Category: Elsa’s World

Purple Day ~ 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

Although my precious angel left this earth just 16 days ago, I was and remain a big proponent of the Five Sibes’ Live Gib Strong Epilepsy Awareness Day. As many of you know, Elsa was adopted back in the autumn of 2016 and two weeks later was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy following several severe Grand Mal seizures. Having owned an epileptic dog before, I knew a little about what to expect. Because I was 100% committed to keeping Elsa and helping her enjoy a good life with me despite being offered the option of returning her to the rescue. That option never occurred to me. Instead, I became obsessed with providing her with the best life possible. Enter two fellow bloggers who are lay experts in providing the best life for their own epileptic fur companions. FiveSibes and Knotty Toys for Good Dogs became my go-to for info, tips and resources and I couldn’t have found two more dedicated advocates for the treatment of canine epilepsy. Both of these remarkable epileptic ambassadors provided Elsa and I with amazing info to manage her condition along with our vet. My vet once told me, the advice I was getting from them both helped me keep Elsa’s seizures manageable all the while providing me with some much needed hope when I needed it most. To both of them, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please keep sharing your valuable info and resources for epileptic pets as well as their caregivers all over the world. Thank you for all you do.

Elsa, epilepsy

Many people don’t understand that epilepsy affects both the epi-warrior as well as the caregiver so having reliable and supportive info can make all the difference for us. I will always be grateful beyond words for their help as well as for all the resources they shared. Their advocacy makes me want to continue to be a supporter for Purple Day even though Elsa is now seizure free at the Rainbow Bridge.

For more educational information and a list of resources, please watch this  short video.

On a closer and more personal note, I also want to thank everyone who sent donations in Elsa’s name to RMOES Rescue as well as notes of condolences after she earned her angel wings. Your notes of gentle support have buoyed my heart and I know the rescue is equally grateful for your donations.  Your supportive thoughts of comfort have been so very appreciated. Blogville is the truly the best at supporting its own and especially at times of heartache. If only words of gratitude were as easy and heartfelt to express as what your support has meant. I’m truly at a loss for the right words of gratitude and will simply leave it with the humble but deeply sincere “thank you,” from the bottom of my heart.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 133 Comments

This is the kind of post no pet parent wants to write. I’m completely gutted to share that my beloved Elsa, ninja extraordinaire, earned her angel wings and passed peacefully late Monday afternoon. To say I’m beyond grief stricken about this immense loss is an understatement.

Elsa possessed a fierce spirit and was one of the most loving, sweetest dogs I’ve ever known. She was somewhere between 11 and 13, but her actual date of birth was unknown. As a puppy mill mama, there were no records of her or any of the other Standards found when she and the other  dogs were seized after the owner passed away. Each of those dogs all had genetic problems, and Elsa’s was epilepsy. But she never complained, took her daily meds willingly and was never a problem trying to draw blood. Her vet and his staff loved that she was always an easy patient to treat. When I adopted her, she was basically feral and it took a few years before she knew how to respond to a positive home environment where she could relax knowing it was safe, comfortable and loved. You can read about her adoption here. Thankfully Sam kindly took her under his paws and taught her how to be a dog instead of a shut down canine who I adopted. I’m convinced that Norman taught her to wag her tail. Suffice to say she had many quirks and did not give her affection easily but once she did, she was loyal through and through. Elsa was definitely a “still waters run deep’ kind of dog and I adored her with all my heart. I will miss her impishness and those loving nose nudges.

Because I am so overcome with grief, I will be temporarily stepping away from blogging and social media until my heart has had a chance to heal a bit. But first I want to thank you for all the kind, caring get well wishes over the past month. In lieu of cards or memorial gifts, I would ask, if you’re so inclined, that you make a small donation to our favorite rescue, RMOESR.org in her honor or your own favorite local shelter/rescue. We think rescue dogs rock!

It’s so hard recognizing her noticeable absence from the Ranch and continue to wait for her to raise her head from her bed and give me ‘that‘ look. The look that said I’m here and want something and can’t wait for you to figure out what it is. Despite being a total ninja, quiet and stealthy, her personality was large. While there are hundreds of favorite photos of this very special dog, these two captured her most perfectly. The first a professional photo; the second one taken a few years ago on a beautiful spring day in the neighborhood.

