My Baby has Epilipsy - Anyone have experience with this?
My poor baby Shaggy was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. He is two years old and started having seizures the second week of December. There have been three separate incidents, each consisting of two seizures approximately two hours apart. The first time I thought he was dying. My vet wanted me to wait and see if he had more seizures before I started giving him Phenobarbital. About ten days later, it happened again. I started the medication, but Shaggy became severely ill the next day. He had some kind of stomach thing and became dehydrated within two days. He had to go to the doggy hospital for two days. This Tuesday he had two more seizures and he started taking the medication regularly. I also changed his diet to an all natural no preservative food to see if that may help also. I still cry after each seizure because I feel so helpless. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with epileptic dogs and may have any advice for me. Thanks, Shaggy's Mom aka Lori |
|
|
| I am so sorry to hear this about Shaggy.
Unfortunately, I do not have any real experience with epilepsy in dogs. But that is what the internet is for, right! 
Check this site for more information: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ I hope this helps in some small way. I know how helpless we can feel sometimes when our babies are not feeling well. But the best thing to do is learn more to be able to help them. Please keep us updated. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Shaggy. Guinevere's Dad, Kevin Z. |
| Thanks, Kevin, for the website. It is really great. I have been trying to find out as much as possible about canine epilepsy and I hadn't seen this site before. Shaggy and I appreciate your help.
Thanks again, Lori (Shaggy's Mom) |
| Lori -
You are more than welcome. I am so glad that I could point you in the right direction, I enjoy that feeling! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your baby. Much white light. Guinevere's Dad, Kevin Z. (In snowy and cold Indianapolis, IN "Dad, this is my kind of weather - put on your heated ear muffs and lets go out for another walk!") |
| Hi Shaggy's mom. I also have a sheepie who has seizures.
About 3 months after I rescued Brie, when she was about 3, Brie had a seizure. I don't know if this was a life-long condition before she came to live with me. Fortunately, the seizures were fairly short (under 2 minutes) but did have the foaming at the mouth, eye rolling, leg paddling behavior, after which, she was fairly disoriented. Since Brie is deaf, I have no verbal way to reassure her that she is OK during the seizures, I just hold her as best I can. I know what you mean, this is a terrifying experience and very upsetting. My vet also held off of the phenobarb and/or other meds, until we could determine the frequency of the seizures. In the meantime, Brie was undergoing other tests, one of which was a thyroid test. While my vet, and the U of Mich lab thought Brie's results were "normal", a doctor at Tufts suggested that some of her behavior, health and seizure episodes suggested low thyroid. This is hard for me to understand, but there is a school of thought spearheaded by Dr. Jean Dodds in Calif., who believe that a large number of canine ailments can be attributed to thyroid imbalances. Dr. Dodds' views are well researched and published, but may be considered "extreme" by some of her veterinary colleagues. Bottom line is that Brie is now on thyroid meds, being treated for low thyroid, and had only one, very brief seizure in the last year, in contrast with weekly siezures. The website you are viewing is very informative and helpful. I wish you the best of luck! |
| Fritzi,
Thanks for sharing your story. Since Shaggy has been on pheno, he has not had a seizure since January 8. I had also changed his food at the same time and now he is eating better - he had always been a picky eater. He is doing great. I will ask the vet to check his thyroid the next time we go, this is definitely something to look into. Thanks again, Lori |
| Hi...my OES doesn't have them but my Lhasa Apso started having seizures at the age of 2. I know how scarey and upsetting they can be. I found that if I hold my dog really tight and talk really soft to him that helps calm him down quicker. Afterwards he is really panting and really tired. My vet put him on phenobarbital which almost knocks them out completely. He has maybe one or 2 a year now. Good luck....sounds like the meds are working. |
| Hi. I have a peekapoo that we got a year ago (age 2) that started having seizures. We have had him now for a year and are still having trouble. Our vet put him on phenobarbital and had to keep increasing the dose because his seizures were still frequently and were getting longer. When they put him on the hightest dose that his body could handle he had an adverse reaction. The vet started to think since the phenobarbital wasn't working that there was something else wrong like a brain tumor and wanted us to take him to a specialist for diagnoistic testing which would cost $1500 to $1700. Our other option was to add another drug. Potassium bromide to his phenobarbital. So today he start his new meds and we will see how it goes. I can understand you emotiom. To me the seizures are tramatic. When he has one I usally hold him and talk to him. I use to cry and cry. Now I don't, I am just use to them. I know what you are going through and hope the best for you all. |
| Hi Gizmo's Mommy - I'm sorry to hear about your peekapoo. It is a tough thing to go through. I have read good things about Potassium Bromide - I'm no expert, but it seems to sort of extend the Pheno in the blood stream.
