Rather than post more images of snowy urban scenes with emerging spring bulbs (you’re probably as tired of seeing my spring storm photos as I am posting them), today we will be joining and supporting our ‘fur-iends’ from Knotty Toys for Good Dogs and the Five Sibes in a blog hop (click on the links for additional info), by participating in the annual international grassroots effort known as “Purple Day” which was created to increase awareness about epilepsy worldwide. If you make a donation of $5* or more at The Wally Foundation (who provides financial assistance to the owners of canine epileptics and dog rescue groups to obtain medications and veterinary services), you will receive a Purple Ribbon decal in the mail (*minimum donation of $6 outside of the USA).
As the parent of an epi-warrior, I have found a supportive and diverse network of people, dogs and informational resources since Elsa’s diagnosis just 2 weeks after she was adopted. Although I have owned dogs who suffered from epilepsy over the years, I’ve become far more educated about treatment for these special pets and no longer feel totally isolated. Educating myself to help Elsa has been a passion and both Knotty Toys for Dogs and the Five Sibes blogs have provided tremendous information that has definitely improved her life with ‘pawsome’ tips I never knew about previously.
Life with an Epi-Warrior can have its ups and downs but it doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy life like any other pet. Elsa may has her quirks due to her years of life in a puppy mill, but she still enjoys life being a sweet snuggler who loves playing with certain toys (apart from the well documented eviscerating of others).
Every year on March 26th, people from around the world are invited to wear purple and participate in events that support of epilepsy awareness. It is estimated that as many as 50 million peeps and 4% of all dogs have epilepsy. By bringing awareness to this disease, those who participate with Purple Day events hope to bring much-needed info to those who need it. There are many groups who can provide informational resources, such as The Wally Foundation and The Anita Kaufmann Foundation, among many others. Please check them out and support their efforts providing information to sufferers of this dreaded disease. We hope you’ll join us as we rock purple today.
Live, love, bark! 💜
So cute, that dog is so cute. I love the color purple.
Elsa is my puppy mill survivor who has epilepsy and rescued. She’s sweet but has lots of fear issues. She does seem to relax some around young people though.
Elsa, you look beautiful in your purple bandana, and I really like your choice of reading material! 😉 Thank you so much for joining us in our Blog Hop for Purple Day for Epilepsy! Together, we can truly bring awareness to the forefront for dogs and humans with Epilepsy. 💜
Many thanks for swinging by the Ranch and for the kind words. We were glad to ‘pawticipate’ in such a worthy blog hop to spread awareness about epilepsy. 💜💜💜
Deerest Elsa wee send lotss of POTP an <3 <3 to you!! Yore a brave poochie doggie livin with seezuress!
Wee are late wee know…LadyMew had more seezuress last week an it has bin ruff here. Butt wee are here now an so happy to see yore beeuteefull fotoss! An yore Ookpick toy iss so BIG! Mee has 2 littel Ookpickss of mee own….
**purrss** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) LadyMew
Thank you for commenting. Since I know you also have seizures it means a lot to us. Hope you’re doing better this week now that the full moon already rose. We know it can trigger seizures for some. Hugs and tail wags. 🥰
LadyMew iss not sure if THE Moon played a part inn her seezuress?!? Shee has bin uburr stressed out with broken fridgess an nasty peepell comin to scare her an Police havin to come here an sum other stew-pid stuff…..
Wee are hopin this week iss calmer 😉
We’ve got our paws crossed stress also affects Elsa so maybe that’s what triggered yours. Stay well my friend. Thinking of you.
Stress iss a HUGE part of LadyMew’ss seezuress. Shee has had a terribell 2 weekss. An this week has started off not-so-guud too!
FISHCAKESS!!
Mee sendss POTP to deer Elsa an LadyMew sendss <3
So glad that you are bringing awareness to this subject. A client of mine had a beautiful dog that had seizures, and she worked with a vet trying to figure out different his meds, but nothing worked, so she made the hard decision of putting him to sleep. Oscar was his name, and although he was only my client, I loved him dearly and it hurt like crazy when he was gone so I could only imagine what his family was going through.
Thank you. It’s definitely not a condition that has easy answers or solutions. While it’s distressing to witness Elsa’s seizures, I wanted to give her every chance for an as normal a life as possible. Her case is no longer as severe as when she was initially diagnosed so I’m very grateful we can manage them to acceptable numbers.
Elsa is a lucky girl to have you as a pet parent!
Lulu: “I’m glad to see things like this to help spread awareness of epilepsy in pets! I have heard that when Dada was much much much younger the family had a dachshund with epilepsy and the first time she had a seizure Dada was the only one home—his Mama and Dada were out somewhere—and he was scared because he didn’t know what it was or what to do.”
Charlee: “They didn’t have the Internet back then for him to look things up?”
Lulu: “Apparently not.”
Chaplin: “Wow. The stone age!”
Yeah we know how your dad feels. As a kid a couple of our Cocker Spaniels had seizures and we never knew what to do either. Sometimes the Internet can actually be helpful. 😊
There is no better information out there than from someone with experience dealing with an illness. I’m so glad there has been such wonderful support for you and Elsa, and that there is so much increasing awareness of this tough condition for dogs and humans! ♥
Thank you. It’s not an easy slog but at least the Epi-Community is close by to get questions answered.