Angel Elsa

Elsa

Rest in peace my sweet precious fur-angel and give my love to Sam and Norman for me. 💔

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ February 21, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 77 Comments

Elsa{Cough…wheeze} Welcome to this week’s wrap up from last week’s visit to the Broomfield Depot Museum while she was killing time waiting to pick up the House Pony from the groomer. Elsa here…I’m only a little better so if any of you have wizard-like powers, I’d sure appreciate you sprinkling me with some good Juju magic.

Today we’re going to share info about Broomfield’s Depot Museum Please enjoy this YouTube video on the Depot’s restoration.

Wilson: Mum loves historical places and always likes to investigate unusual or unexpected things inside and outside the Depot. After capturing those prairie dog images, she went inside to see what  life in general looked like in 1909 Broomfield.

Broomfield Depot living room scene

Elsa: Mom was skeptical as to whether there was electricity for that toaster from last week but she discovered that electricity actually came to Colorado in the late 1800’s during the railroad boom. It makes sense that this stop would showcase some of the modern conveniences of the times that passengers liked. Pictured above is the Kolster Tombstone Tube Radio with a vintage Kodak box camera on top of it. However both items were actually from the mid-to-late 1920’s. They were likely added to the display because of their antique-y look of the period and might have been added after the Depot was opened.

Wilson: You’re right, Ninja. She suspected many of the items displayed at the Depot were more associated with the 1920’s, like this amazing looking ice box.

Antique ice box

Elsa: That piece is in great condition, though and is similar to this early 1900’s wall-mounted telephone. I’m going out on a limb by saying they probably didn’t use this phone to order an Uber carriage ride home after they reached the station.

Antique telephone

Wilson: That’s likely a good bet. But we’re very sure this next photo showing a Hall’s Safe & Lock Company safe (circa 1849) actually was one of the initial things they had when the Depot opened to safely stash ticket receipts. At that time, the Cincinnati based Hall’s company sold half of all fireproof and burglar-proof safes and vaults in the US and was the largest vault company in the world by 1892.

Antique safe 1849

Elsa: I’ll bet that was one heavy safe and it looks like it too was in pretty good condition.

Wilson: It sure is. As is this classic Hoosier cabinet which was very popular from 1900 to 1930. Around the 1890s, several furniture manufacturers in Indiana discovered that a stand-alone kitchen cabinet with storage and workspace would be an easy sell. Having a kitchen workstation where ingredients and various utensils could be stored, yet easily accessed when preparing meals and they were all the rage. It’s always a treat when Mum finds antiques like these especially when they’re in such good shape. She used to go antiquing years ago and still has a few nice pieces she collected nearly 50 years ago.

Hoosier cabinet

Elsa: Whoa…didn’t realize that Mom was that old. {heh, heh} Because I know how much you like meals, where do you think they stored the dog food?

Wilson: {oooh..yum…smack…drool} Good question…I personally think our food should have been stored in that large door on the bottom left but I’m sure things were a lot different for us dogs back then.

Elsa: Easy on the drool, buddy. Let’s get back to focusing on what else Mom found at the Depot.

Wilson: {disappointed} You sure know how to take the joy out of sharing these images.

Elsa: Not everything is about food, dude.

Wilson: {gasp} Perish the thought but I saved the best history for last. There wasn’t any info that Mum found during her quick poke around inside the Depot but she did a lot of sniffing around when she got home about “Shep, the Turnpike Dog,” after she came upon this spot outside. She wanted to know all about Shep.

Shep, Turnpike Dog

Elsa: So the story goes that back in the early 1950’s when the Denver-Boulder Turnpike toll opened, Shep was already a fixture on the scene. Rumored to be part of a litter of pups who escaped from a farmer, Shep apparently made his way to the construction site where the toll road was being built. Workers on the toll road would share their lunches with the friendly pooch and then Shep was eventually enticed to sleep in the toll booth on a cold night. Being no ordinary fool, Shep welcomed the invitation and then spent part of his days with the toll booth operators where he quickly became their mascot. Soon travelers would offer treats, toys, bones and even left donations to fund food for the engaging dog as they made their way along the toll way.

