As we typically do, we load the dogs and lad into the car and head to my in-laws house on Topsail Island, NC every summer for 1-2 weeks. There we join up with 26 or so of our other relatives and enjoy the sun, surf, sand and…well poker, beer, inside jokes and you know… typical family fun. Their house is a 12 bedroom house right on the beach and frankly our dogs wish we’d just live there every day. They love to body surf and enjoy long walks on the beach…
Miles swam in the ocean for hours and hours. He chased and retrieved every ball and proudly returned each one to our feet to do it “again.”
When we go to the beach every year, it’s pure heaven to our dogs. Surf, sand and balls (Frisbees are our other dog’s favorite). Is there anything better?
On our way back home though (a 9 hour drive extended to 11) this time, we had a terrible scare. Miles had been panting a lot (but that’s normal for him) and he seemed truly exhausted when we left the beach house that morning. We figured he’d sleep the whole way home. We discounted the excessive drooling, which we later regretted.
About 4-5 hours into our drive Miles started to have seizures in the back of our SUV and we were in the middle of traffic on I95. Because we have a dog grate up, we couldn’t reach him. I’ve only heard my son panicked 2 times in his life. This was one. Helpless, all he could do was watch him until we could get our way off the road.
By the time we could safely pull off, the seizure had subsided but every muscle was tense, his eyes were round and he was shaking. His gums showed no sign of shock but his pupils were fixed and dilated. He was very hot. The poor dog (and us) were absolutely terrified. Because we had no idea what had caused it, we weren’t sure what to do but to hold him and make him less scared. It worked.
We stayed there for awhile. He was able to get up and drink and eventually took a walk. He was coming out of it. Whatever it was. We were cautiously optimistic. He’d had a rough first 4 years of his life and we had no idea (for certain) what we were dealing with now.
To say the rest of the drive home was stressful would probably be an understatement.
Everyone made it home safely and Miles has recovered fully. We believe he had a heat stroke. If there’s any permanent damage, we haven’t discovered it yet. All his behavior seems to fall under his “normal Miles-isims.”
Even with this experience, I’m pretty sure Miles would jump right back in the car to get back to this spot.
