cornell

My heart is breaking for you right now. It must be incredibly intense. So unfair. Sending you lots of healing wishes, love and light.

Matthew is your man!

Stairs are out for us:( Normanville was on my shortlist until I realised that I would need too many mats. Of course the last time Tia fell it was the one square inch (OK metre) that we did not cover. Sigh. Thanks for your thoughts though :)

As long as you are sure that we won't bother anyone. It definitely looks as though it is right up our alley and not too big for us to bring our own mats. THANKS I'll look into it !!!

You are so thoughtful - Thank you!! We have looked into this option. Unfortunately we also have another young golden who loves to carry things in his mouth and I'm afraid that he would swallow or even eat small socks or tiny shoes:( We wear extra large mountain socks around here :p he he We have also tried the paw wax only to find it really icky and it would wipe off as soon as she stepped on the carpet. We also bought tread stickers for paws but then it came with a big warning not to be swallowed.

Thanks but unfortunately the amount of floor boards I would have to cover is too big and I wonder if there is a big back yard. I wouldn't have any room to put my bags in the car because the matting would take up the whole boot:P Hence my dilemma.

THANKS for trying to help us out :D!! We really do appreciate it!!! :D Yes most places do not have carpet due to cleaning issues but ... I know that some do. I don't mean to sound difficult but it took Tia two weeks to recover from her last innocent fall. We have now added non slip matting all over our house so a small holiday property where we could bring our mats or a carpeted place is really very important to us. We stayed at one fantastic property with great views but we did not realise it was two storey. We spent our whole time down stairs in the smaller room which reminded us of the 'servants quarters' downstairs. LOL! At least they had a bed down there. Leaving our dogs downstairs is not an option - they really are a part of our family. We LOVED Rainbow Farm - except for the dogs at the property next door and they have floor boards now which would be difficult to cover. Wuthering Heights was also awesome but the chasing the rabbits in the middle of the night was just too tempting for my girl. We really need a fence surrounding the house just like Rainbow Farm did. The long car journey was also tricky. Burdett's is one place that we have not been to but it does look fabulous. Is the garden private? Do they have a fence around the house? Is there anywhere else stress free that we could take them even just for the afternoon where they could run or play without being bothered by others? We recently went Thompson Beach which was fun. Thanks again guys. We really do love our holidays and just want the best for our furkids.

Really? We stayed quite a while ago. Things could have changed :D or maybe we missed it? Thanks!!

Thanks Ness. I''d be quite worried about Tia slipping at the Delamere property. We really enjoyed our stay at Hill Top (great owners) but the garden was not private. I was worried about Tia running up to other guests.

There is a product called Spray Shield to deter dogs from approaching. Apparently it does not do the dog any harm but the noise and the smell puts them off. Is anything like this available in Australia??

With the cold weather approaching (which is the best time for doggy holidays) it is time to seek out some new holiday spots. I have sifted through so many websites many times over but this year unfortunately we are facing a few challenges with our older girl needing non slip surfaces which is why we really need your help. Lots of places have floor boards or tiles and are two storey. Here is our wish list: Dogs are welcome inside. Somewhere fully fenced for my furry kids to RUN without us bothering anyone or any dogs bothering us. A place with acreage would be awesome but it would also need a fence around the house for those brief night time trips to the loo. No stairs (ie single storey or access to outside without lots of steps) Fully carpeted or some form of non slip surface - or a place small enough that we could put our non slip mats down.) Somewhere green with large windows ie a pleasant place to be. It could be fancy or even just an old shack. Less than 2 hours from Adelaide. Feel free to PM if you prefer and I'll tell you our doggy paradise :D Advice regarding good private walks would also be greatly appreciated. THANKS in advance!!

Ah so you are already on the right track :) It is great that you are aware and I agree that you should not worry unless you see signs - easy for me to say:P If you are still concerned there are some healthy choices that you can make eg restricting the chemicals you have in your home, look out for mould, do not feed pork or treats with chemicals in them and switch to a low grain diet. What a clever and pretty girl!

For anyone who has a dog who suffers from seizures I suggest that you join this list. http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/epil-k9.html They are a wonderful group of inspirational people who bend over backwards to love and support their dogs and each other. I have learned so much from them in a very short time.

I completely understand. Have a think about keeping the old carpet and cutting it into runners *just in case* you need it. I foolishly threw out all of my carpets and regret it now it is costing me $$$ to find an alternative - just a thought. If you did want to go for proper dog socks you could try http://woodrowwear.com Good luck!

We are encountering the same issue. We now have rugs and runners all over the house with sections of the house blocked off. Unfortunately my girl would not tolerate socks on her feet and I'm afraid that my younger dog might decide that they would be great to play with and accidentally swallow them if they fell off. We tried the paw wax but I found the effects to be minimal. I have ordered some band aids with tread. I'm not sure that it would be a great daily option but it would give me more confidence when we are out and about visiting. http://www.puppylovepawpads.com/testimonials.asp Are you sure that you want to put these floors in? It is heart breaking to see them fall. Good luck and please update us with how you go :)

My two cents just for the record: We tried it years ago and it did not work for us which was very disappointing.

Joint guard is less stinky. What I did not realise is that fish oil is also helpful to add to their diet as well as the Joint Guard. Tia is more stable on her feet once we added the fish oil.

That sounds very familiar!:D Continued BEST wishes for a speedy recovery!!!!

Thank goodness that did not happen! When you see it for the first time it is excruciating because you tend to think the worst. Keep her cool today. It's gonna be a hot one. I will be keeping Tia damp, following her around with a fan and putting the air con on full blast. Some people have noted that their seizures are much worse in summer. I have just started feeding her Taste of the Wild and BARF patties. I hope that you both have a GREAT day!