Wilson: He sure sounded like he enjoyed his ‘job.’ I know first hand people love dogs with a purpose and he likely brought a lot of joy to folks traveling on the turnpike.

Elsa: He was beloved and after he was shot, he managed to return to the toll booth where workers rushed him to a nearby vet, Clyde Bruner who treated the canine celebrity for free. Shep lived the rest of his life at the toll booth and Dr. Bruner treated him for various injuries incurred from coyote interactions. As Shep aged, he began to lose his eyesight and toll booth workers decided rather than have him suffer or get seriously injured around all the cars, and he was euthanized in 1964 at age 14.

Wilson: That seems rather sad, though Mum told me he lived a good life and was personally buried by the highway superintendent, Paul Kempf. A donated headstone marked the grave until 2009 when the Department of Transportation gave the Broomfield Museum permission to move the grave from Zang Spur Park to the Depot Museum which also had been relocated from its original location. He lived at the tollbooth for 14 years. [Photo credits: Justin Kent, L, and Jeff Kissinger, of Broomfield Parks, dug out the grave markers for Shep the Turnpike Dog for the move from his resting place at the intersection of Hwy. US 36 and State Hwy. 121 to the Depot Hill Museum in 2009. Photo courtesy-Staff photo/David R. Jennings.]

Moving the grave
Broomfield Enterprise Photo
Shep photo-Denver Post
Photo: The Denver Post

Shep, Turnpike Dog

Elsa: Gotta love the inscription on the newer headstone. Sounds like quite a dog and another story of famous dogs from the metro area. Well done, House Pony.

Wilson: Many thanks, Ninja. Sharing stories like this always warms Mum’s heart. We dogs are special creatures and by telling their stories, others recognize all of our contributions.

Elsa: Umm, let’s not get carried away with nostalgia but it’s suffice to say how important it is to learn about the local history. So what’s on your dance card for the weekend? Our weather will be taking a detour on the winter from hell tour (color us happy) At the time this post was written we had high hopes but after last night’s 8-10 inch dump, it looks like Mom will only be digging out. I feel sorry for her sternum and torn bicep because this is a heavy snow. Originally I had hoped I’d be well enough to go for a short walk but Mom barely let me go potty this morning. . No offense Mom, but being inside with you all day is getting old, even with the snuffle mats and the Licki-Mat bowl to exercise our minds. Whatever you do, we hope your weather permits you to enjoy the nicer elements that Nature might offer. If you can find them.

Nature FridayLive, love, bark! 🐾

National Black Dog Appreciation Day

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 63 Comments

Cheers, mates. Wilson here to extol the virtues of the day…today is National Black Dog Day. Yes, there is a day devoted to black dogs and for good reason. Did you know that black dogs have the lowest rate of adoption and highest rate of euthanasia of any shelter dogs? What’s behind that craziness, you ask?

National Black Dog Day

Celebrated annually on October 1st to combat Black Dog Syndrome, this day was founded by animal behaviorist and activist Colleen Paige (who also created National Dog Day and National Mutt Day). To encourage the adoption of black dogs, some shelters and rescues will waive adoption fees or host special events to benefit dark-colored pups.

Did you know that black dogs are often the last to be adopted in shelters? That’s why we celebrate National Black Dog Day each October to spread awareness that every pup deserves a fur-ever home.

While there is some debate over the veracity of black-colored dogs being readily adopted, the issue known as  Black Dog Syndrome (BDS) is real. It’s thought that black dogs are more likely to stay in shelters longer and may potentially be euthanized if they aren’t adopted soon enough. With space and other resources being limited and the real effort to get dogs adopted out as quickly as possible, black dogs are often overlooked by potential adopters.
Elsa
Anyone can participate in National Black Dog Day. Even if you don’t have a black dog, you can use #NationalBlackDogDay on your social media posts to help spread awareness about BDS or by donating to your local shelters and rescues to aid in the adoption of black dogs, as well.

