Lily’s adoption story

Lily became apart of our family in the fall of 2015. We got her from a rescue society. In accordance to their rules, we had to visit with the foster family before we could adopt her. She was very scared and nervous of people. She would cower away when you went to pet her. She appreciated slow movements and every new experience needed to be looked at in a fear free manner.

Lily does not like loud noises, so when the smoke alarm went off for the first time we lost her in the house for what seemed like hours. She was hiding way back in a closet. As soon as the trimmers come out of the drawer, Lily runs trying to avoid it. The clicking of the nail trimmers increases her fear, anxiety, and stress. Nail trims are a slow process and lots of treats are involved, as well as, praise is given after each nail is trimmed. Lily has gotten much better for nail trims, she is less anxious than when we first started our fear free approach.

Car rides make Lily worried. She starts panting, becomes restless and her eyes get very large.

Something that helps Lily is having a box or confined space that she can lay in.

We have a little cave like this for Lily when she travels. Tulip likes it too!

We don't know very much about Lily's history other than she was from California and had a litter of puppies by the time that she was 8 months old. She licks her paws when she is nervous to self soothe. Lily has a very caring and nurturing side. She has gained the nick name "Auntie Lily" because she wants to be with the baby goat kids, kittens, and puppies and she is very gentle with children.

Lily had her first seizure in the summer of 2018. We took her to the vet and we were told to keep track of how often and how long her seizures are. To monitor the frequency and duration, we recorded each seizure on the calendar. The vet also said that if her seizures get more frequent and longer than there is medication that can be given to her, but once we start meds she will be on them forever. We did not want to put her on medication yet because she was just over three and half years old. Lily’s seizures eventually did become more frequent, two each month, but her recovery time after a seizure was still the same.

In June 2022 we switched Lily to Purina NeuroCare food and that has definitely decreased the frequency and severity of her seizures. Lily usually vomits after she has a seizure and now that she is on this special food formulated to help her brain she vomits less after a seizure.

We realize that food alone will not stop her seizures completely and neither will medication. We do make sure that Lily is either held or put somewhere soft and safe during a seizure. Right now Lily is comfortable and, as owners, we can be reassured that our pets are not in pain during a seizure because they become unconscious and unaware of what is happening in that moment.

If you have a dog that has seizures, I definitely recommend Purina NeuroCare food because it was helped make Lily’s life easier.