Thanks, everyone! 💫 🤝🦊😁😘😘😘

We got Purrkins diagnosis/summary of evaluation from Dogwood today; we are UNLIKELY and could not be more thankful - Idiopathic Epilepsy and will be digging into this further.

Thank you for referring "Purrkins" to Dogwood Veterinary Referral Center for evaluation. Below is a summary

of our evaluation and recommendations. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions about this case.

Patient: "Purrkins", DMSH, male neutered, 6/30/2010
Veterinarian: Riverside Cat Hospital
Clinical Diagnosis: Seizures
History: Onset of focal seizures that have responded to initiating phenobarbital therapy. Purrkins is currently on 15mg phenobarbital
every 12 hours.
Neurologic Exam:
- Mentation: Alert and responsive
- Cranial nerves: Normal
- Gait/Posture: Ambulatory with a normal gait
- Postural reactions: Intact in all limbs
- Spinal reflexes: Intact in all limbs
- Muscle tone: Normal in all limbs
- Pain perception: Intact in all limbs
- Spinal pain: None detected
- Neuroanatomic Localization: No identifiable neurologic deficits
Diagnostics: MRI: No macrostructural abnormalities.
Spinal Fluid Analysis: Normal white blood cell count and protein concentration.
Assessment/Plan: The lack of significant changes noted on MRI and CSF analysis allows us to feel comfortable continuing to
manage Purrkins's seizures with phenobarbital knowing there is not anything else that needs to be treated. Please have a
phenobarbital level checked 2 weeks after increasing the dose to 15mg every 12 hours. Also, please keep us updated with his status.
Medications: Phenobarbital (15mg tab): 1 tab every 12 hours
Recheck: As needed. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Andrew Isaacs, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology)

ALL BRILLIANT NEWS WHOO HOO.

Purrkins is still not 100% YET. Dr. Isaacs was not concerned as long as Purrkins is improving, which he is! Not as quick as I would have thought or liked BUT add in the higher dose of Pheno Purrkins has not adapted to yet!

He said older kitties 🙀
Purrkins is ten years & seven months young:)... not old for a cat, but anyway they can take longer to come out of the anesthesia! They used three meds, one of which was propofol to sedate. Another topic entirely it will now be on the charts as A DO NOT USE AGAIN! GAH (we had a similar reaction with Saxton during a dental)

He is eating not like usual, but i can coax him by hand feeding or using one of our staples for times like these. Baby food!

Drinking, grooming, no pain signals ! All the things we watch for.
Purrkins hop is a hop again thankfully, but I won't let him do his pet steps or real steps yet. Not worth the chance. No pee yet today, and i am syringing water & tuna water. I'm hoping & anticipating a PEE here soon!🤞🏻Purrkins has rested most of today! You can see not normal Mr. P here!

Nope on the warm Purrkins Palace, but we aren't freezing either. It can always be worse! Furnace people came today- Parts will take 3-5 days before they can start. Mark ordered us more pellets he can pick those up tomorrow and do a curbside pick up at TSC with the truck;) no contact etc, plus a couple of space heaters. We dress warmer and make due:) Yes, thank god for Mark Clare. We do make a great team, and we balance each other out;) which we both need

Thanks, everyone again; we will keep you posted, and I look forward to reporting Purrkins IS BACK 100% and zooming thru the house: )Oh, Rene sorry i left Sexy Saxton out. We are back to normal on that front Saxton Now says, oh yes, that is my brother. Saxton did great staying home that is always his preferred choice, and the little Wyze camera showed us he was A-OK and got his meal served on time:)

LOADS OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE BEYOND MEASURE.
From all of us at the cool Purrkins Palace;)

I’m curious… what would you do if you caught Saxon doing something inappropriate while on the wyze camera? Call kitty911?

Good question, Kerren hehe. We are the kitty 911;)  Peace of mind was the idea 🤨 toss that, eh?