Black Dog Syndrome

What is Black Dog Syndrome? There are many negative connotations associated with black animals. Ancient superstitions often keeps someone back from adopting a black pet. All too often black dogs have been portrayed as guardians of the underworld in mythology.

Yes, it’s a real challenge photographing dark dogs and they are frequently  passed over. Light-colored dogs definitely stand-out a bit more in pictures. But in reality, a black dog is no different than any other pup regardless of their coloring. They all need love and care just like every other dog.

Ancient superstitions may hold someone back from adopting a black pet.  Black dogs have often been portrayed as guardians of the underworld in mythology much like black cats are associated with bad luck or witchcraft.

Likewise, black dogs in movies and television are often portrayed as aggressive, as well (i.e. the attack dogs in the movie The Dark Knight and Fluffy, the three-headed guard dog, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone are all black dogs).

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And while she’s been known to nosh on some of the strangest things over the years and has seizures, this girl is beloved and Mum thanks her lucky stars she’s a Ranch Hand. So please join me in celebrating Black Dog Appreciation Day. Way to take center stage, little one.

National Black Dog Day

Live, love bark! 🐾

World Purple Day ~ March 26, 2024

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 49 Comments

Epilepsy

We don’t normally post on Tuesday’s but this year it seemed more important than ever to merit posting on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Today we join our friends, Dorothy Wills-Raftery, the award-winning author, K9 Epilepsy Awareness Ambassador, and creator of the Five Sibes™️ blog along with CEO Olivia from Knotty Toys for Dogs  for this year’s annual celebration of Purple Day,® a global grassroots event created to increase epilepsy awareness throughout the world to dispel many of the common myths and fears associated with this neurological disorder. We can’t begin to thank Dorothy and Olivia enough for their ongoing advocacy, shared information and tips relating to seizures and epilepsy.

Purple Day® was created to reduce social stigmas many encounter while providing valuable assurance and resources to all those living with epilepsy by letting them know that they are not alone.  Purple Day® occurs every March 26 and honors all epi-warriors, be they 2 or 4-legged. Once again, we proudly support this event by wearing purple. As many of you know, Elsa, was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy shortly after she was rescued in 2016 as a puppy mill survivor with unknown lineage, (her story can be read here). Supporting epilepsy awareness and education has become a no-brainer for me and I continue to be committed to learning as much as possible about this condition, how to effectively manage it while providing a safe and loving home for this special dog by bringing attention to the condition. We are truly fortunate that despite some of the recent stressors she’s experienced that could trigger a seizure, my favorite ‘Ninja’ {knock on wood} has been mostly seizure-free of late.

Elsa
You woke me up for this?

So again for this year’s “Purple Day®” event you are invited to join us by wearing purple for everyone who is impacted by seizures and epilepsy. Please check out the Epilepsy Foundation’s website for useful information for people and pets who experience seizures with a worldwide resource database can be found here. 

Word Cloud

Live, love, bark! ❤︎

Monday Musings ~ February 12, 2024

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 89 Comments

It’s Monday.  Again. How did this happen to us?

Monday smiles

We hope you all survived the weekend and enjoyed an exciting Super Bowl. No doubt many were disappointed by yesterday’s outcome but if it was an exciting game you wanted, I think you will admit, it was a full serving. Can anyone explain to me how in the world Patrick Mahomes managed to pull off that win? Maybe another ‘conspiracy’ I’ve heard over the years that suggests he’s a witch, is true? I dunno. I think that’s the longest I’ve held my breath watching a game. On another note, were there any notable commercials that tickled your fancy? Was it just me or were there LOTS of them? What did you think about the half-time show. If you didn’t watch the Super Bowl, did you manage to catch Puppy Bowl XX? It definitely had a great outcome with more pups and kitties finding their fur-ever homes. Whether you were rooting for Team Ruff (with its own exciting last second win) or Team Fluff, you couldn’t help but enjoy the all the canine and feline fun. For highlights of the game, you can click here and to see who won the MVP, click here.