I have been lucky this past year with Shaggy. He had a really bad seizure in April and was out of it for about 3 days. I thought he might have had brain damage, but he came back. He had a weight gain over the winter and his dosage had to be raised. Since last April, no seizures. I also watch his weight now so this won't happen again. We are very diligent about giving him his medication 2x a day, 12 hours apart. It is difficult sometimes to plan around this, but as long as his epilepsy stays under control, it is definitely worth it. I hope your baby adjusts well to his new medicine and has the same luck Shaggy has had. |
| Shaggy's mom,
I do not own a sheep dog but i have 2 collie/shepards mixed. Mother and son. We found out that Storm has epilepsy. He was diagonois at 1 1/2 years. He has been on phenobarbital now since last January. He still has seizures but not as bad. This past saturday was different and I thought we would lose him. He had 3 seizures in 15 minutes. Then his fourth seizure started but did not stop. I live in a rural area where there were no emergency vets around. I was by myself with him. His whole body goes ridget and shakes. He was like that for almost 2 hours before I got ahold of my vet. he was given phenobarbital intervense, 3 massive doses. This still did not calm down the seizures. The vet had to give him an injection of diazopan. His seizures finally stopped and knocked him out for almost 10 hours. It was a rough weekend, but he is now doing fine. The vet upped his doseage to 50 mg twice a day. We are not sure what brought on this seizure, but it is believed that a change in his diet might have set it off. I really understand what you felt. I cried and held him as if he was a baby I just kept massaging him down. It is the scarest feeling and also a feeling of helplessness to watch them suffer so much. I still have a hard time trying to cope and I watch him very closely now. He is becoming very spoiled. Leanne Marquette Loch Sheldrake, New York |
| I too have a dog with Seizures. He is a toy poodle and is about to turn 5 years old. He started his seizure at about a year and a half. They were few and far between. Then last year he started having them more frequently so the vet put him on Phenobarbitol. We kept increasing the meds because the seizures continued. He went from 8 lbs to 13....Thats a big increase for a little guy. Instead of the seizures decreasing they increasing to about two a day and increased duration. I decided to take him off the meds and the seizures stopped for almost two months. His seizures seem to last longer now. But they are not as frequent as they were on the meds. He usually has one to two a week, but they last for at least 10 minutes each time.
My Boxer who the Poodle grew up with also had seizures. Her's were caused by brain cysts. She didn't have many seizures but they were very violent. She got major brain damage from the seizures and had to be put down at 6 1/2 years old. Which the Vet said is pretty old for a Boxer. She didn't recognize her favorite toy anymore...a frisbee, which she used to knock you down to get if you didn't throw it for her and she got nasty and bit my son. Anyhow we don't know the cause of Peanut's (the Toy Poodle) seizures. I just hope he doesn't end up like the boxer. So far no notable brain damage. He does get a little nasty with the other dogs after a seizure and will go after them, but has never had a problem with us humans. Elissa |
| My collie blueheeler x has epilepsy.
