March 2019 was just like any other day. I was getting ready for work, when I was suddenly startled. A loud unfamiliar noise had emerged from the other room. My instincts told me something was wrong. I instantly ran through to find Dino rolling around on the ground, flailing and foaming at the mouth; he was completely incoherent.
Completely unaware of what was happening to him, my heart stopped as I tried to decide what to do. His convulsions lasted for thirty seconds or so, but felt like a lifetime. My first thought was that maybe he had come into contact with something poisonous. I’d never felt so helpless and terrified before. That was the first time Dino had a seizure.
Within the following weeks, his seizures continued and became more frequent, which ultimately led to Dino being diagnosed with epilepsy just before his second birthday. At the beginning of his diagnosis, like any owner would, it was hard not to break down with every seizure he suffered – and it wasn’t even the seizure that broke me, but the look he gave me after they were over before coming to comfort me with kisses, even though it was he who was the one who was suffering. Of course, I comfort him back, along with his sisters who too are always right there to make sure he is okay.
It’s now been three years since Dino was diagnosed with epilepsy, each of those years bringing a new mountain of emotions with them. The hardest part for all of us has been having to come to terms with the fact that not only is there no cure, but no one knows what triggers his seizures in the first place. The lack of explanation and fear of the unknown makes me constantly question his triggers; Are there any? If so, what are they? I want to help him to avoid them at all costs, but it breaks my heart to know that I can’t.
Over the years, adjustments of medications have helped to spread his seizures out, and as of January 8th, Dino has been seizure free! I know that Dino cannot escape his illness, but the way he handles each hurdle he comes across, and the support he has around him, makes me feel assured that he will be okay. I’m glad that he is still our charming, sweet-hearted Dino.
