Oreo's results

Oreo and I spent two and a half hours at the vet last evening. They ran a few other tests to rule out any infectious diseases and other things. All of his tests came back normal. He had a small fever while at the vet, but sometimes temperature can be elevated due to stress. Lord knows Oreo has been under a lot of stress this week in particular. All of Pudding's tests came back clean also. This is great news because it means that Oreo's condition could not have been caused by any bacteria or virus brought in by the new kitten.

The vet explained that the type of seizures Oreo is having are called Focal Seizures. These type of seizures affect one side of the brain. When they happen, the animal stays conscious and can sometimes turn towards the side of the brain the seizure is happening on (which I've noticed happen with Oreo). Oreo turns towards the left when the seizure begins. The vet said that two seizures in one week is a lot so they prescribed him Phenobarbital. Oreo will have to take this twice a day, morning and evening. In three weeks he will go in for another blood test to see how the drug is working in his system. This is a medication that needs to be adjusted according to how the animal's system reacts to the dose. Since we don't know the underlying cause of the seizures, Oreo will need to see a Neurologist and have a scan of his brain done. We have an appointment on Tuesday October 15th at 11 am.

From what I've read Focal seizures can be caused by many things such as lesions, trauma and other pretty serious issues. They can also be caused by more minor things such as loud noises, tastes, smells and bright light. I am hoping the cause of Oreo's is something more minor. I've started journaling the date, time and exterior factors at the moment of each seizure. I will keep this as well as the video I filmed of Oreo's last seizure to show the specialist. Unlike Generalized Seizures that completely paralyze the animal, Focal Seizures take much less energy and the animal usually walks away from them as though nothing happened. This is what happened to Oreo. There is still a danger of the animal hurting themselves in the case of falling of a high surface.

I've received many messages via social media in regards to seizures in pets. Many people have told me that the medication works really well and their pets have no more or very minimal seizures after being on it. I've also been informed that many pets with this condition still live long and happy lives. This is all reassuring news, even though I am still scared stiff. I've also been told about the benefits of CBD Oil for seizures. There's a CBD Oil company sending Oreo a sample to try for free. I will, of course, consult my veterinarian and specialist before administering any other types of supplements or medications.

I am so tired and my heart is hurting so much right now. I hate seeing Oreo like this and I wish that there was something more that I could do to take this away from him. He's my everything and I love him with all my heart and soul... even if he's mean to me sometimes! I just want to get to the bottom of this and find out what's wrong. If it's something like everyday noises, lights, smells or tastes, I can do my best to help avoid those things. If it's something else that I can't help... at least I will be prepared.

The vet forewarned me that Oreo will be extra tired, thirsty and hungry for the nest few days while his body gets used to the medication. Once his body adjusts, he should get back to normal. If the seizures disappear while on the Pheno, it's a good sign. If they continue, well... we'll deal with that if it happens.

Pudding is doing well. He's a purrfectly healthy little kitten as far as all of his tests have shown. He's feisty, full of energy and a real little love bucket. He keeps trying to get under the covers with me at night but I am afraid to let him sleep there because he's still too small! I don't want to roll over him accidentally. He's been sleeping in my sweater in the morning while I have classes. The students don't even know he's there unless he pokes his head out and surprises them. Yesterday, I went to pay for Pudding's adoption fee and the ladies from the rescue told me that it had been paid. Apparently someone contacted them on Facebook asking to pay the fee. They said that their daughter is in the hospital and she watches Oreo’s videos online. Oreo's videos make her happy and help her to concentrate less on being sick. I asked who it was, but the ladies from the rescue told me that the person wanted to remain anonymous and just to tell me that they are from North Carolina. I was floored. People can be really amazing. It's crazy how whenever something really bad happens, there's always something good that happens to balance things out.

Onyx is still not eating. She's always been real easy with food and since all this started she's turned her nose up at everything she'd normally eat. I tried a few different things but so far she'll just walk away from whatever I offer her or if I am lucky, she'll pick at it. I've only been successful in getting her to eat treats. I hope this doesn't continue because this will be another whole huge problem. I think I will bring her in for blood tests too, just to be sure it's really stress related and/ or behavioural and nothing else.

​I want to thank all of you guys once again. I don't think I would have been able to get through this week without all of you. It's been very hard and you've all been an amazing support system. It's times like these where you see the good in the human race. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I've updated all of the expenses below. I think there are a few small bills missing that I misplaced during all the commotion. With your help, we've raised $3000 in donations to pay for Oreo's bills. I've spent around $2000 so far. I am worried about how much the specialist and the MRI will cost but I will tackle that when we get to it. My vet told me that the scan can cost around $2000.

The Oreo Cat calendars will be available until the New Year. Funds collected from these will go towards vet bills.

The PayPal link for $3 donations will remain active while we continue to look for answers.
​Donate through PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/TModugno/3USD

Thank you!
Tina, Oreo, Onyx and Pudding.