~Anne~

At 10 years of age I would be more inclined to think it is not epilepsy but another condition that is bringing on the seizures - perhaps related to the thyroid or a tumour somewhere? I have a question for dolers experienced with canine epilepsy but I think I'll start a new thread................. it is about the power of talking.

Thanks Morgan I will check it out. :D Ok edited now to ask some q's. I live in high risk areas and have NEVER had a dog with heartworm. DId you have your dogs on any preventatives? If you did, which ones? Perhaps it was owner compliance at fault more then the drug or a chemical conflict? Re - the homeopathic drug for treatment and prevention of heartworm - has there been any published results of this drug? Any research? It still contains arsenic so how can it be any safer then the drugs used in veterinary medicine? This is also the same for a lot of veterinary vaccines so what is different?

Strange - you must be in an extremely high risk area? Just 'how many' dogs have you had that have tested positive for heartworm? What is this? Plant, minerla, vegetable, chemical? Made from what? Such as?

Such as? Correct me also if I am wrong but arsenic is used to treat heartworm, not prevent it.

Oh sh%t Meg, I am so sad to hear this. It seems that our epi friends are having a bad run. :p My thoughts are with you. I am so very sorry.

Sheena I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It must have been a terrible shock to you. My Monte is also a clusterer. We thought we were on a lucky streak when he wetn more than three weeks without a siezure but this was broken on Saturday. Still, to be positive, he only had two seizures this time. Meg - do you have any news on Eddie? I hope he is still ok.

Thanks everyone, I think I will check out Thrive a little more. I also have to be careful that whatever I use for him doesn't affect the absorbtion or thereapy process of the drugs he is on for his epilepsy. As it is we alk a tight line trying to keep the seizures under control.

Is tinned pineapple suitable? How much? The dogs will eat it but I am not sure the cat will appreciate pineapple in her food.

There is one positve however.... when I do TP (turd patrol) there isn't much to pick up..........

I know the reasons why it happens and with my lad the reasons are amplified. ie. the postassium bromide he is on to treat his epilepsy increases his hunger and the combination of his drugs also alters his behaviour. He eats his own, the cats and the other dogs feaces. He constantly smells now because of this, farts like a brewery horse and the whole deal makes me and my family ill. I've reprimanded, I've ignored. It is very difficult to cover their droppings with distateful products because the three of them are in the backyard during the day while I am at work and therfore he would be able to eat 'nice tasting' ones while I am not there. My question is - what works to stop this behaviour? I have searched the DOL threads about this issue and there are always oodles of suggestions but I'd like to hear from the people who have tried various products and solutions and what the result was.

Bob May - Chipping Norton Vet Hosp.

I wash mine usually weekly. But they have their faces washed every other day otherwise gunk builds up in their rolls and when you go to kiss their gorgeous squishy faces you cop a whiff of yuk.

Hi Meg Ed, I am on your vets side. The ulcer would have to be bad to be creating the symptoms you have stated. I am no expert but I have not heard of pheno causing ulcers anyhow.... but I am happy to stand corrected on this. Perhaps his seizures are not epilepsy but are linked to the symptoms he is now experiencing???? I hope he is ok. Please keep us updated with his progress. My thoughts are with you. WhiteShep - I firmly believe that medicine should remain the biggest part of treating ailments in dogs, particularly those with life threatening potential such as epilepsy and therefore would not touch either of those two recommendations on the websites you have listed with a barge pole. IMO it is best left to the experts to determine the cause and treatment and natural medicines should only be used as an adjunct.

Was Dippy from a registered breeder? Was he papered?

And this happens on an average of every 12 days. :rolleyes: Monte's seizures had been under control for almost 2 years. He was originally clustering, we revisited his meds, timings and food and he had only 4 seizures in over 18 months.... then approx 3 months ago he started to cluster again and now, as I said, clusters every 12 days on average. We are off to a neurologist (sp?) in Feb.... terribly expensive but I am so worried we will lose him otherwise and I hate seeing him so dosed up on meds. :D Sheena, every dog is different. When we thought Monte's meds were right he had no twitches or seizures..... now he is on much higher doses and still has seizures and has developed constant facial tics.

You can most certainly lose a dog during a seizure. Primarily by two means - overheating and heart attacks. During a seizure the dog's heart races at an incredible speed and puts the organ under a huge stress load. The dogs temperature also increases because of the increased heart rate. Your vet was majorly wrong.

Hi Sonni, I notice that you say that your epi was a Pug? Was she papered? I am always on the look out for any genetic links and my Pug, Monte, is from a breeder in Victoria. The first thing we do when Monte starts a cluster is to switch on the air con.... we results in me and the other Pugs shivering our heads off but it keeps Monte's temp down. My biggest fear is that Monte will die in the middle of a cluster. He can have up to 6 seizures within 60 minutes. It can be very scary.

Sorry to say but he will never be completely as he was and will always have one or two character changes that only you may be aware of but they will be there. As you have been advised, his dosage is quite low and so there is no need to worry and he will get used to it. Be patient. Each time the dose is increased it will be the same..... when it gets to the levels of my Monte, then he will ALWAYS be kind of lethargic. It is sad. We are of to a specialist in Feb with Monte as he is still clustering and has developed facial tics as well. Monte is only 8.5 kgs but is on 400mg Bromide and 75mg of Pheno.

OMG, how awful. I am so sorry Sheltielover. How sad for you. WSM - I am a member of the epi group but haven't posted for a month or so as I haven't been on much and have my list mail on hold till I get back to work.

Wow - Sheltielover I am glad to hear your little one is on the mend. I look forward to seeing the final results of the surgery. You are braver then I. My Monte Bear has had a terrible time of it lately and is clustering on average every 14 days. His meds have been increased and I am not sure we have much left to move on dosage as he is already on quite high doses. He has also developed a facial tic. We are off to see a neuro in the new year.

Uh-huh..... has anyone seen the story about the dog that swallowed washing off the line? They operated and found a shirt in his stomach. I think it was at Balgownie Vets.. they have pics on their site showing you the operation to remove the shirt. EFS

Yoghurt is a fallacy. I feed my dogs yoghurt almost every morning and I had problems with them killing plants that they weed on (our grass is thankfully dog proof). The only thing that has stopped it was the dog rock. As for expense - $9 every 10 weeks works out at roughly 90 cents per week..... bloody cheaper then yoghurt!

I use dog rock and I can guarantee they work Costs around $9 every 2 - 3 months. I have not had any plants burned from urine since I started to use the rocks.

How sad. Teddy will be with friends and a piece of you will still be with him. Thinking of you.

The head of my vacuum is all chewed where my gumby bear tries to bite it.... he thinks that I am moving it back and forth for him to play 'chasey' so I'm not sure I'd be able to vacuum him.