Staffy-Lover

Yep the hind leg weakness is a well known side effect. Some dogs do get progressively better as the drug settles in a bit. My boy is on this drug but doesnt have these side effects so i can't tell u alot. But don't panic. I would PM Puggles as i believe she would be the best source of info on this particular topic for you. good luck

replied tah. any others?

where is wallacia? How would i get in touch with him? thanks for your reply

Hey Guys, My staffy girl gets a sore back every now and then from jumping up on lounges or up on the back step etc and i want to get her a doggy massage to see if it might help her out. Does anyone know of a GOOD masseur in the Blacktown or surrounding areas? I prefer someone who dol people have tried and tested if possible and can recommend thanks

Stopping Cluster Seizures: My Staffy used to cluster seizure when his epilepsy first started. We took him to the Neurologist who said that when he siezures, wait till he is able to eat the tablets (in cheese) himself and give him a full load of meds straight after the seizure to stop cluster. Then meds as usual, even if only a few hours between seizure meds and normal ones. He doesn't have to be 100% to do this, just enough to be lucid enough to eat and swallow. Since doing this, i can count on one hand the number of times he has clustered. Not sure if you guys do this but i strongly recommend it, or atleast talk to your vet about it as it has been a wonder for us. Also the neuro recommended fish oil tablets, which i have written about a few times. She said that while there is no hard evidence about their power, that fish oil is good for the heart and brain and can't hurt. but that she believes that it has an effect on the epilepsy. ALSO, Varicool - when i took my boy to the neuro she didn't even have to MRI to tell me that it was definately not a tumour etc. She just got him to walk up and down stairs and turn in circles and do a few activities and she said she could tell from that. So i am not sure if you have taken him to the neuro yet and they recommend an MRI or if you are thinking MRI to check,,,, but you may just be able to see neuro and get feedback. Much cheaper option. Anyhow - i hope all the epi babies are safe and sound. take care

puggles do u use milk thistle for monte? I am thinking about it for my boy but wanted some feedback first. ta

if he has these other behaviours aswell i doubt epilepsy, i would have to say some type of anxiety. hope u find a solution

yeah it does sound like what happens to dogs after they have a seizure. So question, while he is pacing can you grab his collar and take him in side and then it stops? If so then it isn't post seizure behaviour. Look closely next time and see if you can see saliva on his snout, it will just be thick water type saliva. or throth around his mouth. Does he walk into things like he seems blind? How fast is the pacing. Can you distract him at all with food or something that is his favourite thing that any other time he would come for? I look forward to your reply

Bonnie Dog is bought for about $30 for 20kgs and is a good buy. Add chicken necks to this and you have a cheap but decent diet. My staffies used to have the Bonnie Dog and they had great coats. the chicken necks are for teeth. Bonnie dog works out cheaper than the supermarket brands.

i spoke with him and he said it is part of the blood test but i was reading about a different test that epi's do. i think i might put it to the epi list ta

Hi mate, sorry to bother but i thought id put the question here incase others are interested. I want to get my boys liver tested to see how its going. my vet says that the blood tests will show if there is a liver problem. But i know that many epi dogs get a bial acid test ???? or the like. What do you get ? and what are the rules in terms of eating before, med use, etc. thanking u in advance PS hope monte is charging forward today

I'd be demanding they re-test for free as they have stuffed up. The levels should be taken at TROUGH. i agree with puggles. you can't take the test after meds it doesn't work. go back and talk to your doc about it, many don't know the protocol properly if they haven't had the exp , but those tests are bloody expensive so id demand it be done again.

sorry puggles my boy has only used tablets. But my sis is a nurse and said that some meds can be different if liquid or otherwise. so there is a chance that it could be the culprit

yeah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is excellent news !!! atleast u know what u r dealing with now. are u going to use gabapentin? or just use more phenomav and less epibrom (bromide)? any news on what might have caused the build up? glad all is well and a big smooch to monte from the staffy gang

poor bub, i hope all turns out well. Do you think maybe you should consult Dr Childs again? or are u already? Also, could u send an email to the sydney uni people who are researching epi and see if they know of anything similar? My vet knows the people at syd uni and so asks for their help at time and they are very nice about it. i am lucky as my boy does not suffer from ataxia except after an attack. When his meds are upped he is a bit off but not much. poor monte i want to see his cute tail curled again v soon. could u buy him new food in case there is something wrong with his food? i know its a stretch but a bad batch of food is known to happen. have u scoured ur house to ensure no external probs? im sure u have but thinking outloud incase god i hope there is a good outcome for you puggles and for monte.

