Seizures In My Labrador

[Georgina Ebony]

My 4 and a half year old Labrador has just been put on epilepsy medications by our Vet. She had her first ever seizure on the weekend lucky she was sleeping on our bed and her shaking woke us up so we were with her. This was such a sad thing to witness, i called emergency straight away and while i was on the phone with them it passed but 5 mins later she had a second one so we rushed her in and she stayed overnight to be monitored.

The next night at home she had 2 more each one going for a minute and a half 3 hours apart. We took her to our local vet the next day and he ran some blood work, everything came back clear. She is on Phenobarbital and we are going back in 3 weeks with urine sample and further blood work.

Poor Ebony hasn't had the best of luck the last 6 months back in November many of her toenails started splitting and dropping off which was very painful she was diagnosed with Symmetric Lupoid Onychodystrophy which is an auto-immune condition that was attacking her toes. We have been seeing a dermatologist at Animal Referral Hospital and she has been on medication plan to surpress her immune so it can build up again, this treatment has been successful however it is still ongoing and we are going back in three months for another checkup and hopefully all treatment for this can stop. Ebony has been in 'remission' for this over one month now and her toenails have started growing back healthy. I did ask three vets if this treatment could have caused the seizure but they said no as she has been off the cortizone for over a month and is still only on vitamin B3 and antibiotics.

Just when we were getting excited that she was in remission with the auto-immune issue the seizure incident happened. My husband and i are heartbroken to see her go through this and i hate the thought of her being put on more medication, however will do whatever required to assist her. She is the queen of our house and still has a wagging tail no matter what she is going through which breaks my heart even more

Just wanted to get some feedback and advice from others who may have gone through similar situation with seizures, this is new to me and i am so paranoid leaving her to go to work now Ebony was purchased through a breeder found on Dogzonline, should i contact them and let them know about this so they don't continue to breed from her siblings even if this was some years ago?

Your advice is greatly appreciated :)

[Tassie]

So sorry for you and your girl. Haven't had an epi dog, but the seizures my previous BC boy had after he ate something poisonous, were just awful.

Yes, I would contact her breeder and gently let him/her know what is happening. Good breeders know that epilepsy can crop up occasionally and randomly, but it is certainly important information for a breeder to have. (Good breeders will be pretty upset to think that not so nice things are happening to those precious little pups that they spent so much time raising, and will be upset for the owners too.)

There are several DOLers who have dealt/are dealing with epi dogs, and hopefully they'll be along soon to advise and support. You could try a search on the forums too.

There used to be a really good Yahoo group .. Canine Epilepsy should find it. May have transferred over to a Facebook group now.

Best wishes for you and Ebony.

ETA .. just did a search on epilepsy in this forum .. 138 threads. The search box is on the top right hand side of the page.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Tassie

[Georgina Ebony]

Thanks Tassie for your reply and suggested link it is greatly appreciated :) I will also be contacting the breeder so they have all the information they require

Thanks!

[Georgina Ebony]

So sorry for you and your girl. Haven't had an epi dog, but the seizures my previous BC boy had after he ate something poisonous, were just awful.

Yes, I would contact her breeder and gently let him/her know what is happening. Good breeders know that epilepsy can crop up occasionally and randomly, but it is certainly important information for a breeder to have. (Good breeders will be pretty upset to think that not so nice things are happening to those precious little pups that they spent so much time raising, and will be upset for the owners too.)

There are several DOLers who have dealt/are dealing with epi dogs, and hopefully they'll be along soon to advise and support. You could try a search on the forums too.

There used to be a really good Yahoo group .. Canine Epilepsy should find it. May have transferred over to a Facebook group now.

Best wishes for you and Ebony.

ETA .. just did a search on epilepsy in this forum .. 138 threads. The search box is on the top right hand side of the page.

Thanks Tassie for your reply and suggested link it is greatly appreciated I will also be contacting the breeder so they have all the information they require

Thanks!

[Maddy]

I have a dog with epilepsy and although it can be challenging to manage at times (especially when starting a new medication or adjusting dose), most dogs will be able to live a relatively normal life with it.

A few suggestions..

Watch her weight. My greyhound has put on 2kgs over almost 3 years of medicating. Phenobarb can make them hungry but also less inclined to exercise. From my experience, potassium bromide is even worse for this issue and when used in combination with PB, also greatly increases risk of pancreatitis.

There are a few other side effects you'll probably notice (rear end may get a bit wobbly, they may get a bit dopey) but usually these things settle over time. Once again, KBr is worse for these issues. Personally, I found PB to be a really good drug and although we do get breakthrough seizures on mono therapy, the side effects are now almost unnoticeable. That said.. some dogs are more sensitive to certain drugs than others so it's just trial and error to see what drug/how much works for them.

[Georgina Ebony]

I have a dog with epilepsy and although it can be challenging to manage at times (especially when starting a new medication or adjusting dose), most dogs will be able to live a relatively normal life with it.

A few suggestions..

