Dog Seizures. Dear Dr. Carol, I am writing you this letter to express my gratitude. You are an amazing professional, empathetic human being, and truly a pleasure to know. Here is some background on my story. I have a long haired Chihuahua named Senor Paco. Paco is 13 years young and has always been healthy as can be. I had purchased Dr. Carol’s senior pet vitamins for my dog in March 2008 after seeing the paaws pet vitamins on an infomercial. I began giving him half a pill in the AM and half in the PM.
In June 2008, Paco and I left for a summer vacation for 8 weeks in Florida. I figured that I would need some type of treat for Paco when he was behaving extra well. I purchased dog treats at my local pet retailer. I began giving them to Paco in July. He ate them daily as well as half of his vitamin in the AM and half in the PM.
Everything was going fine until August 15, 2008. My dog had a minor seizure. It may have been minor but to me it was a major life changing event. I am 30 years old with no children as of yet. Senor Paco is my child and the love of my life. To see him go through this was beyond devastating. I spoke to my personal vet and she told me to get him to a vet for blood work. I did. In no time we were heading back home to New Jersey. During this time I continued to give Paco the treats but not the vitamins. I figured since he had the seizure I should stop the vitamins. I continued to live in fear thinking if he would every have another seizure. Then on September 28, 2008 Paco had another minor seizure. I was beside myself. I spoke to my personal vet and she said we would probably have to put Paco on medication. She scheduled him for blood work that Thursday. I did not know what to think anymore or where to turn.
I am a very religious woman and prayed non stop for my baby. I even asked for a sign from up above to lead me in the right direction with this situation. On October 1, 2008 (Wednesday) something clicked inside me and told me to call Dr. Carol and ask her if we put Paco on meds would he still be able to take the vitamins. When I called Dr. Carol she was so helpful, optimistic, and honest. She spent 45 minutes on the phone with me. My own vet did not stay 45 minutes on the phone with me to help me through this. Within the first 5 minutes into our conversation she asked me what have I changed in 13 years for my dog. I was confused and asked what did she mean. She asked me have I fed him anything different lately. I told her the treats were the only new thing that I added to his diet. At the time he was still eating the same store bought food for 13 years. She told me to get the bag of treats and read to her where they were from. I did and she knew right away that the company that made them was on the recall list numerous times for many products.
Within the next 25 minutes she went through all the changes for Paco that will be beneficial to him. I wrote everything down and spent the next 15 minutes being reassured by Dr. Carol that we have probably found the culprit that was leading to these seizures. She also informed me that I should fast Paco for his vet visit tomorrow with my vet and call her when I got back. For me it was hard to wrap my head around the idea that treats could cause so much damage to an animal. I spent the next day going to the vet for new blood work. I realized that my vet has NEVER told me to fast my dog before blood work. It made so much sense to me to fast him so I did. At this time my vet told me all we can do is start meds for Paco. It was a sad vet visit where I spent a great deal of time crying. I called Dr. Carol that night like she asked me to. We spent about 30 minutes on the phone that night. Once again, Dr. Carol lifted my spirits and was so comforting to me that I began to feel at ease with the situation. From September 28 (the second seizure )to the vet visit on October 2, I was unable to sleep at all due to my fear of another seizure. After I began speaking to Dr. Carol on a regular basis I felt so relieved and confident in her and what she had to say. I began sleeping at night.
The blood work has since come back and Dr. Carol has been there for me and my dog every step of the way. His blood levels are much better than what they were in Florida after the first seizure. I believe the levels are better because of Dr. Carol helping not only my dog but me as well. I know that the road to full recovery will be a long one but just knowing that Dr. Carol is there to walk with us through the process means everything to me.
Dr. Carol is not someone I had previously known, she is not my primary vet, and she is not someone I was referred to. Dr. Carol is someone who is a dedicated professional, caring individual, and someone who thinks outside the box when it comes to coming up with solutions. She is not someone who gives you text book answers and text book solutions. I consider Dr. Carol an ANGEL. She was sent to me to help me find the answers prior to turning to medication. I have begun giving Paco a full vitamin in the AM and a full vitamin in the PM. He is thriving and has made so much progress. It has been two weeks and there has been no seizure activity (Thank God and Dr. Carol). I think we have found the cause of these seizures and I am optimistic for Paco’s future. If it was not for Dr. Carol and her understanding and expertise the outcome could have been much worse.
I urge anyone who has a pet that means the world to them, start them on Dr. Carol’s vitamins and you will see a drastic improvement in there overall well being. If any of you are able to have Dr. Carol as your vet you are so lucky. I wish Dr. Carol was near where I live because if she was Paco and I would have never had this mishap. Words cannot describe how amazing Dr. Carol is. If you have any questions I know Dr. Carol would be there for you just like she was for me. Thank you Dr. Carol, Thank you from Senor Paco and I.
Alessandra C.
New Jersey