OT- My newly adopted dog has seizures.

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by andtckrtoo

I just want to hug you. I'm so happy this boy has you as his person.

Christine, you are such a sweetheart, I appreciate the positive and kind posts you wrote me! Thank you, thank you

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by angie_nrs

As others have already said "thank you" for being patient and taking care of this boy. It takes a really dedicated and special person to do that

You might want to do a search and find out some more information on the breed of dog you have. We have beagles.....mix actually, since we have one from the pound and none of the others were papered. We have had beagles all of our lives and all but one has had seizures. Thankfully they were far enough apart that we did not have to put them on phenobarb. They would only have seizures 3-4 times per year but it was scary for them (and us) when they had them. If they were crated when we weren't home....you just never know. But, post-ictal is pretty evident. Their eyes were dilated, loss of bladder control, possible vomiting, extreme panting, shaking, sheepish with ears down, etc. We'd just know if they had a seizure (within a reasonable amount of time) even if we didn't observe it......they just didn't act right or had some of the lingering symptoms that I just listed that you would see in a regular seizure. The vet said there wasn't really much you could do about it....just comfort them as much as you could. He said if the seizures got more frequent he would put them on meds, but until then just keep an eye on it and document it so you could keep track of seizure activity.

Some dog breeds are prone to it.....beagles are. The only beagle we had (still have) that didn't have a seizure was a male. But that might just be a coincidence for us. The females (3 of them) all had them, but thus far hasn't been a huge issue or fatal event.

I'm not sure if my experience is anywhere close to what you are experiencing but I hope you can find a solution. Best of luck to you and your boy.

Hi Angie,

Thank you for the comforting words and sharing your experience with me, I hope your beagle is doing well I have a Pomeranian boy, his seizures so far are not as severe as your Beagle babies but I wish they were not as frequent and they my not be in the future, time will tell.

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by rosepetals

Some pets are more sensitive to medications. Things like flea treatments in some dogs can cause problems. Depending on what breed of dog you have may possibly be a link. I recently adopted an Aussie. I found out from reading online, heart worm medication is linked to neurological issues in them. Collies were also on the list. They react to it 70% of the time. There was a long list of medications that are linked to triggering neurological issues in Aussies and collies.

Read up, research on the breed of dog you have. I ended up getting my dog tested. They have genetic testing that is pretty reasonable, before medicating with the ivomectin. It made hubby and I feel safer.

Hugs. Good luck with the seizures. I heard medication can usually keep things under control.

Thank you for the hugs!!

He is not currently on any heart worm meds but I'm not sure if he was in the past, I will make sure to discuss this issue with my vet if the situation should arise. Thanks for the info, it helps!

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by RoseOOPs

Years ago I had a cocker spaniel who had epilepsy. Some breeds are prone to seizures. Max lived a very happy active life. I did have him on meds. Even with the meds. poor Max still had seizures, but not as often. Max crossed the rainbow bridge when he was 10. He started to have cluster seizures, and the meds no longer helped him. I tried to give Max the best life I could, and in turn he was a great friend.

Before the meds. Max was having grand mal seizures several times a week.

I am sorry for your loss, you were a wonderful friend to Max and a very caring responsible owner, it is comforting to know that if my boy does need meds, at least it may lessen the frequency of seizures. You truly did give Max the best life possible, he was blessed to have you

Thank you so much for sharing

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by Gams

I have had several dogs with seizures (I currently have one that has seizures). All my dogs have done well on phenobarbital and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to any of my dogs. The dogs I have had in the past had their seizures controlled completely on the pheno - one lived to be 18 and the other lived to be 16. The dog I currently have that has seizures has been experiencing periodic seizures still, but we just recently upped his pheno dosage, so we will see how that is working in another week or so. My vet only puts them on medication if the seizures are frequent. No cause for the seizures was ever discovered in any of the dogs and I went through a lot of testing with the first one at the vet college in St. Paul, only to be told they didn't have a clue as to why he was having seizures.

This gives me some peace of mind about the phenobarbital, I'm glad to hear your dogs have done well on it, I must ask though, what side effects did they experience and how long did they last? I have read that if the pheno was not effective alone, in treating the seizures, other drugs can be used along with it to be more effective, have you discussed this with your vet?

Thanks for your help!

