Cory’s Story

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a continuation of our guest author series. Kaydee’s story follows Kaydee and her health as she switches to a raw food diet.

Due to the incident at our last vet visit, and because the price of gas was skyrocketing we decided to change vets. I began looking around and was elated to find out that a new vet had recently bought out the clinic three blocks West from our home! I made some inquires and was also granted an interview to ask the vet some questions.

I felt comfortable with her and proceeded to schedule an initial appointment. At the initial appt. I gave the vet a run down of Kaydee’s history. Let her know Kaydee was itching A LOT (more than any normal dog I have ever had) and Kaydee had tiny red spots on her vulva. I just could not figure out WHY a puppy would be so itchy. I asked if dogs got yeast infections from antibiotics (if I only knew then what I know now). The vet notated it, administered her puppy vaccination, and prescribed Histacalm Shampoo and a antibiotic as she thought Kaydee had a minor skin infection.

The whole month of August was a constant problem with itchiness, her vulva having redness, swelling and hives/blisters. Kaydee also incurred an ear infection (my husband thought it was cute to let her put her head under water to get her toys and did not tell me so I could administer the medicine that dries out the wetness inside a dogs ear – common in labs). At one point I thought she was allergic to chlorine. Kaydee would frequently lick her paws or bite at them after playing in her wading pool. The undersides of her paws were becoming red and raw and in between her toes. (Later… much later I would FINALLY find out what the true cause to this problem was.)

Not satisfied with what the vet was/was not telling me I watched Kaydee constantly. I knew in my heart it was some sort of an allergy — BUT AS TO WHAT was driving me nuts! I was beginning to feel the vet/office staff thought I was some sort of fanatical pet owner blowing out of proportion Kaydee’s health issues. I was beginning to feel that my concerns were falling on deaf ears. Then to only find out in September Kaydee had another health problem…

One of the most common things I hear from people, when I explain that my dog is epileptic, is “Oh, I didn’t know that dogs could have that disease!”  How I wish it weren’t true!  Dogs can and do have seizures. There are many causes of seizures, such as epilepsy (which is often an inherited disease with no known physical cause), brain tumors, toxins, or illness such as distemper or tick induced diseases, to name just a few. The purpose of this article is to briefly visit some of the most common symptoms of a dog seizure. It is possible for a dog with a seizure disorder to experience all of these symptoms at different times.

What just happened to my dog?  Was that a seizure?

The following symptoms are associated with these various kinds of seizures.

ABSENCE SEIZURES a/k/a PETIT MAL SEIZURES. These seizures are the most difficult to assess, because nothing dramatic happens; you just get the sense that your dog is somehow “off.”  These seizures are also sometimes called “focal seizures” because the dog has a blank stare and may lose control of its bladder or bowels. If this is the only kind of seizure your dog experiences, you will likely not recognize it as a seizure.

PARTIAL SEIZURES. These occur when your dog has seizure activity in only one part of the body, such as in the face or just on one side of the body.  Typical symptoms are ataxia (i.e., the dog will try to walk but is unable to because the legs cross themselves causing stumbling, as if the legs have had their blood supply cut off putting them to sleep) or muscle spasms. The dog may fall over on its side and lie still until the seizure passes.

COMPLEX PARTIAL SEIZURES.  The behavior of the dog is suddenly erratic. He may run around the house as if being chased by an unseen demon, or he may appear to be frightened or even frantic and then fall down. Some dogs may find themselves stuck in a corner, unable to get out.  He may bite at the air as if he sees flies, or stand rock solid with his eyes fixed on nothing and drool.  He may stare into space as if he can see into the next dimension, and be unresponsive to your voice or even your touch. Dogs who experience these kinds of seizures will be unable to hear or see you while they are in the midst of the seizure. Complex partial seizures can escalate into Grand Mal seizures, or they can just as easily leave without a trace, and the dog will appear as if nothing happened, leaving you wondering if you can trust your own senses as to what you think you just witnessed.

