Staffy-Lover

yep you sound like you have the right ideas... and yes epi dogs are all different.. for example my boy is in the high range of meds and the neuro could not believe it because he is not at all sedated not one bit.. she said it has to be the first time that she would not be able to pick a dog on pb and kbr meds. just remember that when you increase the meds you have to give her about 2-3 weeks for it to even out and settle down because she probably will be very sedate first of all... but it tends to even out a bit so you have to give it a bit of time. if that doesn't work then yes i would suggest three time a day dosage. i agree that once every 6 wks isn't too bad if she doesn't cluster and it really does just depend on how the owner and dog cope with the seizure. my boy used to seize every two weeks and it was just too much because they are very violent now we have them much better thank goodness. just remember that pup will increase water (which means more trips to the bathroom at night) and will probably appear very hungry which you will have to watch incase of huge weight gain. I'm glad the seizures have settled !! Lets hope it is all up hill from here let us know how pup goes.

okay thanks, yes i would increase the meds a little as she has a fair bit of room to move and is at the lower level. if this doesnt' work or if you can't get better then 6 weeks gaps i would ask about introducing kbr with the pb. Good luck.. i hope it all works out and that you see a big gap between seizures

KC, so you currently give her dose in two lots is that right? once in the morning and once at night? If not then you need to do this... split the dose so they are exactly 12 hours apart. If you already do this.... then some people do get better control by breaking the same dose (or a little higher) into three doses per day. If it is possible... if not then you might need to consider upping the dose a little. My boy is actually at the higher end of the therapeutic range as mid doesn't work for him... this means you need to be way more careful and consistent with the blood works etc. If she is only seizing without cluster every six weeks i personally wouldn't up the dose just yet. I would try the alternative if you can. If it continues then yes i would up the dose. Are u using both pb and kbr? I read studies that show pb and kbr in conjunction are more effective on some dogs then just pb alone. WE use pb and kbr together. When the blood tests are done where in the therapeutic range is your dog.. normally..? If i am reading you right and you are in the low range after fasting etc then i think maybe you do need to up the dose. sorry if this is confusing just need some answers before i can give proper advice. I hope your bub is doing well... if you need to call and talk then pm me and i will send my number to you.

we used to give valium but it doesnt work for my boy. that's why i was suggesting the round of tablets to see if that worked for monte instead of the valium. worth a try if the valium isn't working...

Puggles, My boy used to cluster but the neuro told me that as soon as he has a seizure i should give him a whole dose of meds.....and that with the size of my dog i could give him a couple times his meds without any probs... and then to give him his normal meds at normal time.. u would have to ask about the size of your dog to see how many doses you could safely give him. BUT... this broke the clusters !! He hasn't had more than 2 in a row... and that only a few times... since we began this method. Previously he used to cluster like your monte. Dr Childs suggested this for us.... i would strongly suggest finding out for yourself if you don't already use it.. So say u give monte his tab at 5am and 5pm and he had a seizure at 3am... you give him a dose then at 5 you give him his normal dose. it is working fantastically so far !!! (fingers crossed and touch wood i haven't jinxed myself )

My boy is 30kg and i think that is why he has such a hard time because when he has a really bad seizure he will actually bounce.. and i mean bounce right up off the floor with every one. We had to buy a new bed that is close to the floor because he would seizure and fall the metre to the floor badly... When he has a bad one i actually phsically have to lay on him sometimes to try and stop him from smashing into things.... Poor bugger must be so sore after them.... hmmmmmmmmmmm gee i wish they would find a cure. so maybe harvey's seizure was a bad one... but he just doesn't have the size to bounce...??? I remember when my boy first had his seizure i said to the vet that it went for about 10-15 minutes ---- the vet said NO it can't have cause if it did you are in big trouble as that is very serious... he said next one actually look at the clock... i did and it was 2 minutes heheheheh just seemed like longer in such a panic but the post ictal can go for ages...

CaseyK - what you describe is exactly what my boy gets. the blindness is horrible isn't it and he also loses his bowels during the seizure aswell. and is also frantic etc...... although he changes patterns from time to time and sometimes it is different. Amazing how many epi dogs there are... two years ago when my boy first began i didn't even know dogs could have epilepsy. take care PS - i use icecream after seizure to cool down and to give the sugar hit. plain vanilla ice cream..... the healthiest one you can find.

Absolutely puggles !!! I know you know how much of a relief it is !!!! Fantastic 4 months free YIPPEEE for Monte !! We are chasing you Lets hope we dont catch up but keep the chase going hehehe

kozpink - i know how you feel, there were many days over xmas that i shed tears. I miss my harry aswell. Lets hope roo and harry are playing merrily together and got a big chunk of xmas turkey (or are the turkeys safe in heaven aswell ... best wishes

oh what a gorgeous old boy... run free !

