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Thank You!  There is nothing I love more than showing off my precious critters.  I have no human kids....so I carry pics of all my furbabies in my wallet! LOL!  Not all people approve of my brood - my inlaws can be annoyingly vocal about it - but I love living this way.  All but Bodhi is a rescue animal.  Dolly was less than 2 hours from being gassed when I saved her.  Stubby had been dumped out of a car at a busy shopping center.  Zildjian was on her way to the shelter during the 101 Dalmatians craze when so many people adopted them and then returned them when they found out they could be highstrung...s o her chances were not great.  Ginger is actually a "hot" pig....her former owners abused her so their neighbor stole her and took her to a pig sanctuary where I adopted her and took her out of the area.  So regardless of what some people say, I feel wonderful about saving our critters and giving them a good home.  Each one has their own unique personality and brings so much joy to our lives!

I am hoping this link will work:

http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q318/bodhimom/

A bit more info about the piggies, since several people asked questions:  Ginger and Marianne live in a small barn on our property.  They are about 6 years old, but not from the same litter.  Marianne is about 150 lbs...typical for a potbelly.  Ginger is MUCH bigger...over 300 lbs.  We think she is not pure potbelly because we feed her the same amount but she got huge...looks like she is part Hippo!! LOL!!  Marianne is pretty testy, only I can pet her and even then she occasionally charges my legs.  Ginger is the World's Friendliest Pig...she will climb on your lap if you let her (OUCH!)...she LOVES to be fed from a spoon, will drink out of a cup, and play a toy piano with her snout.  Contrary to what most people hear, pigs are VERY clean.  They are also VERY smart - the 4th smartest species on the planet, actually (1. Humans 2. Apes 3. Dolphins 4. Pigs....dogs are 9th or 10th).  It's very easy to teach them tricks...*IF* they want to do them!! 

About the other animals:

Bodhi is 15 months old.  The picture is of him on his First Birthday.  He is a total Mama's Boy, and I worship the ground he drools on. HAHA!

Zildjian is our 7 yo Dalmatian.  She's not very bright and thinks the couch belongs to her...but she's very loving.

Dolly is my husband's "Other Woman".  They are ridiculously in love, and he spoils her rotten.  Dolly spends most of her time smiling, squeaking, and farting.

Stubby was abused before I rescued him and has some issues.  He trusts me and only me, and follows me everywhere.... I haven't peed alone in 6 years. LOL!

Ribbit is our resident Macho Man....absolut ely adorable, but wants everyone to think he is fierce.  We call him Rasta because no matter how much we brush him his fur wants to form dreadlocks.  He is the best lap dog in the world...you can flip him around like a rag doll.

Rio is our Alpha...the oldest (12) and smartest in the house.  She was my only dog for several years.  She seems to have forgiven me for getting all the others, but insists on keeping them in line!

Moose was a big, bad stray I rescued 2 years ago and has turned out to be the most wonderful cat imaginable.  We call him 'The Poose' and he pretty much runs the show.

Delilah is my quirky cat.  She loves to sit on your lap, but hates to be picked up.  She can't Meow...she just squeaks.  She thinks she is a dog....goes everywhere with them and gets trampled several times a day. 

**Believe it or not, there are still more critters that I need to post pictures of...but this is enough for one day....lololol ol.....

Bodhi is 15 months old, and about 130lbs.  I don't think he is getting any longer or taller, but he seems to be bulking out more...either that or he is just getting more fur, lol. 

How big is your Newf?  And at what age did they completely stop growing??

It's hard for me to even find words for how angry this Michael Vick thing has made me.  One of the worst punishments they could give him would be 24 hours alone in a cell with ME. 

I grew up in the Detroit area, where dog fighting is very prevalent....b ut Michael Vick is even worse than our local scumbags.  Most of them were at least doing it for money (which does NOT make it right in any way)....but he played for the NFL and already had tons of money...which means he tortured and killed dogs just for kicks. 

Pete Rose was banned for life just for making bets...the very idea that this guy could one day play professional sports again and have children look up to him just turns my stomach.....

The clumsiness and ataxia (hind end weakness) is a side effect of the Phenobarb.  Ataxia is a common permanent side effect of Kbr (potassium bromide)...but is usually transient with Phenobarb.  It should get better over the next couple weeks....most dogs need some time to adjust, because Phenobarb has a pretty strong sedative effect.  You may also see some changes in his personality & behavior....th ese are more likely to be permanent. It's unlikely that his weakness/clumsiness is post-ictal...unless a dog clusters like mad, all post-ictal symptoms should be over in a day or so.

Oh yeah.....Exces sive peeing is also a very common (and permanent) side effect of Phenobarb...it makes them very thirsty, you will see Bear's water consumption increase alot.  

What to expect when/if you see a vet neurologist:  First, be prepared for a staggering bill.  They can be incredibly expensive.  It is not uncommon for a visit to cost $300-400.  They will test Bear's reflexes for neurological damage...but you can do this yourself (although it is probably best to wait until his Phenobarb side effects have lessened).  Have him stand up...testing one leg at a time, grasp his "ankle" firmly with one hand and with the other take his paw and turn it over so his "knuckles" are on the floor.  He should flip the paw back immediately.  Any hesitation or inability to flip the paw back may indicate brain damage.

A vet neurologist may suggest an MRI to check for brain tumors, hydrocephalus, porto-systemic shunt, etc....but keep in mind that any of these conditions would almost certainly show symptoms other than seizures (behavior changes, vision loss, falling over, circling, etc)....and none of them respond very well to treatment.  Unfortunately, one of the toughest things about having a seizure dog is weighing the odds and benefits of treatment.

If he continues to seize, don't despair.  Like I said in my other post, it is generally harder to get control of seizures in large breeds, and they are more likely to cluster.  It's also very common to have to play around with meds for awhile before you achieve good control; it took 16 months with Samson, but then we made it 2 years without a seizure!

LOL...it is disgusting, isn't it??  We unfortunately have some real "poop connoisseurs" here.  My DH had to build a shelf under the basement stairs to hide the litter box....but Rio still climbs over boxes to get to it!  ACK!

I have a cast iron stomach as well.  There is always a cat hacking something up, or Bodhi slobbering all over everything, or a pig that needs it temperature taken (we have two potbellies, Ginger and Marianne).  I also had to give our seizure dog rectal Valium for years.  And someone has to get the enevitable eye goobers and boogars and cling-ons! LOL! 

Okay...while I'm being gross, here's a funny story: Bodhi is a Champion Belcher.  After every meal, he will walk up to you and burp LOUDLY...seems like his way of saying "Thanks for the food!", lol.  One Sunday we took him to my aunt's house (my family gets together for brunch)...and while he was out in the yard he apparently ate what their dog left behind.  He came into the house, walked right up to my aunt, and burped in her face.  She started to giggle, and then suddenly wrinkled up her face and screeched, "AAGGGHHHH!!! It smells like POOP!!!!".  I almost fell on the floor laughing....an d Bodhi stood there looking incredibly pleased with himself.  Now my family gets even more grossed out when he slobbers on them....

BTW...here is a picture of Bodhi.  Isn't he adorably goofy??