Meg is fading

If Meg had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, it would have explained a lot, and we’d have a much better idea of what we’re facing. But the x-ray came back clear, so we’re back to medicating and hoping for the best.

The vet thinks Meg is much older than we had thought. Because she was a rescue, her past is guesswork. There’s a strong possibility she’s slipping into senility.

Thursday night, around 11:00, Meg fell into another petit mal seizure. This time, though, it lasted for half an hour. She had been making noises in her sleep, but when they became very rhythmic and didn’t stop, I found her unresponsive and trembling. In fifteen minutes her eyes were responsive, but she remained on her side for another fifteen minutes. When she stood up she was very unsteady. In another ten minutes she was back to pacing, which she’s been doing almost constantly lately.

Yesterday she was still in slow motion, occasionally stumbling, and had several accidents in the house.

This morning, I went into the kitchen at about 7am. She was standing in the middle of the floor, head down, not moving. Her eyes had that now familiar glassy look. This time, the episode lasted for almost an hour. At 9am she had another (less severe), and at 10am, collapsed while pacing. Her morning dose of phenobarbitol finally kicked in around 10:30am, and she fell asleep in her crate. We closed the door so she’d be safely contained in case she again collapsed.

It’s now about 4pm. I carried her outside about 20minutes ago, and she did well out there, though still hesitant to come in. (In more normal times she’d run out, do what she had to, high-tail it back in, then dance and spin for joy when the leash came off. Meg’s never liked being outside.) She paced for a while after that, but is now settled in her usual place next to the sofa, sleeping soundly.

I’m at a loss. I don’t know if this is just another bad stretch, like she’s had with seizures that went away as suddenly as they appeared, leaving her healthy and happy for months at a stretch, or if this is part of a permanent decline.

More later.