GRAND MAL SEIZURES, a/k/a TONIC-CLONIC SEIZURES. These are the seizures that can be mistaken for a heart attack or a stroke, but there can be no question that something horrible is happening to the dog. The dog loses complete control of its body, falls to the ground and may lose consciousness. The dog may actually stop breathing for a few seconds. When breathing resumes, the dog’s body will convulse and the dog may lose control of its bladder or bowels. These kinds of seizures involve the entire body, whereas partial seizures affect just one part or side of the dog’s body. These seizures can become either STATUS EPILEPTICUS or CLUSTER SEIZURES. The status epilepticus seizure is a GRAND MAL that is not over after five minutes, and it can be life-threatening. Dogs experiencing cluster seizures will come out of one seizure for a time, only to have another a short time later.

After the seizure is over, depending upon its intensity, a dog may appear to be drugged, confused or very tired. If the dog did not lose bladder or bowel control during the seizure, he may need to relieve himself urgently. Some dogs experience temporary blindness, and pacing is also common following a seizure. Many dogs will be ravenous or thirsty because the massive neural and physical activity during a seizure releases hormones and consumes glucose.

Once you have determined that your dog did have a seizure, it is important to get the dog in to see a veterinarian in order to have a full examination done. The exam should include a full panel blood work-up to check for a possible thyroid imbalance, hypoglycemia, low serum calcium levels in the blood, tick borne diseases such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever disease, distemper, and kidney or liver diseases. If everything is ruled out, then you will likely get a diagnosis of Idiopathic Epilepsy, which usually has a genetic link in the dog’s ancestral chain, and should be brought to the attention of the breeder, if known. With proper canine nutrition and under the care of a veterinarian who is experienced in treating epilepsy, the odds are in your favor that your dog will be able to live a long and happy life despite the seizure disorder.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a continuation of our guest author series. Kaydee’s story follows Kaydee and her health as she switches to a raw food diet.

FRIDAY vet appt. — Again that night I spent it lying on the floor near the back door, Kaydee nor I getting much sleep. FINALLY – – IT – – WAS – – MORNING!!! In a short time we were packed up and on the road heading to the vet. How I had wished our vehicle could sprout wings OR better yet, just blink my eyes and be THERE!! The drive takes about 35 min. Once we arrived I checked in with the receptionist and gave her Kaydee’s pooh sample. I let her know that Abbie had the appointment and that I had called in the day before about Kaydee’s problem – that I had been told she would be worked in. The receptionist said that would be fine. Turning she gave the sample to one of the techs who took it down the short hallway and laid it on a tray in the lab area to be analyzed.

My husband and I sat there waiting patiently for our name to be called (there were LOTS of people with their pets that morning). About 30 minutes later we were FINALLY called for Abbie’s appointment! As we were getting up I noticed the office manager glaring at me while speaking to the receptionist. She angrily walked down the hallway to the lab area snatched up Kaydee’s pooh sample turned on her heel and stormed back to the front, plopped it on the counter and then emphatically stated “You CAN NOT take your new puppy into the exam room with you while dr. examines your cat!” “You must take the puppy outside and leave it in your car!”

I was DUMBFOUNDED!!!! Not only by her rudeness but the fact that she would even suggest leaving a puppy (our SICK puppy) locked up in a car when it was HOT outside! I said “Excuse me, leave my sick puppy in the car when it’s HOT outside! I don’t think so!” She corrected herself saying that one of us would have to stay outside with the puppy. I explained to her that Kaydee was pooping blood and had to be seen by the dr. TODAY. That I would not let the dr. look at her while in the exam room with Abbie. That we were willing to wait. The office manager said “if you take the puppy in the exam room he will want to look at the puppy which will put him even further behind! “NO! THE PUPPY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE EXAM ROOM!” The “Ice Queen” had spoken.

She also informed us that the wait time for an available time slot could take HOURS!! With that said I knew my husband would not want to sit there and wait ALL DAY! I turned and looked at him and then at the office manager. I did not know what to do. Abbie needed to be seen, although she was not as seriously ill as Kaydee was. What a dilema!!! The office manger stood there impatiently waiting for us to make up our minds… when she suggested that Kaydee take Abbie’s appointment and either wait or reschedule an appointment for Abbie.

I turned to my husband for his approval but I only saw a face that had turned to stone & his eyes blazed with the fury. He ground out “Give the appointment to Kaydee she needs to be seen NOW!” He grabbed Abbie in her carrier, handed Kaydee to me and stormed out of the building spewing expletives under his breath. He had, had enough of this nonsense!