Watch her weight. My greyhound has put on 2kgs over almost 3 years of medicating. Phenobarb can make them hungry but also less inclined to exercise. From my experience, potassium bromide is even worse for this issue and when used in combination with PB, also greatly increases risk of pancreatitis.

There are a few other side effects you'll probably notice (rear end may get a bit wobbly, they may get a bit dopey) but usually these things settle over time. Once again, KBr is worse for these issues. Personally, I found PB to be a really good drug and although we do get breakthrough seizures on mono therapy, the side effects are now almost unnoticeable. That said.. some dogs are more sensitive to certain drugs than others so it's just trial and error to see what drug/how much works for them.

Thank you so much for this post, particulary as you mentioned their rear gets wobbly, i noticed this last night i hope that is going to go away (she has only been on meds so far for 3 days & the vet did say it may take about a week or so for her to adjust, i also noticed already her hunger has increased she is at a good weight now so i really hope this doesn't increase too much, being a lab she already loves her food!

How old was your dog when he/she started having seizures, would you say you only have them a few times a year or more frequently?

All the best with your Greyhound :)

[Christina]

I had a Chihuahua with epilepsy years ago.

First seizure at age 3. Recovered by the time I reached the vets I thought it was a spider bite as we were in the garden. Another 6 months or so later.

The vet advised that unless he had them regularly there was no point on putting him on medication & to keep him from hurting himself when having a fit.

He had a seizure about once or twice a year some years, no more often, some years none at all & died at age 16. We managed with him fine so I guess they don't all need medication. Your dog may only ever have one fit a year or maybe not at all again. A dog on permanent medication after having 2 seizures seems a bit premature.

Discuss more thoroughly with your vet about the need for medication if it is not going to be a frequent occurrence.

[BC Crazy]

I have an Epilepsy effected 4 year old Border Collie girl. She had her first seizure at 17 months of age. I can certainly sympathize with you. It is terrifying when they have their first seizure. I had never owned a EE dog before nor have I seen a dog seizureing. I though Stella had run into something & broken her spine or been bitten by something. I completely lost it. She was a very severe case though. She looks like she is in a swimming position actually, flat out with her legs stuck out each side of her. She loses control of her bodily functions & vomits as well. Her eyes look terrified but I know she isn't with us. Just horrible really. She was seizureing multiple times a day. Some not as severe as others. Hers are brought on by stress & she is an extremely nervous, anxious dog. You feel so helpless. All you can do is be by their side & clear away anything from around them so as they don't injure themselves.

Touch wood, she hasn't had a severe seizure since being on Phenomav, which is wonderful. Once you get the medication at the right dosage they can live a very close to normal life though. Down side of Phenomav is Stella is always hungry & very thirsty. So you have to keep a close eye on their weight. I carry water everywhere we go as well. She drinks at least 3 times more than my other BC. When she first started taking it she was a little wobbly on her back legs but that does seem to go after their system gets used to it.

A few things I have done & found has helped her. I contacted Michael McDowell who is a Herbalist. Stella has a herbal tonic. A couple of drops a day. Also with Michael's advice I watch Stella's diet very carefully. No corn, wheat, soy or grain. Nothing artificial. Raw diet to include 10% offal. I try to keep her immune system as healthy as I can. Probiotic daily as well. I also have her on Rose Hip Vital as it has VitC. Stella also has Golden Paste twice daily which I cook. (Turmeric, cold press coconut oil & ground black pepper). Turmeric has a lot of healing properties & is a natural anti inflammatory.

Hope you can Ebony sorted with her medication & she can have a comfortable life. Good Luck with her.

[Georgina Ebony]

I had a Chihuahua with epilepsy years ago.

First seizure at age 3. Recovered by the time I reached the vets I thought it was a spider bite as we were in the garden. Another 6 months or so later.

The vet advised that unless he had them regularly there was no point on putting him on medication & to keep him from hurting himself when having a fit.

He had a seizure about once or twice a year some years, no more often, some years none at all & died at age 16. We managed with him fine so I guess they don't all need medication. Your dog may only ever have one fit a year or maybe not at all again. A dog on permanent medication after having 2 seizures seems a bit premature.

Discuss more thoroughly with your vet about the need for medication if it is not going to be a frequent occurrence.

Thank you for your reply :) I am glad to hear that your Chihuahua lived a full life without any medication, i was really hesitant to put her on them, but the first night she had 2 seizures one after the other and the scond night she had another 2 further time apart, we are going back in 3 weeks so i will speak with the vet on this again and may also look to get a second opinion :) Looking into this on this forum and online i see a lot of people are going to holistic vets for this sort of thing, which is something i am also looking into :) Thanks again!