Holy cow! I am so sorry to hear this!! I have just done a DIY crash course in seizures. Here are some tips and short cuts for you. Your vet might suspect a brain tumor due her age. However, seizures are caused by so many things. They might requested an MRI so they can confirm or rule out a brain tumor. MRIs are costly and might require her to be put under for roughly 2 hours. They might also request a blood test to help with the diagnosis. Many references suggest that you *insist* on a full thyroid check including T3 and T4. During a seizure it is helpful if you try to stay calm (which is easier said than done) or you will add to her tense energy. Stroking and calmly telling the dog it will be over soon also reportedly helps. Please Google the term ocular compression which can help a dog come out of a seizure more quickly. It will be helpful for you to start practicing now. If you have someone in the room with you ask them to apply an ice pack (not a frozen veg pack) to her head but also in the middle of her back. Try to keep her as cool as possible. During a seizure you might try putting some honey and some rescue remedy in her mouth IF it is safe. As soon as possible try giving her some natural preservative free ice cream eg Vanilla Hãagen Dazs with rescue remedy on top. "You should use a good all-natural, preservative-free ice cream, such as Hãagen Dazs and please only use vanilla. It takes only a very small amount - too much can do more harm than good. For dogs under 50 pounds, a teaspoon or two is plenty; 50-100 pound dogs can handle about one or two tablespoons; and dogs over 100 pounds can have a scant 1/4 cup." - http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm You can give her a meal after the seizure as she is likely to be ravenous to make up for the calories she has just burned. Buy some rescue remedy from the health food shop to help settle her. Do a Google search on the importance of magnesium and vitamin B6. Take lots of notes about the times of day, the weather, the phases of the moon, what they had to eat. Did she give you any signs before the seizure? Avoid grains in his diet as starch can be a factor. Do not feed your dog pork or any meat with nitrates in it. Join the forum at http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/epil-k9.html You can also check out this site for info on seizures http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retrievers-seizures/108429-seizures-101-basic-information.html It took a good week for Tia to fully return to her sunny normal self. I wish you the very best for your girl. Please keep us updated as we really need to learn from each other. GOOD luck!!

Thanks for the warm fuzzy Harley!! Tia's sunny personality is improving step by step so we are so thankful to have our precious girl back But the jolts seem to be increasing We are putting a lot of things in place now to try to solve this puzzle so it is now a matter of crossing our fingers to see what will work. In the meantime we need all of the warm fuzzies and prayers that we can get. Have a wonderful day with your pups!

It has been fun and games trying to capture her jolts on video as they only last for 3 seconds. As for a major seizure I'd rather be there to comfort her. The vets seem to understand what she has been through with the big one. It was a kind and thoughtful gesture on your part though so thank you :D Erny I always dreaded Tia's 10th birthday as often this is the time where I have seen most pets become seriously ill. So for a long time I have been nervously expecting this axe to fall. Many vets are suspecting a brain tumor due to her age so I am not surprised. To have your heart broken twice in the most awful circumstances is so cruel. I definitely have a new understanding. Sadly my pets have slowly but surely deteriorated bit by bit over time in old age and it was so hard to let them go but in this case Tia is such a happy girl with loads of energy to see her change within seconds was devastating. She seems a little brighter today so that is a good sign. I will always continue to fight for her and bug the vets and specialists and even the DOLers for as long as she wants me to. Thank you for your lovely wishes and may you never have to deal with anything like this ever again - I think you've had your fair share!!

Thank you for your sweet message!

Thanks for your reply. I am so sorry to hear about what you and your dog went through. It seems to be such an unfair ending for such a wonderful life. I am in the process of collecting as much information as I can, talking to everyone about it, gathering the best team of professionals and we shall be sorting more tests out tomorrow. Thanks also to Krystal and Coco!!!

Tia is my sweet and loyal girl who has been my heart dog for 11 years. She has the best smile, the brightest eyes, can beg, and even talk. She also has a lovely long coat with a happy swishy tail. 3 months ago we found her slipping or tripping on tiles. After a few weeks we noticed that she started to jolt for 3 seconds when eating or drinking or while she was snoozing. She would also lose balance and tip over if there was a loud noise like a fork hitting a plate. Although she started to manage this better and we laid non slip matting over most of our floor boards she still experienced about 10 3 second jolts a day. This never happened when she was out on walks or visiting others so other people think that I am nuts. :p The vets told me that she was a mystery but she is an old dog and these things happen. While I was prepared for her slipping and falling I was not prepared for her first full on uncontrolled seizure. Tia was her happy usual self and walked off after a smiley pat. She slipped on our floor boards, fell on her side, had a seizure with her mouth completely wide open with froth and blood. This lasted for 2or 3 minutes before she scrambled up and ran away to a corner and became very aggressive (she has never shown signs of aggression) We managed to take her straight to the vet where she paced and was uncomfortable. She would not allow the vet to examine her at all. She did not settle for a good 3 hours later nor did she seem to recognise any of us including our other dog. It was strange to see her sleep so deeply afterwards. This morning she is still sniffing me as if she doesn't know me which is heart breaking. Do you have any idea what kind of seizure this might have been? vetibular? cerebellar intention tremor?? As you can imagine we are very distressed and have no idea of what to expect and are looking forward to any insights that you could offer us. I have no idea when or where the next one will occur but I do know that it will happen. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to contribute and maintain this forum. I feel as though I have entered a dark fog not knowing what is going to pop out at my lovely girl next. Does anyone know of a brain specialist in Adelaide??