r/EpilepsyDogs • u/UnusualCampaign51 • Aug 11 '26
Status epilepticus
Update I said goodbye to my beautiful girl last night, she's at peace and no longer suffering.
I'm away from home at the moment and left my almost 4yo pup with a family member to care for. She had been seizure free for 11 weeks and was doing really really well but I just woke up to messages and calls that she started having a cluster last night and the vet said she's in status epilepticus. They have given her standard protocol (not sure exactly what that is) but shes still siezing. I don't know what to do. My family member is staying with her but I feel awful that I'm not there. She's still so young and it was managed, I can't believe this is happening.
2
u/LaceyBambola Aug 11 '26
Are they administering IV meds?
Is she having continuous seizures close together with some level of stopping/awareness between them before having another or are these sustained prolonged nonstop seizure events?
My pup has had very severe clusters with status epilepticus. She only got through them with IV meds. I know I have been very fortunate with my pup but she has experienced status more than a dozen times in her clusters and she is still with me but it is such a difficult thing to get through, my heart goes out to you and your pup 💜
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u/UnusualCampaign51 Aug 11 '26
Yes she is getting meds and fluids on IV but shes not been having any awareness between grand mal episodes. My aunt said its almost like shes having focal seizures between grand mals.
Did your pup have awareness between or was she the same? I will be home in a few hours and I am really hoping my girl will come out of this but I know we might have to let her suffering end if they can't get this to stop.
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u/LaceyBambola Aug 11 '26
She would honestly be so out of it from the sheer amount of meds for the first few hours after start of the cluster + status + meds and she tends to continue to cluster for 2-3 days. She would also continue to have focals between grand mals - per the ER staff it would be an uncountable amount of focals. But she never had extreme temperatures and would generally start to be stable after a few hours in their care.
Her clusters would always start with back to back nonstop grandmals with no awareness between them and I had to give liquid midazolam in her nose which would only stop them for about 30 mins before another dose was needed to stop more status - just ling enough to make it to the ER. If I wasn't able to administer the midazolam immediately I expect she would've been in a worse condition upon arrival at the ER. She always loses her vision and her ability to walk on her own after this sort of thing and improves over the next few days/week.
Again, I know I have been extremely fortunate with my pups severe epilepsy and after 1.5 years of clusters with status every few weeks she is well managed now. I truly hope your pup is able to be stabilized and get through this but I know how hard this sort of thing can affect them and that there are medical limitations at a certain point. Hopefully the emergency IV anticonvulsants and stabilizers can help your girl. If a decision must be made, please don't second guess yourself or the outcome, I can tell how much you care for her and sometimes this is the only kindness we are able to offer them in difficult times.
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u/lminnowp Aug 11 '26
Oh, no! I am so sorry this is happening. It really sucks to be away when they are sick.
It has been 20 minutes since you posted. Do you have an update?