Within moments my favorite vet walked in (actually the only vet I would see). He immediately apologized for the long delay and began his exam of Kaydee. As I was explaining Kaydee’s symptoms, he stopped looked at me and stated “Lynn, you and I have worked together for a number of years now and I wouldn’t be doing my job as your vet justice if I didn’t tell you this…. I know you will say NO, but I have to as your vet tell you to TAKE THE PUPPY BACK.”

He was right. I looked him straight in the eye and said “Hell NO!” “She’s mine now!” He nodded as he took Kaydee from my arms to draw blood and to analyze the pooh sample. All tests results came back negative (worms/giardia). When he came back into the exam room he was really puzzled and said that it could just be side effects of having worms/Giardia. He started to ask more questions when I remembered that I had the phone number to the kennel where I had purchased Kaydee from.

I looked it up and the dr. wrote it down and left the room again. When he came back he said that the kennel openly admitted to having a “RAGING” case of Coccidia. Which is a VERY NASTY parasite that is gotten by dogs drinking water that has waterfowl pooh in it. (The kennel did have a large pond in their back yard that they used for training purposes) he ran a test for this NASTY parasite and she was negative. Still puzzled he decided that he would treat her for Coccida anyhow and that the blood in the pooh was from her intestines being so ulcerated from the parasite. I left the exam room not only with two prescriptions for Kaydee but a prescription for Abbie too! Yes, I had found a moment to explain to the dr. Abbie’s symptoms too! I left the exam room feeling hopeful that Kaydee would be alright in a couple of days. WRONG!

By Monday morning we were back at the vet’s. She was still having diarrhea (going on 5 days) and still blood in her stools. But not pure blood as before. My vet was not there so we saw an associate and she gave Kaydee a prescription for Carafate. That THANK you GOD finally resolved the diarrhea/blood issue. And Kaydee learned a new word “MEDICINE.” A word that would soon become an everyday word….

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is a continuation of our guest author series. Kaydee’s story follows Kaydee and her health as she switches to a raw food diet.

On the ride home Kaydee was shivering and shaking (they had given her a bath and was still slightly wet). We turned up the heat ALL the way to help keep her warm and wrapped her up in her blankie. Even though it was June and warm outside it was too cold for a damp puppy!!! I knew from past experiences that she would probably end up having an upset tummy from the long ride home and all the new changes. All very normal typical for a new puppy.

When we got Kaydee home we let her run around in our back yard and let her explore her new world. Upon taking her inside the house we introduced her to our two cats, Buster (Himalayan Exotic) and Abby (Ragdoll). Buster who is now (7) was afraid, but Abby (now 5) was very curious and would watch Kaydee with interest but from a safe distance. Kaydee happily went from room to room sniffing, running all around, being playful, & curious of her new surroundings. After a bit we decided it was bed time & got her box, blankie and her new stuffed toy. We placed her in her box and my husband and I took turns watching her as we got ready to settle down and try to get some sleep. BUT as all new puppies do the box was NOT where Kaydee wanted to be!!! Her cries tugged at her Daddy’s heart strings and he scooped her up placing her on the bed in between the both of us where after finding her own spot fell asleep. Everything was peaceful.

AND then it started… a short time later she started to squirm and that 6^th sense a mother has took over. I grabbed her and quickly ran to take her outside. I ended up sleeping on the floor with her in our back room taking her outside about every 2-3 hours. Her upset tummy continued all through the next morning. I took her off all food except water. My husband would just shake his head each time she would squat to do her business. Early afternoon I noticed a tiny spot of pink in her poop. Red flags started going off in my head but then her next poop was OK. So I thought maybe I was just imaging things. Late afternoon we were outside playing when I noticed Kaydee starting to squat and to my horror it was only BLOOD!!! About a ¼ tsp. of pure blood!! I felt the bottom of my stomach fall and I looked up at my husband and then ran to the phone to call our vet.

His recommendation was taking her off all foods, giving her water only for the first 24 hours (which I was doing already). We could not get her in that day as it was almost closing time nor did it seem like it was a BIG DEAL to them. I told the person on the phone that I had an appointment for Abby early the next morning (she was having an ongoing sinus problem). I was told to bring Kaydee in tomorrow and they would work her in. My heart was aching as I knew Kaydee did not feel well but also she was hungry!!! You could see on her face the pain she was feeling. Tomorrow could not come soon enough!! My husband and I looked at each other with a knowing look that this was SERIOUS!!! In the months to come we would learn just how serious her problems actually were…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following post is the first in our brand-new series of guest authors sharing their stories with us. We are thrilled to introduce Lynn and Kaydee!

