Josie saw the vet..

They seemed to only have one kind of meds for a 'first stage' for seizure meds. It's called phenobarb or something. Anyone hear of it? She says it causes the liver enzymes to work more or something..but she said there was a study that appearinly it doesn't affect the liver itself to much or something..Anyway, I think this is better for her for now. If it will help then thats great. Anything so she doesn't have to suffer these any more :( She HATES going into the vets, which is bad cause now she has to go in more often :( oh well, hopefully this works out

We are wishing Josie well. Hopfully these meds will make her better.

Phenobarb is the most common medication they use for epileptic dogs. It does work really well, but there are some things you need to be aware of. I think your best bet would be to find a forum for epileptic dog owners so people with a lot of experience can give you advice. I'll search around and see if I can find an active one.

I'm so glad she went to the vet. Hopefully things will become easier for the sweet girl.

Best of luck to Josie. Hopefully the meds will be able to help her out. :)

I sure hope that this medication does help Josie. As Aly said,
Phenobarb is commonly given for for this specific problem.Do
let us know how she's doing after she's been on it for awhile.

Hope she's feeling & acting better.It can be very scary when
the seizures happen & I hope this helps her body control them.

Phenobarbitol is the first drug of choice when treating epliepsy in dogs. It is what we started with on Rose, and she still takes it, 15mg twice daily. It is supplemented with another drug, potassium bromide (KBr). I would have liked to have gotten her on solely KBr, because phenobarb can affect the liver over time, but just KBr doesn't work for her. You may want to ask your vet about using KBr, especially if the phenobarb isn't effective without going to a high dose. The catch with KBr is that it has to be made up specially - compounded - and you would need to get it at a compounding pharmacy which you may or may not have in your area.

You're right that she'll have to visit the vet more often now - they'll want to keep an eye on Josie's liver function tests. I hope that you find a med or meds that will work for her.

Check out this link for more people's experiences: www.canine-epilepsy.com

She told me Kbr was for strong doses? or something..

I'm so glad that you were able to get Josie on some meds to help her. Please let us know how things go.

That's what my childhood dog, Christy took. I don't remember much about it though.

Audrey, I hope this will help Josie to avoid those seizures. I know you both will feel much better if it does!! We'll keep our fingers and paws crossed for success! :)

I hope it helps. Let us know how it's working out.

Many dogs are successfully treated with Phenobarbital, Audrey. Hopefully Josie will be too:) Keeping our fingers and paws crossed and keeping you in our prayers sweet Josie. Please give her a hug for me, Audrey:) She was so brave at the vet's:){{{HUGS}}}

alex has been on phenobarb and potassium bromide for almost 7 years. it's important for the owners to learn as much as you can about this condition, so you can be your furbabys' best advocate. the cost of the phenobarb is dirt cheap at a drugstore, alexs' runs about $ 6 dollars for a 45 day supply. the potassium bromide pint i got last saturday was $23, it'll last 2 months. something else, while josie is on the phenobarb, she'll need at least twice yearly blood work for liver enzymes, to make sure her liver is doing ok (the meds are metabolized thru the liver, the potassium bromide is metabolized through the pancreas). and at least yearly, she'll need bile acid tests done. www.canine-epilepsy.com has wonderful resources and a list of labs that can run the blood work at slightly cheaper rates then a conventional lab. lab prices vary greatly, and can get steep. ask your vet about is using the valium protocol to break cluster seizures, the description of the protocol is on the web site and many vets don't know/fully understand how the valium protocol works for the owners, you can also get the medical referrences to show your vet.
alex had his first known seizure at 13 months, he's now 8 years old. his life is good, he plays hard, annoys the cats, eats anything he can get his teeth on, and loves tummy rubs. most dogs do very well, and live long lives.

I hope the medicine helps Josie. Give her a hug for me. :)