My Baby Phoebe

by Emily
(Indiana)

Easter of 2012 is when I got my pug Phoebe. I was so happy to finally get another pug. She was my best friend from day 1. She loved to cuddle and be next to someone. She was always hyper and excited. Phoebe even had a special blanket on my bed that she slept on every night. Three years passed and everything was great. She was happy and energetic.

On November 1st, 2015 is when she had her first seizure. I couldn't believe my eyes. One day she was perfectly happy and healthy, the next she was having seizures. I rushed her over to the local emergency animal hospital. She ended up having five seizures that day. I was hysterical. The vet told us about the possibility of her having PDE, pug dog encephalitis. I hoped that it was just epilepsy that needed to be maintained with medication. I was able to take her home the next day, and started her on the medication prescribed by my vet. It worked for a month or so, but the seizures came back. I took her in again, and they prescribed me a higher dosage of the medicine.

After that, she returned to her normal self. She was playful and seemed back to normal. This only lasted 3 months. On March 4th 2016, her seizures came back stronger than ever. It was possibly the worst thing I could have seen. She only had one that night and had "mini" seizures throughout the night. The next night she had many seizures that left her dazed and confused.

On March 6, 2016, the decision was made to put her to sleep. The last big seizure she had messed her up horribly. She didn't recognize me or anyone else. She was usually a hyper, active dog. She never tried to get up or move after these strong seizures. Her medication no longer worked which led to the conclusion it was not epilepsy that was causing these seizures.

Though it hasn't been confirmed, we believe she died from PDE. For those who don't know, it's an incurable brain disorder that causes inflammation of brain tissue. It's very rare and is developed in pugs. It is unknown how pugs get this. This has left be very curious about the disease and I'm hoping to one day figure out a cause for this. It is a horrible thing no pet nor pet owner should go through.

Going to bed and waking up without her next to me and not hearing her precious breathing and snoring is heartbreaking. I miss Phoebe so much and pray she is happy and healthy at Rainbow Bridge. Rest in peace babygirl, I love you so much. Until we meet again...