What a night.

I'm watching Luke sleep; it's good to see him able to catch a few z's.  We had quite a night and I will be needing to catch a few z's of my own this afternoon.  It all started around 8:30 last evening as I prepared to head for bed.  I was really tired so we were going to be early, or so I thought.  Luke and Elsa went out and as we prepared to go upstairs, Luke baulked.  For those of you who do not know Luke; he is a creature of habit and goes through the motions of routine like a robot.  This not wanting to upstairs thing was strange.  I coaxed him and we went up.  As soon as we got to our room it started; the shaking, need for eye contact and wobbly legs, seizure time. 

In the last couple of months Luke has had a few episodes.  I call them episodes because they are not a full on seizure like his typical ones.  These episodes stay in the pre-seizure stage but last for a couple of hours.  He is with me through the end of them and never slips into the gone zone of his normal seizures.  The first was on my Birthday this year and after 45 min. we rushed off to the Vets.  He had a full blood panel and urine analysis that came back pretty good except for slightly elevated liver enzymes.  So what was happening to cause the seizures to change?

After an hour in a wobbling, panting state; I carried Luke downstairs onto the couch.  He is not an easy carry; he never has been and still to this day does not enjoy being carried.  At least he is very light, although he is leggy and struggles.  Once we were on the couch; he was more comfortable as was I.  The episode continued and I tried not to worry.  I carried him back upstairs thinking that it would soon be over.  I dozed off for a few before waking to Luke stumbling around; he was trying to get to his feet and couldn't.  I grabbed him and put him back on his bed.  It was going on for too long.  Even though I knew that the vets probably couldn't do anything for him; I wanted to make sure that he was getting worse.  I called the emergency and told them I was coming.

Again he had his vitals checked and nothing; everything looked good.  I was given the option of leaving him for observation or take him back home.  Being that staying at the vet in a cage is Luke's worse nightmare; and the fact that I can watch him around the clock, we went home.  He remained in his wobbly, panting state well past 4:00 am.; which is when I must have dozed off.  I woke to see him twitching away, sound asleep beneath me.  I'd dragged his bed over beside mine early in the night when he needed to be right by my side. 

As of 8:15am today he has been out for a pee on very wobbly legs.  He is relaxed but worried; his constant need for my close proximity is intense.  When he does fall asleep, it is short lived and he searches for me with his half open bleary eyes until he finds me.  Then he can fall asleep again for a short while.  Luke has a big birthday coming up in just a few weeks, 14.  It is sad as our dogs age but you have to consider that having a dog with you up to and past 13 is a huge gift that many others never get.  No one knows what the future holds; I will take ever day that I am given with my sweet baby boy.