This is actually pretty simple. She has rolling grand mal seizures. Have the thyroid checked. Some vets dont feel this is the cause but others do. Bluez (collie heeler) had her first seizures two years ago before we got her. The vet recommended she be put down. Her owner couldnt do it so decided to adopt her out and we got her. When we got her she was prescribed 180 mgs of phenobarbitol a day. Pheno is cheap so we said ok. Well pheno kills the liver (make sure you get a pheno level drawn once a year at least). After a year of no seizures I started reducing her pheno. I now have her down to 60 mgs a day and no seizures. Seizures can also be caused by food or enviromental things as well as stress. You may also want to ask the vet if you can keep a supply of valium on hand for those stressful times. We keep some for car rides (she is bad bad bad bad in the car). She knows she has to take her meds twice a day and all we have to do is say Bluez time for your pill and she comes right away (maybe it has to do with the peanut butter we put it in) Epilepsy to me is no big deal. If a seizure does occur make sure the baby cant hurt itself time the seizure and keep a record of when and how long they last anything over 30 seconds you should report to your vet. Your baby may throw up afterwards may urinate or lose its bowels during it. After seizure is done keep all stimulus at a minimum turn down lights cover windows turn off radios and tvs. Your baby should be sleepy afterwards. Anyways sorry for the long rant but goodluck and if you ever need any help advice or just to talk out fears Im here. |
| Hi Lori:
Having a spouse that has grand mal seizures and having had a dog that has had seizures, I can certainly understand your feelings when your dog has a seizure. The best thing that you can do for your dog when they have a seizure is to make sure that they don't hurt themself. Put some padding (blankets or pillows) around them - but DON'T put your hand near their mouth. They are not conscious during this time and may inadvertantly bite you. One of the previous posters is quite correct - once the seizure is over, try to keep all stimulus to a minimum. Let the dog have time to recover (it can take two to three days depending on the type and severity of the seizure). Provide food and water but don't be surprised if Shaggy doesn't want to eat for a while. Your may have to try some different medications (or a combination of medications) before you find the right dosage that work for Shaggy. Don't give up. With care, your furry baby can have a happy life. By the way - if he stays on Phenobarbital he should get a blood test checking his liver at least once a year. The drug may affect the liver. However, just to reassure you, my husband has been taking it for over 20 years without any problems. One other thing - as bad as it looks at the time, during the actual seizure  , Shaggy is probably not aware of what is happening. However, once the seizure is over he will be confused and need your reassurance.
Good Luck Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia & Sharkey |
| I have read the whole forum about seizures for dogs. I have a 2.5 yr old brindle boxer who had a massive seizure today morning. I found him at 6.15 am when i normally take him for a walk. I found him all stiff, salivating a lot, weith faeces, urine and saliva leaking out. His pupils were completely dilated and he was not moving. I was so scared. I contacted the Vet and got to him in around 20 mins.
He informed that there could have been brain damage as the attack had been on him for nearly 3-4 hours (probably). and that he also had a heat-stroke. (i am in Delhi, India, but we never leave him outside the house except for walks). He was well the day before and was playng with his toys. It is now nearly 8 hours=, he is in air conditioned room. It seems he has lost vision and also his hearing as he is not responding. Will he recover in 1-2 days ? Has anybodyelse any such experience ? I am so broken that i dont know what to do. I dont want to lose hima and i also dont want him to suffer at such a young age to live blind and deaf ! Please advise !! |
| If your dog had a grand mal seizure (or multiple seizures one after the other) it can take several days for him to recover. If possible, keep him in a dark, quiet location and give him reasurance.
It's quite possible that his vision and hearing loss are temporary and will return. I have read about several animals that have had temporary loss of sight after a seizure. My husband has told me that he has a MASSIVE headache after a seizure - so much so that it is hard for him to pay attention to anything (sounds, looking at things etc). It's possible that your dog has the same problem. Again, this goes away after a few days. Did the doctor give you any medication for him? Good luck Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Sharky |
| Jennifer
thank you for your kind reply. Unfortunately my lovely boxer passed away yesterday at 1.00pm. He had three more seizures yesterday, and we tried to revive him with medicine and pumping his heart but with no results. I am going to miss him dearly. He was only 2.5 yrs old and was such a lovely and beautiful friend. He loved me more than anyone else in the family and i am going to be lonely without him. thanks again for replying and i hope things go well with your family |
| Im glad I have found this page. Im lucky to be mom to a 6 year old male Toy Poodle. I cant even explain what he means to me,although here you may understand. He, too, has suffered from reoccuring seizures and his Dr. also held off on medication. His seizures were happening once every two months or so, 2 at a time with 5 min in between. Two and a half weeks ago, he woke me up at 4 in the morning just before having a seizure. He threw up white foam which he had never done before, and I rushed him to the puppy ER. They kept saying it didnt look good...chance of kidney and brain problems...that the pheno and valium they gave him was having little effect -I was so scared. The fact is I still am. He's been on phenobarbital for 2 weeks, then had blood work and they upped his dose of it. So hes had 2 of the new pills so far, and hes just not the same little man at all. Its got me so upset that I'm impairing his quality of life-but at the same time i know the seizures are really scary. He's falling all over the place...and hes so tiny i'm afraid he will hurt himself by falling off the couch or the bed. My question is if he will adjust to this new dosage, or will he be this way for the rest of his life? Hes so out of it, when he sleeps i'm afraid hes going to stop breathing...so scared. I hope someone can help...thanks |
| Here is one link for a member's ongoing battle with seizures. Another member had a toy poodle with a seizure disorder and he has done quite well with an OTC herbal(?) medication. She should be around today to give you some more info. I'm pretty sure they talk about it in the following post also but that was at a time when some info was lost from the forum and I'm not 100% sure all of it is here. There are people here who can give you some advice, it's just not that busy on the weekends so be patient and help will be here shortly!
