Finnegan

FINNEGAN NOT AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION

Finnegan came to NEBCR in January 2022 as a 9 month old newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Like all NEBCR dogs, he was provided with the time and medical care needed for his particular challenges.

After thorough testing for all known causes of epilepsy and multiple medication trials for every medication available, we learned that Finnegan is one of the 30% of epileptic dogs that continue to have seizures despite good medical care and medications.

With no options left, Finnegan entered a clinical trial for a human approved device for medication refractory epilepsy. He had a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) placed in May of 2023 and has not experienced any complications or side effects to date. His seizures are better managed but still occurring more frequently then we would like. The best news is that he hasn’t required any hospitalizations for epilepsy since the VNS was placed.

Finnegan still needs to take multiple medications everyday. He also takes supplements and needs to eat a very consistent diet due to one of his medications. Despite dealing with the seizures, the side effects of the medications he needs, and missing out on yummy treat options, Finnegan is a happy boy who loves life. His determination and zest for life has captured the hearts of his foster home and they have decided to welcome Finnegan as a permanent resident.

Every day he tells us in his own woofs:

“Don’t feel sad for me. I am living my best life!“

See you in the NEBCR adopter’s group!

UPDATE: 07/31/2024

Finnegan completed the yearlong clinical trial to evaluate vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) as a potential treatment for canine epilepsy. He appears to be responding well to the VNS as he has not required a hospital admission for seizures in over 18 months. Also, over the past 6 months, the seizures he has experienced have been mild and have responded to medications to prevent cluster seizures. To date, he has not experienced any complications or side effects from the treatment.

We know from human experiences with the VNS, that it can be more effective with time. We hope this will be true for Finnegan. He will continue to live his best life possible in his foster home and with better control of his epilepsy now, that will include working on house manners and cat etiquette. In addition, since Finnegan is super friendly and loves meeting both canine and human friends, we will increase his opportunities to meet other dogs and people.

We know that epilepsy is a lifelong condition. There are many unknowns and more questions than answers at this time. But it is an exciting time to be part of the ongoing research to find new treatments for dogs living with epilepsy.

We are so grateful to Tufts University Foster Hospital Neurology for providing this opportunity to Finnegan at no cost to NEBCR and to all the supporters who make NEBCR’s work possible.

Finnegan would not be here without your support!

UPDATE: 12/18/2023

Finnegan has been in rescue for a year working hard to live his best life with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a complex and poorly understood condition, and treatment options have been very limited to anti-seizure medications. It is unknown why some dogs do not respond as well as others to medications nor why some breeds are at a higher risk. Our beloved border collies have both a higher risk for epilepsy and medication resistance.

Thankfully, research studies are leading to additional treatment options. Unfortunately, we still lack the diagnostic tests to determine which treatment(s) is best for a particular dog. Each treatment trial takes time to evaluate. It is common, for young dogs like Finnegan, to take a year or more to find an effective treatment plan.
Despite dealing with epilepsy over the past year, Finnegan has blossomed into a sweet, friendly and very good boy! He enjoys toys, snow, meeting other people and dogs, and watching over the sheep in his foster home.

We would love to be able to share this special boy with a lucky adopter but Finnegan has more work to do. Since we can’t predict how long it will be before he is ready to find his forever home, Finnegan will remain in long term care with his foster home where he is safe, loved and able to get the care he needs.

We are so grateful for all our supporters and volunteers so that we can help border collies like Finnegan in addition to the many dogs who move quickly on to their forever homes.