Trace, I am sure that Annie has been busy chasing my Harry around and giving him those smooches that he hates from doggies heheheheh. 12 months has gone strangely fast yet slow....! Rest in peace gorgeous Annie and give my Harry a big cuddle from me .. with love.

Hope all is well with your pup Varicool. I would definately dose twice a day 1/4 tablet not once a day 1/2. PB needs to make sure it is given no more than 1/2 hour early or late and can't ever be missed. You will need to make sure that water is always available for pup now as pb makes thirst alot. Regarding the seizure video : Definately looks like an epileptic fit, although not that severe believe it or not...my boy can actually bounce across the floor because the fits are so bad... so expect that perhaps in the future this could happen and be prepared so you don't panic. I would say that the actual fit only went for just over 2 minutes and the rest of the time he was in the post ictal stage - which is after the actual fit. Once he became conscious and sat up and started licking his lips i thought this was post ictal -- Puggles what do you think???? I would suggest that you make water available to pup as soon as he sits up as the licking of licks suggests that he is thirstly which my boy gets really badly. also you might find he is ravenously hungry and wants to sniff things. The post ictal phase will actually change so if next time he does something different like pace or seem to be blind don't panic as this is common. My boys post ictal phase sometimes is just laying there, sometimes he is blind and walks into everything, sometimes he goes crazy and runs and jumps etc.. Also try putting an ice block on his back or rubbing him down with a wet towel because unless the weather is freezing his body temperature is actually very very high during the seizure and dogs are most at risk of virtually frying their organs during this time if they don't get cool. You can buy this bowl that u put in the freezer that i keep for this when my boy comes out of his seizure... I didn't see alot of foaming at the mouth which is great news for you but you may expect this in the future..... the only time i go near his mouth during a seizure is if my boy is actually chocking on the mass amount of foam that he produces. if so i get a damp cloth and quickly give his mouth a wipe making sure no fingers are near his and not shoving the cloth into his mouth or anything... note that this is only if he is obviously choking. next time i would be interested to see the video after the fit is over if possible.... i hope all is well now and the pb works PUGGLES - i hope xmas was non eventful in terms of seizures for monte... we got through safely thank goodness !!! Fingers crossed that the new year brings a quiet time from seizures for all epi babies.

search on the topic of epilepsy which has been talked about alot in this section and you will find possible help there. otherwise pm me if u can't find it and i will send u some information

oh so sorry to hear that you lost your bub Kaffy.. i know how you feel re not being there as i recently had a similar experience. I know you probably feel guilty at the moment but i have found a little peace in thinking that one moment can not surely outweigh all the other times when you were there for your bub and you gave them all the love in the world. take care and remember all the lovely times !

i have two staffies one little 17 kg girl and one 30kg boy - my boy has epilepsy so i need to be careful there is no added colours and preservatives etc.. and i think this is a good general rule for all dogs. there is so many different opinions so you need to go with what best works for your own dogs by trying them out. i feed mine: weetbix or porridge in the morning with warm water and a dash of milk dinner: one cup of Bonnie Dog - my epi dog seems to work best with this but over the years i have used various products. just make sure it is low in salt, and no colours and preservatives. a fistfull of lamb or beef mince with one teaspoon of natural yoghurt, one teaspoon of pulped mix vegetables and two capsules of fish oil tablets. (alternate with chicken) Snack: home made snacks by pulping up mince and veg and rice and freezing them. sometimes a slice of cheese Kong balls are great to hide mince yoghurt and rice in and then freeze. this way pup has to use his brain to get it out and it is good for their jaw... cleans their teeth etc. a lamb shank once a fortnight/week depending. This has worked really well for my dogs.. they are both very muscular and healthy and have great teeth and coat. I would try your pup with chicken despite what the breeder has said and find out for yourself if they like it or not. good luck.. read all the information think about what fits best with your lifestyle and your dog then take all the bits you think are useful and give them a go... then be ready to change what doesn't work... just remember that any changes to food need to be done progressively or you may upset pups tummy good luck

cav mad yes i use fish oil every night, the neuro recommended it for general health and said that research suggests it COULD make a difference but nothing tight.... so what the hell if it might work i'm using it heheheheheh Puggles - yes i did get into see Dr Childs... she is fantastic.... she only had to do a few tests with making max walk and turn certain ways to tell us that it wasn't a tumour or anything and that all neuro was fine and so epilepsy it is. She also gave us a wealth of info that has been sooooooo useful re the kbr - i only use the tablet form...and seems to work well... do u know if the liquid is any better re digestion etc? After xmas i am going to see if i can reduce the pb a little with maxi to see if i can get control on less meds... but u know how it is.. if its working it is a bit scary to make any changes !!!! What i did find out from Dr Childs is that KBR is not absorbed very well if you don't give it with a substantial amount of food. We now give ours with weetbix or porridge in the morning and then normal dinner at night and it has made a HUGE difference. Hope Monte is doing well !!

