Canine Epilepsy - Please help a very worried owner!

**joycenalex** · 07-22-2008, 08:22 PM

alex the wonder dog lived with idiopathic canine epilepsy for over 11 years. he lived very well, happily and long. he too would have grand mal seizures where he would lose consciousness, foaming, occasionally lose bladder control. duke, who i adopted at age 10 or 11, knowing that he had very very mild epilepsy, but when he had a seizure, he would lose bowel and bladder control. i konw 2 other long lived dogs who have lived more 10 years with epilepsy. i have lots of experience and hope to share. join us at www.canine-epilepsy.com, www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com and the yahoo group k9epilepsy. there is a paper published by dr william thomas of the university of kentucky vet school that is invaluable for your vet to read, i have copies of the valium protocol that dr mark podell, formerly of the osu vet school wrote, and i can send you these references for you vet to read.
it's truly awful to watch your well loved dog having one, but we can help you find ways to help your dog. PM me, there's more i can share..there is hope. kindest regards, joyce

**dreamparkingspace** · 08-03-2008, 06:12 PM

I don't have epilepsy, though my sister does (she has taken Keppra and Lamictal in the past) and I have personally been prescribed almost every anti-convulsant there is in the past as well I must admit in order to treat schizoaffective disorder (to treat the bipolar part -- schizoaffective = schizophrenia + bipolar), and I do know quite a bit about psychiatric drugs because I've taken so many in my life and mental illness is very common in my family, except I have never been prescribed phenobarbital. I know that is one of the older anti-convulsants, which isn't used as often anymore (at least in humans). If I were you I'd ask your vet as many questions as you can about which anti-convulsant is the safest for your dog, which is most effective, which has the least side effect profile, what he/she would use if they were in your position, etc. My Grandma was on phenobarbital for several years after she had a brain anyeurism, and if I remember correctly it helped with headaches but made her sleep a lot, again though, don't know if this applies to dogs.

Hope this is helpful. Feel free to email me.

**critters** · 08-04-2008, 07:44 AM

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/v...154e73c89cc383

**Denyce** · 08-05-2008, 10:02 AM

Hi I am so sorry you are having to watch your baby go through this.

Our husky Sequoia started having seizures shortly after we rescued her 5 years ago. We first thought it might have been the whip worms she also had but the seizures continued. They were not as bad as your dogs. She would have one about every 2-3 months and they would last anywhere from 2 minutes to almost 45. That last was one of the last seizures she had. We didn't put her on any meds except we kept Phenobarb and valium to help keep them from continuing. She would alert us each time she started to seize and we could get a Phenobarb pill in her before her jaws would clench. This went on for a couple of years.

Then the horrible pet food recalls happened. We had been feeding her Nutros Natural Max since we had rescued her. While that formula wasn't on the list I just hated seeing new foods being added daily it seemed and I thought..."That is it. I have had it with grains and glutens!"

We switched her to Innova Red Meat small bites formula in April of 2007. She hasn't had a seizure since. The one in March of 2007 had lasted 45 minutes of her whole body clenched and foaming/drooling. I thought we were going to lose her. It was terrifying but we live so far from the vets and the stress of moving her during a seizure meant we just had to try and be calm during it and pray a lot.

I know Innova is expensive and I don't have any "proof" that the grains and glutens caused her seizures. But I will not switch her off that food unless I can no longer get it because they quit making it. It has been 16 months she has had a seizure. She is 7 and a half years old now and looks incredible. I will try and post a recent pic soon.

I don't know what you are feeding but I would talk to your vet about switching. Our vet also feeds Innova and is convinced that the food change is what made a difference with her.

Denyce

**dreamparkingspace** · 08-05-2008, 11:35 AM

That's cool that a change to healthier dog food may have in some way reduced seizures in your dog. That 45 minute seizure must have been hard to watch. I'm glad your dog seems to be doing much better Denyce.

Also, I noticed a lot of you mentioned "Valium" as a way of treating seizures. I've never heard of such a treatment. In fact I've heard the opposite...that coming off tranquilizers increases the seizure risk. So how does Valium fit in to reducing seizure risk?...It seems like it's just a tranquilizer that would get a dog drunk...

**Denyce** · 08-05-2008, 02:46 PM

it is a liquied valium that is given in the anus during a seizure in order to try and relax the dog and stop the seizue I beleive. If anyone else knows better please correct me. We never used it although the last one we wished we had it then. We didn't get it until the next day in preparation for the next one. Which never happened.

Of course you all realize I am knocking on wood like mad. My desk, my head...whatever else seems wooden like.

**shepgirl** · 08-05-2008, 03:28 PM

You're right about the liquid valium. The reason for that is that in animals you insert rectally and it has almost immediate benefits. For humans who are convulsing they will inject the valium intravenously to abort the seizure immediately. For animals, not everyone would be able find the vein and inject and it would take too long to get to a clinic , thus the liquid to insert rectally.