http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=6574 |
| Hi Lori,
I have a two year old lhasa apso named Cosmo. Cosmo had his first seizure early last month. Since then he has had three others. The last aone was this morning and it lasted for about forty minutes. I am heartsick about my baby. I have no idea how he got epilepsy. I am taking him to the vets on Monday morning. I know he has to be on meds. I have never had a dog with epilepsy before. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to e-mail your comments and suggestions to me. You can reach me at allymary@comcast.net or allymary@gmail.com. Good luck with Shaggy. God bless everyone who is the caretaker of our special angels. Warmly, Ally-mother of Cosmo and Scooter |
| I'm so sorry.
I can't share any first hand experience but this is a good website with information on canine epilepsy- http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... te_map.htm Best wishes to Cosmo~ |
| Ally, I am so sorry you both are going through this.
If Cosmo has another long seizure before you are able to see your vet, please take him to the ER vet. For our kids with seizures, we call 911 for any seizure over five minutes or that involves trouble breathing. We also have medication that can be given during a longer seizure to bring it under control. |
| There are a few bloodlines of OES that have Epilepsy in them. It is hereditary....... I remember Victoria Kremer did quite an extensive pedigree search back into OES bloodlines and she may be able to help you.
It is amazing that people that there are people that KNOW that Epilepsy runs in their dogs bloodline/background and continue to breed them. If you need assistance in locating her please IM me privately and i will try to find her information for you. Ali |
| My Guinness had a seizure about a week ago. I was not home but my husband was. It scared him to death!! We (of course) consulted with our vet and are watching him. He was a rescue dog and when I tracked down the breeder, well I don't want to go there, so there is no sense in contacting her. He is a certified therapy dog and was neutered so no chance of any breeding. Hopefully it will be his only one but it is indeed worrisime (funny how an old post got going again) |
4dognight wrote: My Guinness had a seizure about a week ago. I was not home but my husband was. It scared him to death!! We (of course) consulted with our vet and are watching him. He was a rescue dog and when I tracked down the breeder, well I don't want to go there, so there is no sense in contacting her. He is a certified therapy dog and was neutered so no chance of any breeding. Hopefully it will be his only one but it is indeed worrisime (funny how an old post got going again)
C, So sorry to hear about this. What the heck??!! |
| D
What the heck is my thoughts too!! we are just watching him this was over a week ago and he seems fine. Now I have two to watch aauugghhhhh..... Cindy |
| One of the potential adverse reactions to vaccinations is seizures -- has your dog recently been vaccinated?
Significant calcium deficiency can cause seizure-like episodes, have you had a blood test to check calcium and phosphorous levels? High phosphorous foods (meat, eggs, nuts) bind with calcium, as do high oxalate foods (oatmeal) and may deplete your dog's levels to a point where it will cause problems. Poison will also cause seizures. You might want to do an online search for "canine hypocalcemia" or just "hypocalcemia". This link http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/breeding/eclampsia.htm will take you to an article on this subject in which it states that the signs of low calcium levels (hyocalcemia) are: "Muscle tremors, restlessness, panting, incoordination, grand mal seizures and fever as high as 106." Further, the above articles thats a one of the possible causes: Poor Nutrition - "Home brewed" diets usually are at fault. The owner innocently may be adding too much unbalanced meat to the bitch's diet, thinking the extra protein is beneficial. What's really happening is the calcium to phosphorus ratio is out of balance because the amount of useful calcium in the food is actually reduced! The ideal contains a ratio of calcium to phosphorus of 1.2 to 1. (Many organ meats such as liver have a ratio of calcium to phosphorus of 1 to 15!! Liver is great for dogs but if it comprises a large part of the diet, the calcium/phosphorus ratio of the diet will be improper.) If you have chickens, you should be aware that their droppings are extremely high in phosphorous and can cause a problem if your dog eats too many of them. If the droppings are charging your dog's blood with phosphorous, it's going to drain him/her of calcium in order to maintain proper pH balance and cause muscle twitching, etc... Check this link HPA | Phosphorous | FAQs on [COLOR="Red"]phosphorous[/COLOR] from the Health Protection Agency, especially this quote: "[COLOR="red"]It has been used as a rat and rodent poison[/COLOR].." Check this site Eclampsia (Puerperal Tetany, Milk Fever, Hypocalcemia) in Dogs "Eclampsia, also