Can you hear the collective sigh of relief over here?

YES, we can hear it feel it! whoo hoo

Are they starting at higher dose and then looking at a reduction in dosage and frequency? I think that’s usually the plan, right?

We had questions on the dosage, too Sally - Dr. Isaacs said was "it is per animal and how the body metabolizes the drug (liver)

They have to test the plasma concentration levels in Purrkins blood 2 weeks since the dose was changed - 26 th to make sure the pheno is at a therapeutic level. Not too high and poisonous.  Purrkins levels determine what we do with the dose from here.? Anytime the amount is changed, they will retest the plasma levels after 2 weeks if the dose remains the same, then once a year plasma levels.

After a certain amount of time, If Purrkins remains seizure-free, maybe we can cut back? I have this question on my notes. We will find this out. 🤞🏻

Dr. Matt will add his input after he reviews all the results  - what i meant by investigating more:) 🕵️  he is Purrkins holistic/traditional vet.

PURRKINS DID PEE & yes, entirely too much for Mr P. All of us!

Loads of love

💝 💝 💝

Yay for pee! You got enough fluid into him, and thankfully that will flush the anesthesia OUT of him   I was hoping also that this phenobarb would be a temporary thing. They may do like they did by decreasing slowly and going backwards after some time, with close watch to make sure he does not start them up? Maybe? 🤞🤞🤞 Right now just relieved that he (and all of you) are ok

Thanks, Jackie, that was my thinking and hope! Repeating the same today!
Yes, that's the hope 🤞🏻 US TOO!😘

Maybe you will get lucky and parts will come in early 🤞  Then Purrkins Palace will be toasty again

HOPE so! They will phone asap and get back here when the parts do come in.

Great news! I’m guessing with epilepsy it’s different, but when Kodi had that seizure, .

Paula, I THINK the same? They are different types; all i can say for sure, and more common in dogs than cats.  Purrkins are focal epileptic seizures. (localized) different than dogs. Only his face, eyes, whiskers, and three-time his little head shook, and neck cocked to one side like it was going to be stuck! I have all these videos you guys but honestly, you don't want to see them. I don't want to watch it again. I have and will keep if anyone needs them, and i have been keeping a log of all this & hope i can keep checking the days off with no events.

his vet said if he had only 1 seizure a month she wouldn’t treat with meds.

Correct! Purrkins were frequently happening and daily at one point! His lasted seconds. The fear was his could turn into grand mal seizures! Why we needed to find out what was going on. We had the choice to just wait until our neuro appt with no meds or start meds to see if they helped as we waited. We chose to treat and hopefully make it to our appt. WE DID:)

My sister’s dog takes phenobarb for seizures, and while they do check the levels, it becomes how much (or how little) it takes to keep him seizure-free.

This may be too, and we missed this part on our notes? This above and will repaste below - I have in my head and notes both:) ✅

pheno needs to be at a therapeutic level. Not too high and poisonous.  Purrkins levels determine what we do with the dose from here.? Anytime the amount is changed, they will retest the plasma levels after 2 weeks if the dose remains the same, then once a year plasma levels.

Makes sense! I will confirm for cats as well. Thanks on my notes to ask!

How’s Purrkins today? Does he have his mojo back yet?

I thought of you when I saw this Holly, and Paula you and other dog parents may find this new drug for idiopathic seizures interesting. I wonder if it can be used in cats too?

Rene, No idea and will ask! We did not talk about different drugs; this was the treatment of choice. Thank you!! Adding to my notes, and will print!

Purrkins mojo came back last night all over the house but not steady. I had to chase after him. Smile and terror both at once;) This a.m. we are back to where we were?  I have a phone call into Dr. Rivera i am confident she will get back to us when she is free. I want her added assurance at this point! 

Also, we hoomans have a phone appt with Dr. Matt on Monday.✅ 

Thanks again!

Loads of love and big hugs!🥱

💝💝💝