more
test
results,
but
they
will
take
time
to
come
in,
she
has
had
to
be
put
on
steroids
as
her
blood
count
is
continuing
to
drop
down,
if
it
gets
much
lower
they
will
have
to
give
her
a
blood transfusion, she has also been given antibiotics and antioxidants.
Chapter 10
Indy
is
also
very
ill,
at
present
they
are
fighting
to
regulate
his
heart
he
is
on
a
drip
and
an
ECG
machine,
tests
have
found
a
lump
in
his
spleen,
and
he
is
scheduled
for
the
removal
of
the
spleen
next
week,
his
eyeshave
shown
little
improvement
and
the
cause
is
still
unknown.
It
is
with
great
sorrow,
we
got
the
very
sad
news
that
"Our
Boy
Indy",
that
gentle,
loving
soul,
has
passed
away
early
this
morning,
our
very
own xxxBraveheartxxx
This
morning
Megan
went
down
for
her
blood
work
and
they
have
kept
her
in
as
they
are
not
happy
with
her
heart,
since
the
three
bad
seizures
that
she
had,
she
has
just
not
been
right,
and
she
has
deteriorated,
she
is
under
the
care
of
the
Intensive
Care
Team
and
will
be
monitored
constantly.
They
are
fitting
her
with
a
collar
with
a
built
in
mini-computer
that
will
record
her
activities,
to
give
them
a
better
picture
of
her
system,
as
she
has
been
collapsing
through
the
night
when
trying
to
go
to
the
toilet,
hopefully
things
will
get
better
for
Megan
soon.
The Final Chapter of Megan's Diary has come to an end, sadly last night our "wee" girl Megan lost her battle against Epilepsy.
We
have
had
the
results
of
the
post
mortems
which
were
performed
on
both,
Indy
and
Megan.
Indy
had
a
tumour
(quite
a
rare
one)
on
his
adrenal gland this caused problems with his heart which in turn sadly gave out.
Megan
had
three
bad
grand
mal
seizures
just
under
two
weeks
ago
which
affected
her
brain
and
its
ability
to
control
organ
function,
immune
system
response
was
also
compromised,
leading
to
a
crisis
situation
Where
her
body
gave
up
its
fight,
death
was
a
direct
result
of
the
Epilepsy
and
associated
problems
brought
on
by
this
condition,
I
would
Like
to
add
that
there
was
NO
tumours
abnormalities
etc
found
to
be
causing
the
seizures
so
it
has
been
confirmed
as
much
as
can
physically
be
done
that
Megan
died
from
"PRIMARY EPILEPSY".
These
are
the
facts
as
given
by
our
vet
at
the
Veterinary
College
earlier
today,
we
were
so
fortunate
to
have
had
such
a
wonderful,
skilful
and
compassionate
vet
(Nick
Bommer)
looking
after
Megan
for
these
three
years
that
she
battled
with
this
horrid
condition,
the
nurses
were
just
lovely
with
her
and
all
who
knew
her
came
in
to
see
her
and
talk
with
her,
when she was very ill, they all fondly thought and spoke of her as "sweet gentle Megan".
We
were
so
blessed
to
have
these
two
very
"special"
companions
as
part
of
our
family
and
both
will
hold
very
special
places
in
our
hearts.
Phoebe
misses
them
so
much,
she
was
always
the
"wee"
worry
wart,
watching
over
Megan,
making
sure
she
gave
her
a
wee
lick
on
her
face,
and
checking
to
see
if
she
was
all
right,
with
Indy
she
could
pretend
to
let
him
be
the
Boss
for
a
wee
while,
and
had
lots
of
fun
seeing
who
was
going
to
get
the
stick
first.
Please
know
that
when
you
have
time
to
look
through
this
diary,
all
that
has
been
written
was
to
hopefully
help
people
become
aware
of
this
horrible
condition
Epilepsy,
and
what
it
can
do
to
your
dog
and
to
your
family,
that
was
what
it
was
always
about,
we
will
continue to help people and fight against those who have no regard for the pain they inflict on dogs in breeding with lines that carry health issues.
John & Margaret
We miss you Both, so very much.
"Beannachd leat a'ghaoil "
Scottish Gaelic, Goodbye My Love xxx
Megan 2005 - 2011