oh no puggles my thoughts are with monte. I have never read anything about the conditions you have described in relation to epilepsy so im of no help unfortunately. Can something in his body be changing the salt levels causing an overdose in the meds ? Maybe you should get a med level check done. Here's hoping it is just a cold or flu that can be fixed with antibiotics. Keep us updated and let us know if we can be of help. ps- is the after hours vet that you go to the one in baulkham hills?

puppies mum how is it all going? any seizures since the last ones you wrote about? Can i also suggest that you buy a diary just for your dogs epilepsy where you monitor the time and any changes in weather, food, exercise and anything else you can think of including worming, environment, bathing EVERYTHING. Some epilepsy has triggers, so by keeping your diary you may be able to work out if yours has a trigger. Some dont have triggers but the diary can be a handy source of info if you have problems down the track. i also record changes in meds, blood test results etc good luck

u just put the capsule in the food you will know if you are giving too much because poohs will become jelly type with an oil cover type thing and their skin will get oily PS - this isn't as an alternative to any other meds etc it is in addition

umm just realised noone must read my posts about epilepsy because i have been saying for ages to add fish oil tabs. My neuro said this - there is no hard evidence that fish oil does anything. However, my neuro said that fish oil is used in memory and to help the brain. and because this is what epilepsy is all about then she strong suggests using it and feels personally that it helps to keep dogs brains healthy. not to mention the heart which gets alot of stress. hmmmm maybe i need to highlight this so it gets read hehehe

my staffy boy has epilepsy and he currently seizures on a fortnightly to montly basis. Firstly, did you get all the blood tests done to rule out lead poisoning etc. If so...... If you are in NSW then i can recommend an excellent neuro called Dr Childs who is on the north shore, PM me if u want her details. -Every epi owner i know gets best results when they split the meds into two doses 12 hours apart. The Phenomav in particular is very volatile and needs a 12 hour window. -Epi meds are also affected by SALT. If your dogs diet changes a lot then the salt levels change which can affect the meds and reduce or increase them in the dogs system. So you need to keep the diet as stable as possible. -Introduce 2 capsules of fishoil into your dogs diet for assistance with their brain and health (recommended to me by my neuro) - ALSO, to stop the clusters --- the neuro told me to double dose my dog to stop clusters and he has never had more than two seizures in a row and very rarely even two now. How it works is that as soon as pup can safely swallow give them a full dose of all meds. YOU can do this a few times without overdosing the dog according to my neuro. Speak with your vet to see about your dogs size and how much he thinks is safest. Then at the normal time give the normal meds even if it is only an hour later. - During seizures keep your dog cool with a wet towel and safe from all. DON'T put anything in his mouth EVER. you can gently wipe the froth away but don't put anything in side.some people put an icepack on their dogs lower back to keep cool - then as soon as doggy is upright make sure that they have access to water. your dog will also feel very hungry but dont give anything until it is out of danger of seizures. - when first putting puppy on the meds after about 3 months you need to do a blood test to check the level of meds in the blood. one - to make sure they are in the therapeutic range and don't turn poison. and two - to tell you how much more meds the dog can safely have. - you might feel doggie is on alot of meds but diff dogs digest them differently so the only way you can tell properly is by the blood test. if you would like any more help please feel free to pm me. puggles has pretty much said it all...and i also agree with puggles that the comment about vaccinations is crap and unproven, you need to keep your dog as healthy as you can so that no matter how bad the seizure that your dog is healthy enough to cope with it. this includes being disease free with up to date vaccinations. its scary at first but after a while the panic softens as you learn to handle things a bit more - good luck and keep us up to date dogs with epi can live excellent lives so don't panic, epilepsy takes a while to work out what works best for your dog. it is a lot of trial and error till you get it right but once you get it under a certain amount of control things are better, My epi staff is 30kgs of muscle, has a shiny healthy coat, and leads an otherwise natural normal happy life. you must focus on keeping doggy healthy though so their bodies can cope with the stress of the seizures. Best Wishes

You want the best control on the minimum amount obviously but as long as they are in the safe range then i wouldn't be changing meds. unfortunately my boy is on the higher level of the safe zone so i do blood tests a min every 6 months to make sure. my vet said keep an eye out for their eyes. apparently if the meds are getting high you will notice because the whites of the eyes will discolour. glad to hear all the epi pups are doing well. If u are worried about liver you can also introduce milk thistle. i was told that it cleans the liver.

i feed my 2 staffies mince - lamb mince is a little better as it has less fat. but u need to mix it up - same as with humans

i read that early desexing (at the correct age) can reduce the chance of cancer in dogs

Sweet Dreams Beautiful Boy

Give a smooch to my Harry please Annie... !! We miss you all. Rest In Peace all the beautiful babies