Nobody is going to hate you for freaking out about something so horrible. I've experienced the exact same situation and it scared me to death. The ONLY worse thing is not knowing. Once I knew what the problem was I felt empowered and ready to protect my dog within the best of my abilities. I knew what to expect, what to do, what the options were, and the future. It was a huge weight off my shoulders.
Best of all answers is just go to a holistic vet that treats things homeopathically which is just what you want anyway. Find out what the problem is before you worry and blow it all out of proportion or don't get treatment. Despite what you think might be the problem it's often much worse than you worry it will be. The treatment is often much easier and kinder than you think it will be. A holistic vet will work with you and your philosophies and treat your dog homeopathically with a DVM degree behind the treatment program.
http://www.ahvma.org/
Your dog will profit more from a happy non-stressed healthy mom&dad than two worried guilty feeling hyper vigilant parents. Believe me...I know from experience the hard way on that. Dogs know when they have stressed owners and it makes their personalities different.
If you don't go to a vet and this has a simple solution that can be homeopathically addressed you're doing you and your dog a disservice. What if it's diabetic seizing? which is lethal and treatable only with insulin? What if it's simple allergy or poisoning. Antifreeze poisoning causes seizures and the antidote is only effective if administered in a certain few crucial hours. Otherwise kidney failure and a painful slow self-poisoning from necrosis are the result. All of these things if unaddressed are much much worse than the possible side effects of treatment. Organ failure and brain damage can be very slow and painful ways to die. My uncle died of untreated diabetes had an awful death. He refused to go to the doctor because he didn't want to know. He basically died of poisoning after multiple organ failures caused organs to die and go gangrenous. All preventable with a natural compound, insulin.
I had a teenage friend with epilepsy that was finally correctly treated and got to go to "normal" school at 15. It was the most wonderful thing in her life. You say these drugs do horrible things to people but the truth is much much more often they work miracles. My GSD had seizures when she was 5 or so and they were so rare that we could never determine the cause. Finally we got blood levels at just the right time it and it was blood sugar. She was hypoglycemic. Solution she ate every few hours and every now and then some maple syrup. YAY she was thrilled with that. The alternative was organ failure and brain damage. So don't freak about this and don't deny medical treatment because you want to deny anything is wrong-because it's very traumatic-I really do understand. And nobody can make you "give" your dog anything. We treated our GSD with pheno in very low doses later in life and she had no side effects. Most people that take pheno you never would know. I've taken pheno and dilantin and depacote and neurontin and they had few to no side effects. They unf didn't work for my problem.
I have a movement disorder and I take plenty of drugs that I would rather not as I feel homeopathic is better for me too. I go to extremes with my health diet and doctors and I never ever take OTC junk. The reality is that there is no replacement for the one organic chemical I need except for that chemical which my own brain doesn't make enough of. Even that chemical, as homeo as it gets, has side effects because my stomach doesn't metabolize it across the blood brain barrier. Even natural organic homeopathic compounds have side effects, your own brain has its own imperfections regardless if you know or not. So to compare a homeo remedy to a pharmaceutical remedy is not always apples to apples. My natural compound comes with side effects because I must eat it. It is a blessing that gave me my life back so I am willing to compromise on that with the few side effects like nausea and hyperactivity which are seldom as compared to being mostly immobile. Mostly immobile people die much quicker than active ones. The whole idea about homeo with me is living longer so I can't defeat my own purpose by being too rigid.
When I see you say I refuse to give these drugs be sure it's because you are educated about the drugs, have consulted doctors, know your animal is not suffering, and weighed the other options. If he is suffering without pheno for example would you rather him suffer? Of course not but you need to make that decision from an informed place not an emotional reactive one. I refused drugs for a long time and suffered through a lot I didn't need to. I don't even take Tylenol. Just do the research, in correct therapeutic ranges these older drugs like pheno have no side effects. Many people every year poison themselves with herbal remedies that have toxic liver side effects or cause renal failure. So look at the whole picture.
So don't believe that there aren't other answers or that drugs are nec bad or not natural in many cases. Thyroid hormones treat thyroid disorders very effectively and naturally. In the right dose with the right doc medication can give back life and can be natural. I decided I would much rather have a few side effects that are miniscule compared to being not able to walk or feed myself. You just have to ask is the disorder worse than the possible drug side effect? If the disorder is miserable then why live with it? If its mild or controllable by other means sure go for it. Many seizures can be treated with acupuncture and other therapies.
Quality of life should be at the top of the list ultimately. Knowledge is your ultimate homeopathic tool. Without it you'll never know if it wasn't very simple. For a serious health issue forcing an animal to suffer debilitating symptoms is not the kindest option. I liken it to having an animal hit by a car and not operating because you don't want the anesthesia chemicals in their system. That would be abusive and is by law abuse. You have to make a decision about what is right for the animal. It is your job to find out if it is suffering and not just choose to remain in the dark. You owe it to him since he'd lay down his life for you.
I'm not trying to change your mind about your philosophies-I agree with them actually. Just trying to get you to empower yourself and give yourself a break. You are having a natural reaction and going through a little denial/grief/fear maybe. Take charge and do something and you'll feel INSTANTLY better I promise. Hugs to you guys and your special pup. You can do this for him.
