Nightmare in the making

Well, how do I start. Shae (my 17 year old sheltie) just had his 2nd seizure the other night. It was so sad to watch and afterwards I held him and cried. I don't believe in taking a dog of this age to the vet to be prodded and poked and put on meds that will not only make him drugged and out of focus, but will also prolong the inevitable. He has been such a great dog and I can see that he is in no pain. With each seizure I do notice that his eyesite is worsened. He has cataracts of both eyes and as his site weakens, my other dog Jack leads Shae around the outside so he can do his business.

The only thing that frightens me is coming home to find him dead. I would much rather be with him at the end. He seems to be ok now and is even back begging from the table. lol

Another thing is what will Jack do when he doesn't have Shae around to lead? I hope he doesn't become depressed. Jack feels that Shae is his little brother and his responsibility. He was so upset while Shae was going through the seizure. He actually hid after Shae's attack. Oh my, so much to worry about.

Oh, Jackaroo, I know exactly how you feel. My Shetland Sheepdog did not make it to be quite as old as yours, but she had quite a few more health problems. It's never easy, but its good to know that there are people there for you through thick and thin. We ultimatly had to put Nikki down when she got really bad off. It was the hardest decision I've made in my whole entire life. The fazes of mourning, depression, denial, and regrets are only tolerable by the fact that another pooch is counting on you. Jack will mourn as well, no doubt. Time doesn't heal, but with it you learn to deal with it better. If there is ever a time for another dog Jack will tell you.
Hopefully you have plenty of time with him to celebrate life. Make the best of every day you have with him. That you will never regret! ~hugs~

I ache for you...how often are they coming ?? Is he on any meds ?? If his quality of life is still good...I would hang on....it's such a sad time for you.

if quality of life is otherwise still good, it's worth a try to get the seizures under control. drugs won't necessarily make him unfocused. also, you can see if you can control the seizures by making some changes to the diet. if you are interested, PM me with a list of just what exactly you are currently feeding.

Thanks for your replies to my thread. Shae is doing ok today. But as you know, when it gets to this point it is day by day. It's suppose to snow here tonight and all day tomorrow and like all Shelties...Shae loves the snow. He has only had 2 attacks so far..the first one about 2 months ago.

I haven't taken him to the vet because of the expense. Being 17 years old, it would be just an added expense for something that is inevitable anyway.

Mordy, I have heard that diet can help. If you have any information concerning this I would love to hear it. PM me if you get the chance. I have heard from others that it does help. Even though the seizures will still come, diet can help make them farther apart.

Thanks again friends.

Lee