[Gpdd] HEALTH Seizures

[Penny Charlesworth]

Stacy,

Sorry to read about poor Geronimo. It is really scary watching this happen and not be able to do anything about it.

I have had two Piggyfriends who suffered from seizures. One, Balthazar, had a terrible mite infestation when he arrived and would throw himself about in his pen. I thought that every fit would be his last but as the mites were brought under control the fits became fewer and fewer and eventually stopped. With him it was obvious what was causing the fits and he made a complete recovery.

Many years ago Primrose suffered from seizures. She had no sign of mites and there must have been another cause although my then vet was unable to determine what this was. She had to be kept in a separate pen with padded sides in case she injured herself. These fits could happen at any time and were not stress related. Like Geronimo, after the fit was over, she would get up as though nothing had happened.

Piggies can suffer from epilepsy and also can have seizures which are secondary to another disease as your vet has told you. My Richardson's Diseases of GPs recommends the use of "Primidone" which is an  anti-convulsant. This may have another name in the US.

With all the tests that are available these days, chances are that your vet will be able to correctly diagnose Geronimo's problem.

Teeth wearing down at an angle are a sign that dental work is in order. As he has to be anaesthetised anyway, this is a good chance for a bit of dentistry.

We will all keep our paws crossed for tomorrow and hope that there is nothing nasty causing the seizures.

Good luck Geronimo,

Penny and the Piggyfriends.