International Epilepsy Day

Today is also International Epilepsy Day where there is a concerted and worldwide effort to bring awareness to this terrible health condition for both people and pets. As the parent of an epileptic pet, it’s a topic near and dear to my heart. If epilepsy has touched your life there are organizations who can help by provide awareness, info and resources. You can read more about it and our story here. And don’t forget to wear purple today. Stay safe and strong epi-warriors and have a great week.

Elsa, epilepsy

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ January 8, 2024

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 70 Comments

Welcome to Monday where we always start out the week with a smile. If you missed us last week, there’s a perfectly logical explanation. Elsa and I needed to make a whirlwind trip to Missouri and we’re still recovering from that. Be sure to come back later this week for an exciting announcement. But first…on to today’s smile.

Returning to Colorado Saturday evening, nature decided to ‘gift’ the region with a few presents…snow, cold and wind. The National Western Stock Show over last weekend which typically translates to cold temps. Well it IS January so I guess that should be expected. December was fairly mild so it has been a bit of an adjustment, following the recent warm temps Today’s smile describes Elsa to a tee. This girl is the Goldilocks when it comes to pottying. “This spot is isn’t level, this one has leaves, this one the ground is too compacted…”  I think you get the way her mind works. While the ‘pee-tio’ is mostly dirt with some mulch and gravel with a flagstone pathway at the gate to mitigate the mud with a bordering sidewalk next to house, there’s just no way grass will last with dogs so I always shovel out an area where she normally relieves herself to prevent the snow from clinging to her legs, belly and nether regions. Invariably and unless I do the entire run which covers the length of the house and then some, this is precisely her reaction. I thought it was just a quirk of hers but apparently it’s a thing.

Monday smile

We hope you are able to conduct whatever business you need to easily this week. Stay safe and warm and be sure to join us later in the week after we’ve had some time to decompress and catch up from the whirlwind trip.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ December 22, 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 57 Comments

ElsaWelcome to the first full day of Winter following yesterday’s Solstice. While the days are short, and in this season, it’s easy to get your tinsel in a tangle, but it’s also a magical time of year with ‘Santa Paws’ arriving in just a few days. As always we’re joining Rosy and Sunny at Adventures of the LLB Gang. This week I’m actually going to share real life nature photos. Elsa here and just so you know, I made an important editorial decision today. No more stupid inflatables or weird Santa skeletons for the rest of the year. You’re welcome. For the past couple of weeks, the Ranch had been going to the dogs naturewise, showing some ridiculous pics. Today I’m going to show you how to really go to the dogs…wolves that is. In exciting news this week, the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released the first group of wolves in accordance with a 2020 voter mandated reintroduction in Colorado now that all the legal challenges were resolved by a federal court last week. So let’s get started, shall we?

Elsa: On Monday, the CPW seemed to take pity on me by sharing this video showing the release of the 5 grey wolves (3 males and two females). They were released in an undisclosed area on public lands in Grand County. There had been multiple legal challenges filed by various Western Slope groups, including The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association who had lost their final court challenge on December 16th. Judge Regina Rodriguez said that while ranchers’ concerns were understandable, their complaints were insufficient “for this court to grant the extraordinary relief they seek.” She added that pausing the reintroduction process would be against public interest since a majority of voters (albeit a slim one) passed Proposition 114 back in 2020, requiring the reintroduction. On Monday, the wolves were released with a pleased governor and about 45 guests watching as they ran to a nearby forested area. There is no audio to this video (but at least there aren’t any annoying ads either). I heard that one of the wolves looked back at the peeps before high-tailing it into the trees. Aren’t they just magnificent?

The Mom: Umm yeah, I realize I haven’t been my best lately when it comes to sharing Nature pics so I’m glad you took initiative with this week’s Nature Friday edition, although the truth of the matter regarding the timing was simply coincidental. In reality, this hot-button issue had been mandated by the voters when Proposition 114 was passed in 2020, with rural communities staunchly opposed to the reintroduction plan, complaining it wasn’t fair to them since Front Range cities carried the proposal over the rural Western Slope residents’ criticisms. Their complaint was they would be impacted more by the presence of this top-tier predator than city slickers. Between 30-50 wolves will be sourced from multiple northern Rocky Mountain states, then reintroduced over a 3-5 year period with CPW partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department according to their plan for reintroduction. Monday’s wolves had been captured, health checked and fitted with radio colors only a few days before they were released in Colorado.