i know how you feel having just lost my gorgeous Harry at 8yrs to cancer. big hug for you and i hope that with time the pain eases.

yep started on pb then added kbr when i didn't get control... are just thinking about reducing pb now. it takes a while to work everything out. well u sound like you know all the options and i know u will choose the right one... so dont' stress just make a decision give it a little while to work itself out and then make decisions from there..... it's pretty much what the rest of us do aswell. good luck and i hope your bub remains seizure free

RIP gorgeous Jess - rest peacefully and play freely

oh how terribly sad.... rip jakey... play gently with my Harry and Georgie... give them a big kiss for me !

My staff is on both pb and kbr. I believe the kbr does not effect some dogs as much as the pb.. i know the pb makes my boy wacky but the kbr doesn't as much. If your pup only has seizures a long time apart without using any medication then talk to your vet about only keeping pb and valium to use at the time of seizure (pb as it works fast in the system). But the problem is that you don't always see the seizures so pup could be having more then you think. Otherwise i would definately recommend adding kbr and then trying to slowly reduce the pb until you find the right level that works. If u r using drugs to medicate you need to remember to do regular 6 monthly blood tests to ensure they don't go to poison level in the system and to keep an eye on the liver. I can highly recommend a neuro called Dr Childs at the vet specialist at nth ryde in sydney. Until we saw her our boy had seizures every fortnight in clusters very very severely. No two dogs are the same so you need to consider your bub and what you think is best for him with advice from your vet. You can always try one way and then change. Just remember that when taking a dog off pb or kbr you have to do it slowly or you can cause death. Best wishes as those of us that own an epi dog know the stress that the seizures can cause... keep my info and give me a yell if you ever need help.

My little boy, You hold the most special place in my heart. You were my first furlove as an adult and boy did you live up to all of my expectations - and then some. I loved you from the day we went to your breeders house and you were there with all your little siblings - mum and dad looked at all of you and couldn't decide which one was to be ours because you were all sooo beautiful... but then you decided for us. We went outside to see your mum and dad and turned around to see you climbing up the curtain to look out the window. Straight away we knew you were to be ours forever. Because of you I learned that love is unconditional and reaches into every little nook and cranny of your heart. I learnt that one little purr can light up your day and that snoring can actually be a pleasant thing to hear I learnt what it means to love someone else more then yourself...to care more about another then anything else in the world. I learnt that sleeping in the most awkward position and getting a sore back was way worth it, if it meant my little Russian Blue man was curled up next to me. I learnt that it doesn't matter if mum is tired... if Harry taps his mum on the face with his paw it is time to get up. I learnt how to sit dead straight without moving in case i woke you up and you decided to find a more comfy spot. I learnt that there was no better feeling then waking up and having two beautiful green eyes looking down at you. Gee i learnt alot and you my beautiful boy were my teacher ! You knew straight away that you were king of the castle and you made sure that your mum was given sooooo much love - but always on your terms When the other furkids came along you were determined to ignore them and pretend they didn't exist but i can tell you that they miss you so much aswell. I think you thought your name was "ohhhh how beautiful" because every time someone saw you that was the first thing out of their mouth. And you certainly were just that BEAUTIFUL and PRECIOUS in every way. People say that someone never dies if they live in the heart of someone else. Well you will never die Harry because your mum and dad will never ever ever forget you. You take up all of my heart and then some - i absolutely love you and i look forward to the day that we meet again and you crawl up onto your dads shoulders and then into mums arms...you place your head on my shoulder and purr sweetly into my ear - i will be thinking of that moment until the end of time. Sleep tight and run free my boy and know without doubt that your Mummy loves you and always will.

Hey Puggles, no he doesn't show any sign of liver damage but the neuro specialist said at least once per year you should check the liver with a liver test to ensure that there is no damage... they said the tests get it in early stages rather than waiting for signs???? What was the advice given to you? did the blood tests and they are fine... but he is at the higher end of the range at the moment... Great news bout Monte going 9 wks.... god it's a relief !! Once a fortnight was nearly killing me and Maxi.... now once every two months and fingers crossed longer is UNREAL !! Hope all goes well with Monte.. Varicool,, my toes and fingers are crossed for you little fella hey is this little harvey the Russian Blue ?

puggles - my boy is due for a liver test to check all is well. do u usually get a bial acid test or do you get blood work? and can you tell me the fasting and whether or not meds are taken before etc.... this is the first liver test he has had to have.... his blood work for the meds is fine but just want to make sure its not killing his liver PS - 2 months seizure free and climbing...fingers crossed - THANK GOD we finally broke the fortnight cycle !! thanks

BEST WISHES TO OLLIE DOG - Keep fighting champion we all know you can do it !!