Our furry family

Our dogs Daisy and Buddy are the best dogs in the world ... yes they are. (That's Daisy on the left and Buddy on the right.)

Daisy was born February 14, 2001 in Turner Valley, Alberta. She came to live with us eight weeks later. We lovingly refer to her as the Queen of our kennel. She’s a real doll. Her favourite things are running, chewing and barking.

Normally she’s an extremely healthy, very happy little girl. One evening last summer – completely out of the blue she ran over to me, and dived under my chair. It looked like she was chasing something. Then she just lied there and twitched. Holy crap. She was having a seizure. I knew to stay calm, comfort her and let it pass. It didn’t last long. Once it was over, she looked confused, and stayed very close by my side. Her tail was straight up and her body was on full alert. I called the vet that night who said I could bring her in the morning.

Blood tests were inconclusive. My veterinarian recommended that, if episodes are short in duration and infrequent, I shouldn’t worry. Since then, we know of only one other brief episode occurring exactly like the first – starting with her diving under my chair.

A few of the dogs who visit our kennel have epilepsy and are on medication to control it. They tend to look a little stoned - drooling a bit and being a little dopier than normal. But they seem happy.

A friend of mine didn’t realize that her dog was having seizures until she was on maternity leave – so if you're out a lot, it may be happening to your dog, but you may not know about it.

If your dog has a seizure, stay calm and let it pass, then call your vet and ask for advice. If it lasts a long time, it may be an emergency needing immediate medical attention. When coming out of seizure, some dogs turn aggressive for a few minutes, so be safe and be alert for that possibility – especially if you live with young children.