-Yoshi- Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Hi all, Our dog has been having seizures Since September I think that is when we first saw signs. Since then we have had him checked up and put on phenobarbital which does help I just have problems giving him drugs all the time. Just want to know if there's natural path that has shown improvements. He's recently turned 2 years old. We've changed a lot of things including his diet to a raw diet, I noticed his teeth are really clean and coat sillky white. We no longer use any sprays like cleaning products or use less of it. As it might be the environment. If we stop giving him phenobarbital he would last a week more or less before he has another fitt. If anyone has the same experience or and tips that might help I would really appreciate it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazxxz Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I know a little Westie who has had regular seizures. He's not on medication, but gets weekly chiropractic adjustments, which I'm told have helped a bit. I think he had three consecutive seizure-free months. Interestingly, one chiropractor was able to trigger the seizures, leading him to believe that the seizures were caused by a subluxation I think in the dog's cervical spine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 (edited) Seizure medication should only be stopped under veterinary guidance. It is very important that your dog gets it medication on time every day - being sporadic can trigger seizures. The more seizures a dog has the more likely that pathways in the brain are created which increase the chance of further seizures. If your dogs has seizures frequently enough to warrant medication there is no "natural" alternative - you could provide support through supplements and diet which you have discussed with your vet to make sure they are not going to harm your dog or interfere witht the efficacy of his/her medication. Removing chemicals which could act as possible triggers is great - but be aware that some "natural" products/chemicals can also be triggers eg eucalyptus, orange oil, Several people in an old thread on seizures used omega 3 oil capsules as a support - you could look into this. Edited October 20, 2011 by frufru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbyne Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 My dog was having seizures i didnt want to go down the drug path if i could help it. So i saw Robert mcdowell in bathurst they are herbalist. To be honest i was skeptical but happy to try anything. She was put on a natural diet BUT given extra calcium apparently some seizurs can be caused by low calcium absorbtion. She now has 2heaped teaspoons on her tea each night and was for 8 month given herbal drops it will be 12months in early november since we started and no seizures at all well worht a try. They can do over the ohone consults. Good luck i know how stressful it is my dog was the same age when she started fitting she is now 4yrs coat and her attitude to life has changed so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Yoshi- Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Hi there, does the vet think that this id epilepsy? (sp) Have you notified your breeder as Im sure they would like to know its in the lines (I personaly myself would like to know if this happened to any of my pups Id bred ) Hope the little tacker is not to bad and can cope on meds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 No good vet can diagnose idiopathic epilepsy without a long list of tests coming back negative and even then the only way to diagnose it is via necropsy. There are SOOO many things that can cause seizures. Good luck Yoshi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 In running a boarding kennel, I've had to learn a bit about seizures. How many seizures has the dog had? What are they like? How frequent are they? How long do they last? If they're light seizures, without loss of consciousness, not lasting long, it's probably ok to play around with holistic meds. Or simply cutting back the dose of phenobarbital. Or even stopping it altogether. If it's the full grand mal or cluster seizures, I'd be cautious and would not do anything without vet assistance. Although, if there was only one severe episode, it could be poisoning, in which case the pheno is doing nothing. I presume your vet went through this with you. It's not the sort of thing that can safely diagnosed / managed over an internet forum. If the dog got put on pheno after only one seizure, I'd read up and consider changing vets . . . generally you need a few episodes to establish a pattern, and if the frequency is less than one a month and the seizures are pretty mild, the vets I know say it's better not to medicate. My favorite vet in Australia was also against running tests when the seizures are light and infrequent. She says the tests are expensive and usually inconclusive. Your vet has probably already done the obvious tests . . . eg, blood chemistry. Hi all, Our dog has been having seizures Since September I think that is when we first saw signs. Since then we have had him checked up and put on phenobarbital which does help I just have problems giving him drugs all the time. Just want to know if there's natural path that has shown improvements. He's recently turned 2 years old. We've changed a lot of things including his diet to a raw diet, I noticed his teeth are really clean and coat sillky white. We no longer use any sprays like cleaning products or use less of it. As it might be the environment. If we stop giving him phenobarbital he would last a week more or less before he has another fitt. If anyone has the same experience or and tips that might help I would really appreciate it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 (edited) The best website out there for info on epilepsy and seizures (note not all seizures are 'epilepsy') : http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ The site has lots of info on it on holistic approaches. Edited October 21, 2011 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I've heard of different natural methods but have never tried any. One of my boys, Monte, is an epileptic and was diagnosed almost 9 years ago. He has cluster seizures. He is on phenobarbital (pb) and another drug known as potassium bromide (kbr). He has continued to experience regular clusters however his whole life. It is vital, as someone above said, that the pb is given at regular 12 hour intervals. Pb levels drop very quickly in the system and this leaves them at risk of more seizures. I am sure you were told, but I'll repeat it in case you haven't been, keep your dog cool during and after seizure activity as the body temp rises when they have a seizure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 This post says it all. Seizure medication should only be stopped under veterinary guidance. It is very important that your dog gets it medication on time every day - being sporadic can trigger seizures. The more seizures a dog has the more likely that pathways in the brain are created which increase the chance of further seizures. If your dogs has seizures frequently enough to warrant medication there is no "natural" alternative - you could provide support through supplements and diet which you have discussed with your vet to make sure they are not going to harm your dog or interfere witht the efficacy of his/her medication. Removing chemicals which could act as possible triggers is great - but be aware that some "natural" products/chemicals can also be triggers eg eucalyptus, orange oil, Several people in an old thread on seizures used omega 3 oil capsules as a support - you could look into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now