Cassie 10000

I did a check on this but I could not find anything.

My dog has epilepsy, his fits are few and far between and only they only last about 15mins. We have never put him on pills because his fits are a rare case.

I was wondering if anyone has flown a dog that has fits.

I don't want to not moved to Canada because of a dog even though he is eight and I love him to bits. I have been considering leaving him with my Mother and father in law if we do go. Has anyone had this kind of problem or knows anyone.

Thanks

Arris

Hi Cassie,

I understand just how you feel. Our dog is not epileptic, but he's diabetic & 8 in May. We have to inject him twice a day, test his wee twice a day & he has 4 small meals a day - a real tie to be perfectly honest but we love him & do it as he can lead a normal life.

We only got our AOR last summer so by the time we go he's gonna be an old fella (if he's still with us ). I don't know if he would be classed 'fit to fly' by the vet because of his medical problems but we are looking into taking him over on a ship possibly if he can't fly - that way we'll be able to carry on with his feeding & injection routine. Could this be an option for you?

Otherwise we do have a friend who has offered to take Dexter on - he's fully aware of his diabetes & the commitment it means. We hope we can take him with us of course but if his eye sight is poor (due to diabetes) & he's a old & 'doddery' we'll leave him with our friend who we know will look after him well for us

Have a chat with your vet, they may be able to help.

Good luck,

Arris

Cassie 10000

Thanks for the reply Arris

I am sure that I worry too much and my situation isn't half as bad as yours.

It is nice to know that other people are or have been in the same situation.

Its the fear of the unknown and how he would cope in a cage for more than seven hours.

geordie mandy

I have a Westie with epilepsy and we had to leave him behind with my in laws. He is much older than your dog though.
Last year when we applied for his pets passport to move to Germany with the army, our vet refused to certify him fit. Even though we were going by ferry.
He is now on epilepsy meds and has frequent fits..
i would check with your vet as he will be the best to inform you.
Good luck, i know how difficult making a decsion like that will be.
Mandy

Arris

Yeah, that's the worrying thing - the unknown & you can't help but get in a stew about it & worry, worry, worry.

When do you leave - if I find anything out that may be of help to you i'll PM you

Just thought i'd add, my parents have an epileptic parrott - I know that will sound funny to some but seeing her have a fit is definately not funny - thankfully, she hasn't had one for several years.

Cassie 10000

We are in very early stages of the emigrating process but it is something we need to be thinking about.

There are always pros and cons and something to make you think or stop you from emigrating, this is the major one for us as we really won't want to leave him but I have to think about the dogs feeling as well.

I know this sound funny but leaving him with the in laws may make it easier for them to cope with us going as he was a big part of our lives.

AlvicBC

Hi Cassie, we flew our two dogs to SK but they are both healthy. But when we were leaving them at the cargo dept in Manchester airport there was another couple there with a Border Collie who had epilepsy, and they said he fitted a lot and they were flying him to Vancouver. They said they had got him checked with the vet and he had gave him some natural remedy to calm the dog down for the flight and hoped he would be fine.

Hope this helps.

BTW - I am so glad I brought my two dogs, they are like kids to me as I have no "real" children and they have made me settle so much better.

Tarkak9

Hi Cassie,

I too have a dog who may have idiopathic seizures; jury is still out but my suspicion is that its climate induced as blood tests revealed nothing out of the ordinary when she had her seizure and she didn't display typical tendencies... She showed lethargic, catatonic behavior and loss of limb mobility but she didn't convulse or droll.

Every dog is different per se so I would really have this discussion with your vet and canine forums (start with various rescue sites or even yahoo groups) about flying your dog. I think considerations would be frequency, duration and the type of seizure - petite or grand mal because of the nature of the seizures. imo anyway. A small dose and course of medicine to the run-up of the move and weening off it afterwards may be all which is needed but that is something to talk with your vet(s) about.

The danger associated with epilepsy is that an untreated/supervised severe seizure can result in permanent neurological damage so its great that you are being very considerate about your dog regarding flying him/her. It is obvious too that your dog is leading a productive fruitful life anyway.

the davis family

Hi Cassie

We have a Border collie who like yours had epilepsy but only very occasionally so was not on medication. She was 9 when she came over, we went to the vet for advice and they said she should be fine for the flight.

But on the flight over (London-Calgary) she had a fit and was in a bit of a state when she arrived. Had to be hospitalized for the night. But 2 days later she was fine for the flight over to Regina and flew with no more problems.

If I could go back and change things I would of asked the vet to put her on the lowest dose of medication, as it happens a couple of months of living in Canada she started having cluster fits so the vets here put her on a low dose anyway and touch wood she hasn't had another fit now for nearly a year. I'm glad we brought her she loves it out here and it feels like home a lot quicker when your pets are with you

Alberta_Rose

It's a decision only you can make (unless declared unfit by a vet of course) .... but could you bear the possibility of the dog having a seizure in-flight and not being able to have medical attention?