Epilepsy is definitely a condition you have to learn to "cope" with. I have found it very hard to resign myself to it.

To cope with the seizures themselves we had a number of procedures - remove furniture from the vicinity, remove any breakables, get towels to mop up pee, get towel to mop up saliva, get ice pack to rub his back. Then we had to just wait for him to come through the fit. Some of these protocols I think were just about calming us down especially the rubbing of his back with ice. You just want to feel you are doing soemthing positive.

To cope with his declining condition i.e. getting seizures more frequently I embarked upon trawl after trawl of the internet to get advice. I set myself mini milestones - lets see if we can get through until the Spring, until his next birthday, until the anniversary of getting him.

The on-line self help lists are invaluable. You can post a message any time of day or night, you are in contact with a whole worldwide group of people struggling to control epilepsy in their dogs, share experiences and make suggestions. For none of us does this replace professional veterinary advice but it is so helpful talking to others who LIVE with this and understand each others motives for putting up with sleepless nights, money worries, constant anxiety that "we are doing the right thing".

Start by joining the list attached to

www.canine-epilepsy.com