A Dog Named Blue : How Canine Epilepsy Changed The Course Of My Life

---

3 Year Old Blue

Growing up with an epileptic pup as a best friend was certainly an eye opening and compassion-building experience, but I could have never guessed that it would shape my future in the way it has.

The year was 2001, and like many young teens, I spent most of my time balancing eager youthful innocence and social angst. We all have our turning points where we can definitively say our lives changed. We all have that moment where we step into our destiny. For me, the day came when my parents shared that we’d be picking up a new family member; a 10 week old Weimaraner puppy. I can remember walking into the room with the fresh litter of pups. I can remember the smell of puppy breath in the air, and the sounds of a nervous mother dog in another room. There were 5 puppies, each with a different color pipe cleaner around its neck. One thing I can’t seem to remember is why we chose Blue; destiny, I guess.

From the day we got him home, Blue never left my side. He slept with me, watched me eat my cereal, cried when I left for school, and barked in excitement when I got home. He came to my soccer practices, and sat by me when we ate dinner. I snuck him table scraps, and bless his heart, Blue knew he couldn’t beg vocally or my parents would catch on to our plot. It really was the happiest of times, and with this new best friend by my side, I found the confidence to grow from a angst ridden teen to a comfortable young man.

When Blue was 2 years old, he started displaying traits that we had not seen in him before. He was not sleeping through the night, and seemed to have endless pent up energy. We assumed naively that maybe he wasn’t getting enough exercise, but a month or so later, the truth was clear.

I was in bed on a Sunday morning, and Blue stumbled, as if he was drunk, onto my bed and directly on top of my body. It’s like he knew exactly what was about to happen. My dog began to have a seizure on top of me, and I can honestly say that at that time, that moment was the most terrifying thing I had ever experienced. This went on for around 3 minutes, and stopped with the same abruptness that it seemed to start. Blue was observably back to normal. Tired, sure, and probably more confused than I was at the time. He was walking fine and even back to trying to lick my face within a few minutes. Another seizure and a few vet visits later, and we learned that Blue was epileptic.

Over the next three years, my dog had more than 20 seizures with me by his side. I watched as we changed treatment plans periodically to no avail. I watched as the situation worsened and hope started to fade. My best friend was no longer living a comfortable, happy life. As a teenager, that’s a difficult pill to swallow. Our family fought hard for his well being, but we could not do enough to save him. In 2007, he barked his last bark.

As an adult, I look back on memories of our shining silver pup, and how his love and friendship made me feel worth it, and gave me the confidence to blossom as a young adult. On the flip side of that, I’ve always wondered if there was more we could have done to help him cope with his epilepsy or at least have made him more comfortable. That’s the fuel to the Canine-Bliss fire. If I can give even one person more time, positive experiences, and memories with their pet, then I will have succeeded in my mission.