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by ardnas

One of our rescue dogs is sensitive and allergic to many things and has had seizures in the past and we know his brother still in rescue has them much worse and all the time. We switched our dog to a premium wet food and instead of feeding twice a day we broke it up into mini meals 5 times a day to stabilize blood sugar, added organic kelp & organic virgin coconut oil to his diet along with a supplement, stopped any/all treatments - no vaccines (titer test to make sure they are not needed, most dogs are immune for life after puppy vacs), no heartworm pills for winter months (make sure you are educated on the heartworm cycle and how preventatives work), no flea or tick preventatives (use Diatomaceous Earth around yard, in dog beds, on dog & vacuum daily), do not use any chemical cleaners in our house or on our lawn, and only wash him with a natural neem & coconut shampoo (which also repels fleas & ticks and stops itching). He has yet to have another seizure and his ear margin dermatitis has gone away (we were told it was an incurable disease and he would require meds for life to treat it). He had been to 3 or 4 vets who tried to prescribe antibiotics, steroids, shampoos, meds, all types of things but I refused and believe in trying a natural route first, which in his case proved to be what he needed and he's been seizure-free ever since, going on at least a year. Other things have also cleared up or improved - this poor dog had so many health and behavior issues, as do all of our rescues. Please try natural remedies before resorting to meds or chemicals. Canine seizures are pretty common and doesn't always mean your dog has epilepsy. Dogs are lower to the ground and anything on your shoes/floors/carpet/lawn/laundry is getting into their system, so be careful what you use & do and remember vets make money off whatever vacs, tests, pills, etc. you buy - it is a lucrative business for them and they do not always have your pet's best interest at heart. That said, there are some great vets out there and if you can, see a holistic vet for more suggestions.

Sandra, lots of important things to consider and research here!! I will most certainly keep all this in mind, I don't like any bathroom sprays, scented candles or room deodorizers and no carpet fresh or strong cleaners. I can only hope that I have a pretty good vet and she has my boys best interests at heart.

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by PhyllisG

I have been reading this thread with interest even tho my dog does not have seizures. My cat had them years ago and he has since crossed the bridge. His came on suddenly and when he was older. No reason for the seizures was ever determined.
I would like to know the name of the neem coconut shampoo you use for your dog.
I too stopped giving both my dogs and cats annual vaccinations for the same reason. Check their titers! At first my vet was appalled but he eventually agreed and is now much more conservative with his vaccination recommendations for all his clients.

Phyllis, I will mention this to my vet...Yippes

[luvexercisedvds]

Originally Posted by snapfish45

I didn't read all of the posts, but I want to thank you for adopting. Our adopted dog, Troy, had one seizure soon after we adopted him. We took him to the vet who did blood work on him. The blood work came out fine and he never had another seizure. We never found out the cause of it. Hopefully the food switch will work for you.

So happy that Troy is seizure free!! Thanks so much!

[mrsscififanec]

Good Morning,
I don't have experience with dog seizures but I had a cat who had occasional seizures that were very scary .It makes you feel so helpless when it's happening. She did not have then often enough to have her on medication but once we switched her diet to a premium food it did make a difference in that she had less seizures.
Also we have a very high alert anxious dog that Greatly benefited from a training treat called Composure. These treats have helped my dog so much,she is much less scared /reactive than she used to be so they may be something to consider for your dog to help the transition and to feel better around your husband. I started my dog on 2 treats a day and after a couple of months she only gets them a couple times a week but her demeanour is the same. These are vitamin supplements so think calm less afraid not drugged .I get them from Amazon here is a link if you are interested
http://www.amazon.com/Composure-Medi...ence+composure

Good Luck to you and your new buddy ,i have no doubt your pup is in a good home and will be well looked after !

[Gams]

luvexercisedvds,

None of my dogs had any side effects from the pheno. My vet has discussed possibly adding in other medications if the pheno alone does not work. I'm just monitoring him right now because his dosage was increased just a short time ago.

The only issues I've ever had with any medications any of my pets have ever received was when one of my dogs had a bad reaction to metronidazole. I realize that a lot of medications can have side effects, but the illnesses they are used to treat can be pretty devastating, also, and sometimes medication can save their lives. Side effect information is always given in the worst case scenario. It's like the commercials on t.v. for prescription medications that list such a long list of possible side effects (including death...LOL) that you watch those and wonder why anyone would take them.

One of my dogs went through chemotherapy and I had a lot of people disagree with my decision to do that, but I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made for a pet. It gave him an additional 8 years of life and he had no side effects from the chemo at all - you would never have known he was on chemo. When I'd pick him up from the clinic after his treatment he was the same as he always was and he was also excited when I'd drop him off for his treatment. I asked the vet about that because he never was excited about going to the vet's before his chemo treatments started and the vet laughed and said the staff gave him a lot of treats while he was there.