My dog Lacie started having seizures when she was a year old. My vet said she needed to have more than one per month before he would put her on medication. She was on pheno-barbitol for ten years. It stopped her seizures completely. It does cause liver damage in the long run, so make sure her dosage is monitored closely. I eventually weaned Lacie off pheno-barbitol when she was eleven years old. It took a year of gradually reducing the dosage. She no longer has seizures, or takes medication. Sometimes they do stop.
My vet said that it was probably epilepsy, or could be some other seizure disorder. She said she could run all kinds of expensive tests, tell me the name of the exact disorder she had ... and put her on pheno-barbitol anyway, no matter what. So, I didn't have the testing done. I'm sure each case is different.
I would talk to your vet again. If he/she is still unwilling to re-evaluate the situation, I would get a second opinion.
"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam
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"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
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It's so frighening to watch seizures in humans and animals. I deifinitely think it's time to discuss a medication regime with the vet. As has been said, phenobarbital is commonly used in both humans and dogs with great success. And monitoring of liver function is definitely a must. I hope the dr. will listen to your concerns and consider a trial of medication. Two in a matter or minutes tells me it's time for a more agressive approach. I know how much you love Josie and how painful it is for you to see her suffering. And we know how much you love Zeke too, of course!!!! You know, I love them too!
Be tough with the vet!!!
And don't be afraid to get a second opinion if you need to! Love and hugs and slurpy licks to Josie from all of us!
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