Hi There,

My name is Lynn and Kaydee is my little girl. But before I begin Kaydee’s story I just wanted to express my HEARTFELT gratitude to Sandy for responding to an email through the epi group we both are a members of. If she had not responded I would have never found out about the RAW diet and the miracle it had given Cory. Nor would I have had the courage to try something new — something that I actually thought was bad for epi’s. Because of her and Cory I now have HOPE and through this blog the legacy that Sandy and Cory forged will live on. Thanks Fairy Godmother!

Our story begins with the birth of my little girl, Princess Kaydee Mae of Hamlett. She was born on May 1, 2008. She came from a litter of 6 puppies from a privately owned kennel approximately an hours drive SE of my home in South Bend , IN. Prior to going to the kennel I had searched the internet high and low looking for the “RIGHT” kennel. I had researched “How to pick a good kennel,“ etc. So when my husband and I arrived at the kennel to look it over and meet both parents of the puppies, we were impressed with the kennel and felt it met all the criteria that a “good kennel” should be; it was very clean, both parents were on site, only one breed of dog on the premises (not a puppy mill). Then we were introduced to the parents. Her father’s name is “Coach” and her mother “Dee” (hence the name Kaydee). Then we were allowed to observe the puppies. I was handed one of the two females not already chosen. My husband had spied the other one as she was more reddish in color and had a bit of sawdust on her nose. I noticed when he had picked her up that she immediately cuddled up to him and saw in his eyes that his heart was lost forever. BUT we both had agreed we would not pick out the first puppy from the first litter we looked at until we looked at all the kennels that on my list. So we thanked the owners and drove down the road promising to call the next day after we looked at a litter of all black labs. We had gone a only couple miles down the road when my husband stated “I want THAT puppy!“ He had fallen in love with her. We turned back & drove to the kennel again to pay our deposit money. Then we had to wait 3 very LONG weeks until we could pick her up!

FINALLY Wednesday June 18, 2008 arrived!! I rushed home from work got things together and we were off to pick up our little girl. We were both filled with excitement! We had already bought her a kennel, blankie, assorted toys, food and water bowl, I even took the following week off from work so I could work with our new baby and potty train her. We were all set! Or at least we thought we were until the first 24 hours had passed…

As you know, Cory’s Story is about how our yellow lab, Cory, was cured of epilepsy by switching him from commercial dog food to a raw, grain-free, species-appropriate diet. Even though Cory has passed away, his story lives on, serving as a beacon of hope for all dogs plagued by epilepsy or other diseases. Cory’s Story proves that no matter what, there is hope. This Website started out as a blog about Cory’s life, and has since evolved into a resource for canine epilepsy. Now, it’s going to take the next step in its evolution.

We have received many emails from readers of Cory’s Story, thanking us for helping to convince them to make the switch to raw food. And we know that there are many, many more people who are making the switch every day and seeing the benefits for their dogs. Each of these dogs has a story; and now, we are going to make it possible for you to share your dog’s story with the world, right here on Corysstory.com.

If you’ve ever wanted your own dog blog, this is your chance. We’ll set you up with your own author account and you’ll be able to make posts that follow your dog’s journey through the switch to raw dog food. You’ll be able to post pictures of your dog and share your story with the thousands of followers of Cory’s Story. In doing so, we’ll show the world first-hand evidence of the benefits of raw feeding–and together we’ll fulfill our mission to make the information available that we learned, which cured our dog of epilepsy, to all dog owners; so that every dog in the world has a chance to live a happier, healthier life.

So, are you ready to share your dog’s story with the world? Send me an email at jayson@corysstory.com with the following information:

1. Your name
2. Your dog’s name
3. Type of dog
4. Have you made the switch to raw food? (Yes, no, recently, very soon)

This is an exciting opportunity and we are absolutely thrilled to get started. Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi everyone, we have big news and big plans at Cory’s Story. Stay tuned for news you don’t want to miss! Less than 24 hours to go…

Cheers!

-Jayson

Hi everyone, to celebrate the season, it’s now snowing at Cory’s Story! Even if you live somewhere warm, you can enjoy the snowflakes (just as long as you visit us every now and then!).

Warmest wishes for you and your family, from all of us at Cory’s Story.