A trip down memory lane! Amanda was partnered with Kramer in 2008. Kramer met Kira in 2012. Kira met Cable in 2020. So much loving, canine support over the years... and for the years to come!
 Amanda and Kramer, 2008.  Amanda, Kramer and Kira, 2012.  Amanda, Kira and Cable, 2020. |
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Cable is learning every day. In the short time she has been at RuffSport with Heather McLeod, she has socialized with other puppies and older dogs, learned to be happy with her time in the crate, and is learning to respond to being called and to go “under” when asked ( an important task for a dog that will often need to be under a table, desk, theatre seat or airplane seat, near her handler.) She has met the vet and enjoyed a lovely grooming!
Here's a little Halloween photo fun.
The new "chick", Cable.
Walking for Woofs Update
Thanks so much to Brent Morning for initiating this event,
to Elisa Laxdall, Paul Dutton and the snapd staff for organizing and running
it, and to Dom Campitelli of Global
Pet Foods for providing the prizes. In
addition to the $500 donation from Dom, $1000 was raised through entry donations
bringing the grand total raised through “Walking for Woofs” to $1500!!
Lots of fun was had by all.
In pre-/COVID times our family would have been in California next week, representing Epilepsy York Region and gathering information about epilepsy to bring back to share. This year we will access the event online; you can too!
Take advantage of the first online, interactive version of Epilepsy Awareness Day this Monday and Tuesday November 2nd and 3rd to learn everything you ever wanted to know about epilepsy and seizure-alert/response service dogs. Register for this free expo at
https://epilepsyawarenessday.org/event-info/information/
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Use of emergency button
Prior to her brain surgery for epilepsy, Amanda was having so many
generalized seizures that the local paramedics soon became very familiar with
our address.
Epilepsy Ontario defines this state as such:
Status Epilepticus is considered a medical emergency. Immediate
medical care is required. Most seizures run their course and
end naturally on their own within seconds or a few minutes. Status
epilepticus is a seizure that lasts for 30 minutes or
longer, or when seizures repeat without recovery in between. Aug 8,
2011
Status
Epilepticus – Epilepsy Ontario
After 5 minutes of continuous seizing, it is recommended that IV
doses of emergency medications be delivered by a doctor at the hospital. As a
general rule, if the person is still actively seizing at this point, the
condition is considered status epilepticus and medical intervention is
necessary to stop the seizures.
Although Amanda’s surgery decreased the frequency of her
generalized seizures, there have still been a few. Despite the surgery, medications and VNS
therapy, when her daily seizures occur in clusters they may develop into a
generalized seizure, and for Amanda that could be dangerous or even fatal.
Safety precautions were necessary for independent living.
In preparation for training her dog how to activate an emergency
button to summon help, Amanda taught Kira to practice on a Staples “That was
easy” button.
Amanda’s brother, Xander Robar who owns and operates OnSwitch IT, built an emergency button
that Kira has now learned to activate whenever she sees that Amanda has
collapsed and requires outside help.
Amanda regularly practices pretending to go into a generalized
seizure so that Kira knows exactly what to do.
The dog recognizes the emergency and presses the button, setting off a series
of pre-recorded messages to a list of emergency contacts to let them know that
Amanda needs help. The messages will continue to cycle through the list of
contacts until someone acknowledges that they are able to help. At that point they can get to Amanda and
assist her by administering emergency medication and calling 911 if the seizure
persists.
We are so grateful to Xander for his use of technology to allow
Amanda to live an independent life.
“There are times when people with epilepsy die without
warning and no cause is found. This is
known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy or SUDEP. The risk is low but real. And although it’s a difficult issue to face,
it’s important to consider when making lifestyle choices, so you can lower your
risk of SUDEP.”- www.MakingSenseOfSUDEP.org
Today is SUDEP
Awareness day. Did you know that
approximately one out of every 1000 people who have epilepsy die from SUDEP
every year? Last year Disney actor
Cameron Boyce lost his life to SUDEP, bringing further awareness of the
condition into the news.
The cause of SUDEP is unknown, but researchers continue to
investigate the connection between seizures and their effect on cardiac issues
and breathing. The condition shares many similarities with SIDS (Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome.)
Risk factors for SUDEP include having frequent generalized seizures,
particularly when they occur at night.
Males are more prone to SUDEP, as are people who have had epilepsy for
more than 15 years and those who developed epilepsy before the age of 16.
It is important to be educated about SUDEP and to minimize your risks
by seeing your neurologist regularly, taking medications on time, getting
enough sleep, avoiding alcohol and other seizure triggers and making sure your
network of family and friends are informed about your epilepsy and aware of
what to do when you have a seizure. If
medications are not keeping your seizures under control, look into alternative
treatments to achieve the best possible seizure-control.
Amanda’s neurologist has told her that she is at risk for SUDEP. Stay tuned for a post about how her
seizure-response service dog helps in the event of an emergency!
For further information on SUDEP you might visit the following
websites:
https://www.epilepsy.ca/sudep.html
https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/early-death-and-sudep/sudep
SUDEP.org
SUDEPAware.org
https://www.sudep.news/about-sudep
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| We can help! |
Cable had a busy fall and Christmas and is working hard with Brooke Nishio of T.E.A.M. Canines to complete her service dog training. Here ...