called milk fever or puerperal tetany, [COLOR="red"]is an acute, life-threatening disease caused by low blood calcium levels (hypocalcemia) in dogs [/COLOR]...." One of our dogs developed severe seizures after the second of his puppy rabies shots -- his head shook so hard we thought his eyes would pop out, it was terrifying. After this seizure activity triggered by the vaccine, he became prone to them from other triggers. Whenever he ate too many high phosphorous foods (or chicken droppings), he would seize. Giving him 1/2 a quart of plain organic yogurt would calm his seizures within 15 minutes, when they were food-related. Personally, I would have a complete blood count done to check for mineral levels if you don't think vaccines or something your dog is eating is causing the seizures. PLUS, I would consult a Homeopathic/Holistic veterinarian for an alternative treatment. Kris L. Christine Founder, Co-Trustee THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm . The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf . |
Kris L. Christine wrote: One of our dogs developed severe seizures after the second of his puppy rabies shots -- Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND Hi, Kris. Maybe I'm misreading this, but are you saying the puppy had more than one rabies shot (as a puppy?) As in part of a series? Or are you talking about the fact that they insist on repeating after a year for the first re-vaccination instead of three? Thanks! Kristine |
Mad Dog wrote: Kris L. Christine wrote: One of our dogs developed severe seizures after the second of his puppy rabies shots -- Kris L. Christine Founder, Co-Trustee THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND Hi, Kris. Maybe I'm misreading this, but are you saying the puppy had more than one rabies shot (as a puppy?) As in part of a series? Or are you talking about the fact that they insist on repeating after a year for the first re-vaccination instead of three? Thanks! Kristine Yes, here we only give one rabies shot between 16-24 weeks of age, not before. Then they can get yearly boosters, or every three years. (or never if you choose) |
Willowsprite wrote: [
Yes, here we only give one rabies shot between 16-24 weeks of age, not before. Then they can get yearly boosters, or every three years. (or never if you choose) You can choose not to vaccinate??? Rabies is designated by law in the US - the rest are optional. I push my puppies towards the 6 mos mark, and then inevitably get annoyed that they give a "one year" (which isn't) before they will allow the three year booster (which is required by law - WI law - for the rest of the dog's life) I stopped vaccinating Belle years ago (after the only dog in my pack vaccinated for Lyme's - from before I got her - came down with Lyme's disease) except rabies, for legal reasons. You can get a vet recommeneded excemption in WI now for health reasons, though she doesn't really have any beyond the fact that she's ten and I'd like her to continue to not have any. No longer vaccinate Mad either, beyond rabies. Anyway, I was just curious. The way I read what Kris wrote I was wondering if she meant a series of rabies vaccinations as a puppy - like the puppy shot series for distemper etc. Really you're not required to vaccinate for rabies in Canada beyond...? How come you're so far ahead of us??? 
Kristine |
| It probably is required by law, but only required once every 3 years, each town has it's own bylaws I believe, I'm not sure what the federal ones are to be honest.
I choose not to. They get their puppy vaccines (but NOT corona, bordatella, or any other unnecessary, or ineffective vaccine) beginning at 8 weeks, again at 12 weeks, and again at 16 but I like to wait til 20-24 weeks to give the rabies vaccine so it isn't lumped in with the others. |
| I don't do any of the extraneous ones either, except my vet did talk me into giving one round against lepto as puppies.
I've been playing around with titering with the youngest, though I can't say that the science on it is terribly convincing. I know some people who won't vaccinate at all, but I saw video of a rescue dog who had contracted distemper and has permanent neurological damage. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this new study on rabies. High time. Kristine |
| These are the dose instructions on the rabies vaccine label, which dog owners in Maine are required to follow:
[b]Vaccinate dogs and cats 3 months of age or older with one dose. Revaccinate with a repeat dose one year later. Revaccinate both dogs and cats every 3 years.[/b] Butter's seizures started with this 1 year dose after his initial one at 3 months. |
Kris L. Christine wrote: Butter's seizures started with this 1 year dose after his initial one at 3 months.
That makes sense. Thanks. Even though we call these guys puppies till they're two, I tend not to think of anything beyond the first six months as puppy vaccinations so I wasn't sure if you meant he was boostered within weeks or so of an intitial vaccination. Kristine |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|