Relatively new seizures

[June161]

Help! My 11 yr. old (Em) began having seizures back in Feb.
She has always been a nervous dog, and I attributed the 1st one to my grandchildren being here. Then she didn't have another one until Sept. and now one Friday. I was able to time that one and it was almost 5 minutes. The Vet hasn't been much help and only recommends the Pheno.

After reading about the food, I am wondering if maybe I should try changing what I give her. But again, I have fed the same brand for probably 30 years. Two of my dogs lived to be 16 & 15 years old, so it really did the job. Also, my Vet hasn't said anything about changing.

Does anyone know, or is there any medical reason why this happens to dogs who have been healthy all along?

I would appreciate any knowledge any of you can give.

Many thanks. June 161

[wolf_Q]

What kind of food do you feed her currently? My dog, Smokey, had a few seizures several years ago. He was probably around 11-12, as he is 16 now. The vet wasn't sure what caused it, but he said it might be because of something we put on the lawn. They recommended the phenobarb (something like that) too, but we didn't do it. Another vet gave him shots of coritzone (no idea how to spell it, or if that is even correct) every year for a few years...he was kind of an older vet, own business...I don't think any other vets do that today....but it helped Smokey. Sorry I'm not much help, I dont' really remember much about Smokey's seizures. I know there are other people on this board that have dogs with seizures..

[June161]

Many thanks for the message.

I have always fed Purina and both Em and Teddy are on the Senior. I do know it has a little more fat in it than the regular dog chow. Now I wonder if the extra fat could have something to do with it.

It may be it is that, but I've fed that brand for many, many years and Em and Teddy are my 14th and 15th dogs in my lifetime. ( See
I'm a "little" older than you (G)).

Anyway, I will talk to my Vet about the cortizone. Did you also change foods?

[wolf_Q]

Well, my parents feed Smokey and Reggie and they get..well...whatever..lol...

My dog, Nebo, gets Nutro, which is an excellent dog food.

I'm not sure about the food having something to do with it, I've never heard of that happening....but I don't really know. Sorry, I'm not much help here.

[tatsxxx11]

Did the vet do any testing??? Xrays, cat scan, MRI or blood work? A basic blood panel could offer some clues. There are so many factors that may contribute to a sudden onset of seizures. It's a little odd that so suddenly a food she tolerated for so long would bring them on. But, as with humans, allergies, severe allergies, can crop up at any age. The senior years bring along with them their own set of changes and possible precipitating factors as well. Other causes of seizures in older dogs may be brain lesions, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) hyperthyrodism. Also, previous head injuries, a past, perhaps undiagnosed case of distemper have also been known to bring on seizures later in life. I would try to elicit more info. from your vet. If you don't feel he or she is giving you the answers you need, I would definitely consult with another vet or possibly find out if there isn't a vet specializing in neuro. disorders in your area. If the meantime, if the seizures continue to progress in frequency, severity or duation, I would certainly consider a hopefully brief, temporary, course of Phenobarbital or whatever medications your vet might prescribe. Potassium bromide is another commonly prescribed drug. I'll try and find some more detailed info. re: dogs and seizures. Hope your sweet baby Em is feeling better!! She sounds like a precious girl Paws and fingers crossed for you Em!

[June161]

Animal Lover,

Many thanks for the reply and info. Em is much better
and has seemed fine since Friday.
It could possibly be the hypoglysemia because the 1st one was about 5:00 P.M. and this last one was around 6:00 P.M. Both dogs had just finished their supper and I had just gone to the cabinet to get their afterdinner treats. I don't remember what time of day the second one was. Maybe I need to start feeding them twice a day. Anyway, I'll talk to the Vet about it.
She didn't do any blood work, X-Rays, etc. The only thing she did was to keep Em under observation for several hours and give her 1 lithium tablet (at a cost of $25.08). I was so worried, I didn't protest the charge, but will when I go back. It seems that
this Vet, one of 3 in the practice didn't know much. So hopefully I'll be able to see one of the others.
Anyway I will do a lot of investigation!

[tatsxxx11]

June, how is Em doing??? Hope she's staying seizure free. Please give us an update when you can. Hugs to you Em, sweetie!

[June161]

Thanks for your inquiry. Em is much better and I am now wondering if her problem could be hypoglysemia. Anyway I am trying to feed her at the same time everyday. If she has any more episodes, I'll get her back to the Vet and get blood work done.

Have you ever noticed that animals seem to want to eat according to the light of the day. Since we went back on Standard
time, my 2 have been asking for dinner much earlier. If it is almost dark, they pester me until I go get it. Yet in the Summer, when it gets dark so late, they don't seem to want to eat until
8:00 or later.

Right now Em has her head on my knee as I write this. She is telling me that it's time to go to bed. So Good Night!

[tatsxxx11]

That's welcome, encouraging news, June!! As we talked about before, should Em have any more symptoms, a quick blood chem. screening would be of great help in diagnosing the problem. Keep up the good work Em!! Sandra, Cody and Star!

[June161]

Well, it seems I spoke too soon. Em has just had another one! At least it wasn't as severe as the one last week. Since she had her dinner about 5: 00 P.M., I guess it isn't the hypoglysemia. (It's now 9:30). We had just come down to this 'puter when it began and it lasted over 5 min. from start to finish. I have tried to think of anything that could trigger seizures, but can't remember anything I've used in cleaning, spraying, etc. So I'm at a loss! Of course it would happen on a weekend and at night when my Vet is closed. I'll have to find out where the Emergeny Vet moved. Hope it isn't too far away. The location before was in the middle of Charlotte and I live about 17 miles away on the very edge of the county. Keep her in your prayers.

[tatsxxx11]

Oh, no, June!! Were you able to contact an emergency vet?? Don't discount hypoglycemia yet. I'm couldn't begin to analyze the sugar, carbohydrate content of Em's dog food. But, hypoglycemia is a difficult condition to control with diet. It might seem a paradox, but the last thing a person or animal with hypoglycemia needs is sugar. They get an immediate "high" but then the blood sugar drops quickly to an even lower level. And how much and when you feed her and how much or how little exercise she gets also affects her bloodsugar level. I think Em really could benefit from some basic blood work to start with to ease your mind. Poor Em. 5 minutes is a long time for a seizure. You must have been so frightenend and Em too. Please let us know how she's doing. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Em and June.

[KYS]

I agree with Sandra, I think some tests are in order.
Will be crossing our fingers and sending many good
thoughts that Em will be OK.