Phenobarb for seizures

Hey all...Concerning Josie again. I got this e-mail today from Duke (trainer)

"As you now know Seizures can be a cause of aggression in some dogs.

Well I have done some research (for you and me both) and Phenobarbital will also cause Aggression in dogs.

And as you know Phenobarbital is used on dogs that have Seizures. You need to see the vet and discuss this issue. Is there an alternative med? Other treatment?

I had a customer with a very nice boxer, never had any aggression problems. It developed bad allergies and was put on prednisone. This drug also causes aggression in dogs. The owner noticed that the boxer would become aggressive out of the blue for no reason at their other dog and attack it. She was good with people, aggressive to other dogs, but they were nervous of it being directed to a human. The dogs Aggression stopped after they took the dog off the meds."

Josie has been on phenobarb since her seizures starting getting real bad...However, I THINK her aggression started first....

Anyone know anything about this topic? Seizures/phenobarb/aggression and how they relate? if at all?

My mom's Snoopy is on Phenobarb for his seizures, and I have never noticed him being aggressive to dogs or humans. I don't know what his dose his, but he gets it twice a day.

Cincy is on Prednisone for her alleriges, but she gets a very low dose, 2.5 mg -5 mg, and not every day. She has no aggressive traits, other than sounding mean when she plays!

has your vet ever ran a thyroid panel on Josie?
Hypothyroidism can cause agression and seizures in some dogs.
Might not hurt.

alex has been on phenobarb for 8 1/2 years, he's never been aggressive towards anything...well, kleenex gets shredded, but nothing living. your trainer is wrong, period. please check out www.canine-epilepsy.com for more information.(edited for poor spelling! :o )

I don't know anything about it, Audrey but I just wanted to send out hugs to you and Josie and the rest of your furgang.

{{{HUGS}}}

Snoopy is taking phenabarbital and potassium bromide for his seizures. He is just a very friendly dog although a little (?) on the hyper side. He has taken the phenabarbital for about a year and a half. But no he has not shown any signs of aggression to any dog or person.


The only thing I can tell you is that medicines react different in different people. I suppose it is possible that it could cause some dogs to get aggressive. But I doubt if it would be used as much as it is if it did it to all or even most dogs.

No experience with phenobarb, but lots with prednisone. Sleet used to take pred for her seasonal allergies. In addition to usual side effects of extreme thirst and hunger, it turned her into a completely different dog. She was a snarling, miserable beast. Not full on aggressive, but most certainly not Sleet. For the last 3 years she's had depro-medral shots instead. Chemically they are almost the same drug, but Sleet reacts entirely differently to the depro. She stays her usual sweet self, just drinks more and stops scratching.

I've also had to give pred to a couple other dogs. They all got extra thirsty and hungry, but none of them got snarly like Sleet. Just like people dog's process drugs differently.

I would agree about the thyroid panel, if you haven't already done one. A full thyroid panel, not just a t-4 level. It'll cost more, but it actually tells you something. A t-4 test would not have diagnosed what is wrong with Earle. A full thyroid panel did. One of my clues that something was not right with Earle was that he was snarling at other dogs. Earle's never met a dog he didn't like so that was a clear sign something was wrong.

Also, have you eliminated the possibility that Josie is in pain? I ask only because my Goldie used to be randomly dog aggressive. No pattern to it, she would be playing, perfectly happy and then suddenly attack. After an extra complete exam, including every blood test known to man, we found that Goldie was actually in pain. She had been hiding it very well. When she moved a certain way, her shoulders hurt and she would lash out at the closest dog thinking that they had hurt her. She's on an anti-inflammatory pain killer every day for the rest of her life and she's a different dog. She's still fussy about her friends. She will never like Preacher or other females, but she lives with another dog; she gets regular time in the big yard with the main pack, and I don't have to worry about her if we run into a dog on the trails. She's a much happier girl.

Good luck with all of this.

Smokey had a few seizures, I remember the vet wanted to put him on phenobarb but my mom wouldn't because she said it would change his personality. I don't know who or where she got that information from, but I specifically remember her being upset at the thought of putting him on phenobarb...Sorry, that's all the info I have, probably not helpful. :o