Here’s to a seizure free day for Elsa. When our fuzzy friends can’t tell us what is hurting or going on inside of them our hearts ache for them. The confusion after a seizure is hard for people let along a furry that has no idea what happened. I would imagine… like us….a friendly happy face when we come to makes them less scared.
My heart has always been with you and Elsa and will continue to be.
How does Norman handle the seizure situation? Does it scare him?
Hugs,
Jean
I’m very grateful she recovers well from episodes. It’s a testament to the residency of pets. Here’s to good times in between seizures for pets and people. 💜💜💜
Elsa’s only had 1 seizure since Norman joined the pack last year and like pretty much everything else, the dog is unflappable. He laid down quietly while I got her through it and once it was all over, he went back to teasing me with a toy.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for many happy years for Elsa and you – and, of course, for Norman, too: all the best!
Have a great weekend,
Pit
Thank you! We appreciate your kind thoughts and I hope to be able to share their adventures for a good long time. 💜 💜 💜
Elsa my furiend you look pawsitively furbulous in your Purple 💜
Thank you for your kind words & wooftastic support 💜nose nudges💜
You’re too kind, Olivia. We’re learned so much through your blog posts. Thank you for all you do for the epi-community! 💜 💜 💜
Thank you for your kind words 💜nose nudges💜
🐾💜🐾
Sometimes I think I must have lived a very sheltered life because I have never heard of Purple Day. I was aware the health concerns of my favourite Ninja but that’s where what little knowledge I have on canine epilepsy ends. . It is all very new to me. Perhaps I should just put the stone back and go for a good long sleep in my cave.
Don’t feel badly; Purple Day is a relatively recent phenomena (2015 I believe). What isn’t too recent is the need to inform people there are resources to help all who suffer from this condition. With no cure on the horizon, we can only share resources to provide help and community to de-stigmatize in the interim. 💜 💜 💜
May purple reign for the cause. And Elsa really knows how to sport it.
Thanks. She’s an exceptionally good looking dog (not that I’m biased, mind you 😊). After her rough start she deserves the good life these days. 💜💜💜
She is quite fetching.
Thank you. No doubt about it, she is one of the prettiest standards I’ve ever seen.
A truly lovely lady.
Definitely the best!
So good that there is more information and help about these days.
True enough but still there is way too much stigma attached to anyone who has seizures, be they 2 or 4 legged. 💜💜💜
Yes, my first cleaner here in CR had attacks and she was regarded as someone to avoid but gradually her doctor sorted out a system of mediation for her which helped a great deal. But the reputation lasts, I am afraid…
That’s so sad. We like to think we’re an evolved species but I often wonder.
All too much evidence against!
I knew there was a reason I wanted to wear my purple shirt today!
Thank you for being you!
Thank you for supporting Purple Day! 💜 💜 💜
You know it! 💜💜🥰💜💜
What wonderful information, Elsa is a lucky girl(of course, you are a lucky human too ;-)!
Aww, you’re too kind. She’s a special one, even if she’s a pill sometimes. Have a terrific weekend.
Elsa sure does rock that purple. You’ve done a great job getting her epilepsy under control. Go Team Elsa!
Aww, thank you! She’s definitely had ups and downs but hopefully the worst is behind us. 💜💜💜
Excellent PSA, Monika
Many thanks, John. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart. 💜💜💜
Yes. 🤗
Elsa, you sure are posing like a princess for the Purple Day! Of course your just KNOW its to help pups such as yourself, right??
Us pups didn’t know her, but our Angel Suki had seizures too, caused by an inner ear condition. It was so scary to see her have them…
Petcretary wishes that seizures and epilepsy will be found a cure, and that it would not carry such an awful stigma. Peeps need to be educated better about this trouble.
I was actually quite surprised she posed so nicely for me. Usually she runs away. You are so right, there is a terrible stigma attached to epilepsy and seizures. Hopefully shining a light on the condition will educate people about it more.
Great cause and Elsa is rocking the bandana!
Aww, thank you. It’s a condition that has impacted me personally (and not just with Elsa).
Yay for your “Epi-Warrior” Elsa and for all animals and humans who have epilepsy. Raising awareness is a WIN/WIN.
Hugs, Teddy and Mom Pam
Thanks, Pam and Teddy. Yes, the more educational and awareness that can be shared will help countless people and pets.
A wonderful cause indeed. Excellent post.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. Scritches to the pups, a smooch to Norman and a hug to you. ♥
Thank you. Epilepsy education is near and dear to my heart with a couple of family members who suffer from seizures as well as Elsa.
Happy Purple Day! My favorite purple t-shirt is in the laundry, but I think I have a purple polo shirt that I can wear later (after my shower). The Ninja is a special girl, and I’m glad she has you for her Mom. You do a great job taking care of her! 💜💜💜
Thanks, Sue. She deserves a good life after her early beginnings. It’s the least I can do. 💜
Such a great cause, thanks for sharing the information and thanks for all you do to raise awareness about canine epilepsy!
The real heroes are Knotty Toys for Dogs and Five Sibes-I’ve gleaned so much helpful and useful info from them.