Wolves
Wolf stock image, courtesy of David Parsons

Elsa: Whoa…talk about impressive. I heard the largest was 108 lbs…so what’s their usual habitat range?

The Mom: Scientists suggest on average that it’s around 50 miles but it can range anywhere from 22 to 140 miles, so they won’t be released within 60 miles of the state border. The wolves were released in an undisclosed area that has a large deer and elk population. Officials are hoping they won’t be a risk to livestock, thus hopefully alleviating rancher concerns.

Elsa: Hmm, I seriously doubt that ranchers will still be fuming. Wolves have been villainized forever. Didn’t wolves use to live in Colorado before?

The Mom: Yes, they did but it was a long time ago. Wolves were extirpated decades ago by ranchers and hunters although a few have migrated from Wyoming over the years but CPW basically thinks that effectively there haven’t been any since the 1940’s. There’s always been such a fear of wolves so this reintroduction was heavily debated. To assuage rancher concerns, according to the CPW’s website…

All released wolves will be monitored using satellite GPS collars, which will inform managers on survival and dispersal, as well as future release protocols. As packs establish, effort will be made to collar at least one member of each pack with emphasis on breeding adults. The desired standard will be to have two collars in each pack; whether this is achievable for every pack in the state will be determined following reintroduction (emphasis added).

Elsa: Sounds like the CPW is going to keep a close eye on them. Say, didn’t your daughter visit a wolf sanctuary several years ago in a private photography session that allowed her to be right in their enclosures with them?

The Mom: Indeed she did. It was a surprise birthday gift from her husband and one of the most amazing experiences she’s ever had. Just check out some of their images from their gallery of these magnificent creatures.

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Elsa:  Wow, how cool that she could go inside the enclosures and be among those amazing creatures! Now this, is what I call nature, Mom.

The Mom: It sure is and she was thrilled beyond words to be able to spend an entire day taking it all in. She’s always had a spiritual connection to wolves.

Elsa: Pretty doggone cool, Mom. So what’s shakin’ for Santa Paws’ arrival? Are we going to spend the holiday with my Grandpa?

The Mom: We sure are, should be another wonderful get-together with several family members. Christmas was Mom’s birthday so we’ll all be thinking of her and raising a glass to toast her memory.

Elsa: So dear readers, what are your plans for Christmas. I’ve been good being a relative term good so I’m sure ‘Santa Paws’ will leave me some nice gifts. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

The Mom: However you spend the holiday, Elsa and I wish you a day filled with magic, peace and joy and we hope you are able to enjoy slices of Nature’s beauty this next week. Can you believe it, 2024 is just around the corner?

Elsa: Good heavens…now that IS rather unbelievable. Best wishes from me and Mom. We ‘woof’ you a very Merry Christmas.

Nature Friday

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Epilepsy Awareness Month ~ 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 40 Comments

Epilepsy awarenessHello, Elsa here. We normally don’t post on Thursday’s but because today is the last day of November, we are focusing attention on epilepsy  (especially after the recent return to Standard time which always winds up my Mom as she tries to phase in the meds to keep my anti-seizure medication as level as possible so I don’t seize). Mom hates having to figure out when to integrate those incremental shifts in time to keep things on an even keel since my meds must be administered every 12 hours at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM.  Sometimes she’s better at it but it gives her heartburn nonetheless and she always worries it might trigger a seizure. Luckily we got through it unscathed again but it’s always a colossal hassle. Can anyone tell me why we still do this stupid “spring forward/fall back” nonsense?

Originally we had hoped to have had this post prepared during the Thanksgiving holiday week rather than on the last day of the month but we were hampered with poor cell phone coverage and no Wi-Fi while visiting Mom’s Dad and we only just returned yesterday afternoon. As a blogger, this is as troublesome as trying to deal with the whole WordPress block editor garbage, and ranks right up there with Daylight Savings Time in dumb things you shouldn’t have to deal with. Between you and me, Mom’s bandwidth to deal with such junk is pretty slim so I knew we’d have to publish today.

