2 minute read
Just a Shadow of Merlin
What a roller-coaster ride we have had this year following our article about Shadow in last January’s newsletter.
Firstly, Merlin, our other Shih Tzu, who is 6 years old and gold and white, began having seizures last November after being frightened by fi reworks. Both dogs have common ancestors, which reinforces the genetic link of RAS (eg Merlin’s father is Shadow’s grandfather).
At the beginning of this year one vet at the practice refused to listen to our belief that both dogs have RAS and scathingly said it was epilepsy and if the seizures continued, Shadow would have to take epilepsy medication, which made us lose faith in his judgement.
Following this, I did extensive research into both conditions, and was appalled at the side effects the epilepsy drugs were having on animals (no longer used on humans for precisely that reason). This made me even more determined to bring about a change. We obtained an article, written by a vet, who said that, “despite widespread strong impressions” that a sudden drop in blood pressure resulting in syncope may occur in dogs, “convincing documented evidence is still lacking.” He also said the “table-tilt tests (commonly used in the investigation of syncope in humans) are not very practical for use in veterinary species”, and “assessment of blood pressure in the collapsing dog should be conducted as a matter of routine.”
I wrote to the author of the article, at the Royal Veterinary College, but have yet to receive a reply. I was about to follow up my letters when events overtook us last weekend. Shadow was having one seizure after another, about every two hours and, unbeknown to me, he had a stomach bug, which did not present itself for 36 hours after the seizures began. This, of course, causes dehydration, and lowered his blood pressure. I had to call the vet in the middle of the night, and she asked what I thought was causing it. I said I thought it was a sudden drop in blood pressure and asked that she give Shadow atropine.
The vet said Shadow’s heart rate was very low, which would confi rm he had low BP and said she thought the dose of digitalis he was taking was too high.
She recommended halving it as digitalis lowers the heart rate, and hence the BP, and could account for Shadow’s seizures. She gave Shadow an injection of atropine, followed by another several hours later, with the result being that the seizures were less intense, with longer periods between them and then ceasing altogether. So this confi rms that Shadow and Merlin DO have RAS, and the veterinary world now has to accept the condition does exist in animals.
Since cutting down the dose of digitalis, Shadow is running around behaving like a puppy, full of mischief. Everyone thought he would not make it when we had to attend the vet’s surgery for his second injection of atropine. The vets have now provided us with some atropine tablets in case of emergency, and I intend to provide them with full details about RAS to help others. The work continues…
