Korie
Our Beloved Standard Schnauzer
04/04/1994 – 07/27/2007
As we sit down to write an eulogy for our beloved Korie, we experience a huge amount of different feelings and emotions. We know that we must choose our words correctly (God knows we don’t want to make that mistake again and use "the" when it should have been "my"). We know that we must be forthright. We know that there is so much we want to tell everyone about Korie, about epilepsy, and about "the emotional ride" we were on for the past 13 years.
It was not easy. . . and now a huge burden has been lifted from our shoulders. It was never easy to watch Korie seizure. God knows she was the "best" at it . . . like potato chips, if one is good, 10 must be better and we often fought with clusters lasting days on end. It was not easy to watch the aftermath of a seizure, when Korie did not know who she was, where she was, who we were, and she could not walk a straight line. It was not easy listening to people ask us "why don’t you just put her down?". It was not easy trying to find that "magic" pill that would take all of it away. But, we persevered because God gave Korie to us for a reason, and we were to be her guardian, her protector, her everything for the next 13 years, 3 months, and 23 days. We were not going to give up; we were not going to abandon her.
Korie was not our first Standard Schnauzer (SS) - she was our fourth. Just days before her departure, we noted that Korie was the only SS who has known EVERYONE that we have had – Weizer, Schniken, Himel, Aaron that passed before her; YD, Madison, Nova, Preston, Liebe, Aspen who she leaves behind. We were not new to the breed when we received Korie, but we were new to epilepsy. Who would have ever known that a dog could suffer from it just as a human can?
Like any disease, disorder, call it what you will, epilepsy is not easy to talk about. When Korie had her first seizure on June 1, 1995, she was only 14 months old. At the time, we thought she was going to die. . . we didn’t have a clue what it was. We called our vet, we called her breeder, we cried and cried. . . what could this be? As most vets initially recommend, as did Dr. Scott, we played the "wait and see game", maybe it was just a fluke and wouldn’t happen again. Well, it did happen again and again and again. And that is when the conductor flipped the switch to start our ride on the "emotional roller coaster". It was a ride that would last many years and Korie was right there with us, only she had the front seat.
We started Korie with a low dose of Phenobarbital (PB) and went from there. We did the blood work religiously to be sure we had the correct amount of PB in her bloodstream at all times, we added more drugs and increased the PB when we did not get the control we wanted. We looked for information, for comfort, for others who could help us through this difficult time. The Internet was in its infancy when we stumbled upon the Epil-K9 group. . . this was a small, intimate group of dog owners, all going through the same thing. We found love and understanding from the less than 50 people on the list.
Although we found a place to go and "talk", we wanted more information, we wanted answers, we wanted to know WHY KORIE? Our quest was on. . . we read everything we could about epilepsy, we ran every test known to mankind to pin point WHY KORIE?, we told Korie’s story to anyone that would listen in the hopes that no one would ever have to go through what we were going through. With our new found knowledge, we decided to make an educational video on canine epilepsy. Korie’s 16 minute video, originally made to educate just the Standard Schnauzer fancy, was well received. Finally someone was talking about canine epilepsy.
We have had some HUGE emotional highs too, on the "roller coaster" ride, like the day that Dr. Alexander de Lahunta, Director, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Cornell University, called us to compliment us on the video and ask if he could show it to his weekly lecture class. We recently received an e-mail from a veterinary neurologist who wanted a copy of Korie’s video for her practice. She originally saw it at Cornell as a student. Probably the one that still makes us smile is the letter we received from a special education teacher who showed the video to her class. Afterward they were discussing it and a little boy raised his hand and said "Korie is special just like I am". We have sent out over 500 videos all around the world – epilepsy in dogs is real – someone is willing to talk about it!
YES KORIE LYNN WAS VERY SPECIAL. We got to a point that we didn’t think we could ever get any control over her epilepsy and we started experimenting with different vitamin supplements which did not seem to help either. Then we stumbled upon Gold Bead Implants, a type of permanent acupuncture, so we went to the best, the countries expert, Dr. Durkes in Marian Indiana to have the procedure done. The Gold Beads didn’t "cure" Korie but we did notice an improvement. Suddenly her seizures were not as horrific and not as many in a row. She seemed brighter and more alive. Maybe you could eat just one potato chip, and now the emotional "roller coaster" was going up to a high point. We were making some progress. We then read about dosing her PB three times a day vs. two times a day. . .we asked Dr. Scott about it and he said it really should not matter, but was willing to let us try. In April 1999, we started giving Korie 60mg of PB three times a day instead of 90mg of PB twice a day. For the next eight years, our lives would revolve around the times of 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. Eureka! On April 8, 1999 Korie had the last seizure of her life. We also put Korie on Milk Thistle to help her liver as we knew she would always be on PB and KBr. The last time we had her blood work done her liver was in fine shape.
Isn't it funny how we always have nicnames for our "kids". Korie's common one and used by most who loved her was "Korie Lynn". . . she was also referred to as "Korie Lynko" during basketball season after a player on the Utah Jazz named Andrei Kirilenko. . . "Stinky Linkey" because her beard always smelled from all the water she drank. . . and the great duo of "Stink and Mama" - Korie and YD (who we call Mama dog). We also have a theme song for all of our Standard Schnauzers; Kories’ is the "Look" by the group Roxette. . . She's got the look. She's got the look. What in the world can make a brown-eyed girl turn blue. When everything I'll ever do I'll do for you. . .Heavenly bound cause heaven's got a number when she's spinning me around, kissing is a colour. . .she's got the look.
As Korie’s last gift to the world, we had her spleen, plus some blood, sent to the epilepsy study at the University of Missouri. This study for epilepsy in the Standard Schnauzer was encouraged by her breeders and began in October 1999. Of course we supported this study from the very beginning with a blood sample, but with her spleen, U of M now has DNA on Korie forever.
Well, that is Korie’s story in a nutshell. After the years of hard/almost uncontrollable seizures, Korie lived out her life SEIZURE FREE. Except for her epilepsy, she was the healthiest dog we have ever had! We sent her to the Rainbow Bridge on July 27, 2007 because her little body had just given out. . .she had trouble getting around. . .she had developed a grade 4 heart murmur. . .her lungs were filling with fluid. As Dr. Scott looked her over – we always question if it is the right time – he said "she is telling you ‘I must go now’ ". . .and go she did. . .with dignity, with beauty, and with us by her side and loving her to the end. We hope that Korie can be a source of inspiration and hope for dog owners who are going through what we just ended. Our ride on the "emotional roller coaster" is over.
We will NEVER forget Korie Lynn; we will never forget her look. We always wanted a dog that would leave a mark on the breed, but we were always thinking in terms of winning shows, titles, offspring, etc. Korie left her mark not only on the Standard Schnauzer breed but on all of the dog world. Thank you Korie for teaching us to be patient, to persevere, to be forthright, and ultimately, to be strong. Thank you Korie for making us the people we are. . . we will miss you and your 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. medication dosing, your barking at the others while we prepared your dinner, your trails of water on the floor after a drink, your hogging the bed at night. . .we miss you more than words can express.
With love,
Kathi and Roy
and the SS family she left behind: YD, Madison, Nova, Preston, Liebe, Aspen