Epilepsy is common is purebreeds from the age of 6 mos to 5 years.
My 4 year old greyhound was just diagnosed with epilepsy around Easter this year. She had 3-4 petit mal seizures and 2 grand mal seizures that I witnessed. Scared the you know what outta me!!! Shaianne has been on phenobarbital 1 pill a day (1/2 in am and 1/2 in pm) since Easter. They told me that if they start having them a month apart that is when we worry. Shai's grand mal seizures were 3 weeks apart. She has been doing beautifully with the medicine. It has not changed her disposition or anything.
If she were to continue to have the seizures on the meds then we would have upped her dosage and if that didn't work then we would have to go the route of a CT or MRI to see if she had a brain tumor. I am an xray technologist and of course my first thought after her first seizure was "Its a brain tumor or epilepsy."
I am not sure if I would go the route of a CT or MRI, a brain tumor is so devastating I wouldn't want her to live in pain b/c of me. Now don't get me wrong, she is my heart and soul but she has been my best friend and wonderful furkid, but I wouldn't want to prolong her suffering. But Thank the Good Lord I don't have to deal with that just yet b/c she is doing beautifully on the meds.
Please keep us all posted, and we all will be thinking of you!
But please take the puppy to the vet ASAP! I called after Shai's first seizure and they told me just to watch her and when she had the 2nd one they got me in ASAP that day to do blood work.
Anyway, thanks for telling us about the precious pup!!!


[This message has been edited by shais_mom (edited June 11, 2001).]