WE NEED YOUR HELP

Sawyer Update

I asked our mom if I could write our post today. That means we are not doing Friendly Fill-Ins but will include them tomorrow with our Caturday Art. We also will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday tomorrow.

Even though I am currently taking three medications, I haven’t been doing very well. In the past month I have had several focal seizures of varying lengths and severity. Then on the 2oth I had a grand mal seizure, one month after my last one. I was fortunate that it stopped naturally after a few minutes. Then five days later I had another one that wouldn’t stop. Mom and Dad gave me 2 mg. of valium, but that didn’t help. That was the prescribed dose, so they didn’t want to give me more. So you know what came next…back in the car to the emergency vet.

Another 2 mg. of valium stopped the seizure, but my temperature was the highest it has ever been at 106-plus degrees. While I languished in a cage for 12 hours, Mom and Dr. Neel were discussing the situation. Dr. Neel also talked to one of the neurologists at the Virginia Tech vet school. Dr. Neel described my symptoms and history, and this is the probable diagnosis: Feline hippocampal and piriform lobe necrosis (FHN). This is pretty rare, and there is no cure for the disease. Supposedly my prognosis is poor.

I could go to the vet school for an MRI, but the bilateral, brain lesions, characteristic of the disease, often don’t show up in the brain until viewed after death.

If you’d like to read more about this disease, you can find several articles on-line.

Going Forward

I will continue on my Keppra (with my dose being increased again) and on phenobarbital. I am being switched to a chicken- flavored liquid, as I don’t always eat when the crushed pills are in my food. Slowly, I am being weaned off the Zonisamide as we have not seen that it helps me.

As my current meds are not really helping control my seizures Mom and dad have made the decision to try CBD oil. Mom has joined the CBD Oil Users group on Facebook, but so far has not found any helpful information.

This is how we need your help:

1. If you have ever had a cat with Feline hippocampal and piriform lobe necrosis (FHN), please let us know the treatment you used and the outcome.
2. Please share any experience you’ve had with using CBD oil to help control seizures and whether or not in helped.
3. Also, let us know the brand and formulation of CBD oil you used. Mom is looking at CBD treats, as I L-O-V-E treats.

Finally, please don’t feel sorry for me. I do sleep a lot due to my meds, but on a day-to-day basis, I have a terrific life in a loving home. And I know I will have that for whatever time I am here. Of course, I do appreciate any purrs, prayers and POTP you can spare.

 

 

With thanks, purrs and paw-pats, Sawyer

 

 

 

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