When you’re a dog like me, you become pretty used to taking your meds. Mom has become quite creative in wrapping my pills in a very tasty treat so it’s not like she has to hog-tie me and pop a pill in the back of my throat. Having that happen would be weird, not to mention rude.

I began having seizures shortly after Mom rescued me over seven years ago (you can read about it in the highlighted link) and she’s been educating herself ever since.

My diagnosis came two weeks after I was rescued. There I was, a completely feral dog started having seizures getting used to being around people. I was fortunate to have Sam and Norman as my brothers-they taught me how to be a dog. I mean, I didn’t even know how to accept food from my Mom’s hand I was that shut down. Grand mal seizures started at first and following a short stay at the emergency vet clinic, I was treated and diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy which meant the vet wasn’t sure what the cause was. A likely factor was believed to be most likely was genetic (all the dogs seized after the owner of the puppy mill passed away had various conditions and he didn’t keep health records of any of us). Initially it was challenging determining what the right dosage of anti-seizure medication should be. I was placed on the least potent dose of Phenobarbital as well as given CBD oil but the dosage proved to be inadequate. The Phenobarb had to be adjust several times and for the most part I’m happy to report that Mom has been pretty good keeping me seizure free since late May {knock on wood}. Having a dog like me who has seizures can be a terrifying thing to witness.  Even with treatment, seizures are no picnic in the park and there are always challenges. Despite a few hiccups along the way like determining what the right dosage would be for my situation, Mom and my vet have seemed to hit the sweet spot and manage to keep the seizures mostly at bay. Even when I do have one, Mom has learned various techniques which make them fairly minor compared to when I first experienced them. I even went over a year without a single one. 

Mom says she’s lucky to have been part of an amazing blogging community who are far smarter and more knowledgeable than her when it comes to epilepsy and is particularly grateful for loads of advice from our friends over at Knotty Toys for Good Dogs and The Five Sibes who have shared amazing and informative resources and tips that have helped me. Remember that epilepsy is not a death sentence by any means and it is super important to get accurate information when treating epilepsy. There are also various epilepsy websites including Canine-Epilepsy as well as generalized info found at the Epilepsy Foundation and The Wally Foundation for educating oneself if it ever happens to you or your pet. I’ve certainly learned a lot since that first seizure and hope, with proper nutrition and the right balance of medication, I will live a long and happy life. If chewing on various items like reading glasses is any indication of happiness, Mom thinks I’m in hog heaven.

Did you know one in every 100 dogs is affected by epilepsy? Idiopathic epilepsy (the most common cause of seizures in dogs), is an inherited disorder, yet its exact cause is unknown. Other causes may include liver disease, kidney failure, brain tumors, brain trauma, or toxins. Onset in dogs usually beginning sometime between 2-6 years. As I mentioned, my onset episodes were quite severe, life threatening in fact and required emergency vet intervention but are now mostly  managed. I live a good life and enjoy things considered normal for dogs now and when the epi-monster hits, Mom knows how to treat me and get me through it easily. Do you know  anyone who is epileptic?

Again, many thanks to Knotty Toys and the Five Sibes for their counsel and support along this journey. With their help and info they share, Mom hopes to have me around chewing on her things for a good long time.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are making ready for Santa Paws.

Elsa💜 Live, love, bark! 🐾 💜

Howl-oween 2023

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 64 Comments

Elsa - Halloween

Elsa: You are so going to pay for this humiliation, Mother!

The Mom: Egad…you know you’re in trouble when you’re called Mother.

Elsa: Happy Howl-oween, peeps. We both hope it’s safe, fun but sans dumb costumes. Please stay away from Mothers who encourage you with high value treats in their pockets-it’s a complete ruse to humiliate you and is far worse than seeing any ghosts. And while you’re being careful, please stay away from chocolate-it’s not good for us four-leggers.

Live, love, bark! 🐾