sigh....

Chaos reigned yesterday. I took Maudie to see Dr Mc. about her seizure. The sun was out, I was late getting out of school and we CRAWLED over the bridge thick with traffic. Practically in tears, I called the office 20 minutes after our app’t should have started and told them I was 2 miles away and stuck.

Luckily Dr Mc worked us back in, and in fact spent quite a bit of time with us. Not so lucky: he doesn’t think it very likely that the Interceptor caused the seizure. Nor does Dr Mealey, the vet at WSU who developed the test for the MDR1 gene and linked it to ivermectin sensitivity. Both think it more likely to be idiopathic epilepsy, which tends to appear between 5 months and 3 years of age.

I have put out a call for anecdotes about collies who have suffered seizures while on Interceptor, and ceased having them when taken off that drug. I have gotten word about 2.

So she still MIGHT have sensitivity to the drug. The old packaging listed seizures as a possible side effect; the new package says convulsions. It may have little to do with the gene mutation.

We have taken her off the drug and will see from here. It was that or give her another dose and see if she had another seizure. We both voted for the first option.

Diethylcarbamazine, sold as Filaribits, the daily HW pill that was used before these monthly doses blew them out of the water was much safer. Many collie breeders will ONLY use it. Unfortunately, it is no longer available in the US, but it is available in Australia and Canada as Dimmitrol.

So…the search for information begins. I have found some good resources for epilepsy info like Guardian Angels and the Canine Epilepsy Network and just realized that my friend, Caroline Levin, wrote a book about it, which is certain to have good information. I even have a copy somewhere in the house.

Still my fervent wish is that I will not have to use any of them…