[Georgina Ebony]

I have an Epilepsy effected 4 year old Border Collie girl. She had her first seizure at 17 months of age. I can certainly sympathize with you. It is terrifying when they have their first seizure. I had never owned a EE dog before nor have I seen a dog seizureing. I though Stella had run into something & broken her spine or been bitten by something. I completely lost it. She was a very severe case though. She looks like she is in a swimming position actually, flat out with her legs stuck out each side of her. She loses control of her bodily functions & vomits as well. Her eyes look terrified but I know she isn't with us. Just horrible really. She was seizureing multiple times a day. Some not as severe as others. Hers are brought on by stress & she is an extremely nervous, anxious dog. You feel so helpless. All you can do is be by their side & clear away anything from around them so as they don't injure themselves.

Touch wood, she hasn't had a severe seizure since being on Phenomav, which is wonderful. Once you get the medication at the right dosage they can live a very close to normal life though. Down side of Phenomav is Stella is always hungry & very thirsty. So you have to keep a close eye on their weight. I carry water everywhere we go as well. She drinks at least 3 times more than my other BC. When she first started taking it she was a little wobbly on her back legs but that does seem to go after their system gets used to it.

A few things I have done & found has helped her. I contacted Michael McDowell who is a Herbalist. Stella has a herbal tonic. A couple of drops a day. Also with Michael's advice I watch Stella's diet very carefully. No corn, wheat, soy or grain. Nothing artificial. Raw diet to include 10% offal. I try to keep her immune system as healthy as I can. Probiotic daily as well. I also have her on Rose Hip Vital as it has VitC. Stella also has Golden Paste twice daily which I cook. (Turmeric, cold press coconut oil & ground black pepper). Turmeric has a lot of healing properties & is a natural anti inflammatory.

Hope you can Ebony sorted with her medication & she can have a comfortable life. Good Luck with her.

Thank you so much for your reply, i find it comforting hearing from people who have also gone through this .... I am sorry to hear that Stella has this, i totally freaked out when this woke me up, i thought she was trying to change positions but the movement didn't feel right, then when i turned the light on she was all stiff and shaking and in a banana like position and her head was shaking. She also had this very blank look about her.... so heartbreaking to see

Yes Ebony is already showing that she is extra hungry and thirsty so will feed her the same as always and have fresh water available. She has been on the BARF raw diet since we got her as that is what the breeder had them on so we kept this up. I had no idea about Turmeric and the Golden Paste, that sounds great. Looking into this the last few days online i can see a lot of people using natural remedies with a mixture of the medicines from the vet so will look into this also.

Being a BC is Stella still really active? Ebony is ball obsessed and still wants to play so much i have been a little scared if we play like we usually do that this she will heat up and have a seizure so our ball session have been shorter the last few days, any thoughts?

Thanks again and all the best with Stella (My first dog growing up was a BC his name was Max, i will never forget him)

[aliwake]

Awww, Ebony is such a beautiful girl!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - must be so stressful!

[Maddy]

Ugh, just wrote up a long reply and then accidentally refreshed the page and lost it all.

Long story short- my guy was having daily seizures and first started having seizures at 5 and a half months of age. Bromide stopped that but had severe side effects for him so we're weaning back off to just PB.

The rest of what I'd written was in relation to natural remedies, dietary advice and supplements. Basically, don't waste your money. Feed a sensible, quality diet (kibble or raw, whatever works for your girl), and use whatever medication your vet gives you (try to give on time and don't miss doses). I don't have time to re-type all the information I'd provided but any herbal remedy that contains dangerous herbs like tansy or comfrey should be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism.

[BC Crazy]

GE, Stella is a very active girl. Nothing changed that. Not even Epilepsy. Even after a seizure & they really took their toll on her both mentally & physically. I used to wrap her in cotton wool almost at first because I was terrified she would get too excited & seizure. After she started her medication & some time passed seizure free I have gained confidence. But in the early days I just really monitored any exercise or physical exertion & while I always allowed her to enjoy a game, I finished it well under her threshold. Before she showed any signs of fatigue.

Oh & yes if you want a piece of your heart stolen, own a Border Collie ????

Edited May 30, 2015 by BC Crazy

[sandgrubber]

Sorry to hear Ebony has problems.

My 10 yr old Lab has been on PB for four years to control mild focal seizures.

She 'went' epileptic after a cluster seizure episode brought about by synthetic pyretheroid flea control meds which she licked off of a puppy...she was treated with the same stuff. This first episode was terrifying: the convulsing was so severe that she flipped from standing to lying on her side, and this went on for half an hour before a vet identified it as poisoning and advised me that thorough washing to get rid of all the flea meds might bring it under control (it did). The seizures afterward have been short without severe symptoms like loss of consciousness, incontenaence, etc. She just tenses up, especially in front legs, loses coordination and lies down; she also stares. They put her on a fairly high dosage initially. I have halved that twice, and now she just gets a half a tablet once a day. On this dosage she still seizes once or twice a year, but I can live with that, especially as, these days, she wags her tail throughout the seizure.

Every case of epilepsy is different. Not all end out with such an easy management regime as mine has, but many end out with stable solutions that allow the dog to live a normal life. It usually takes several months to work out the correct dosage. PB isn't the most harmful drug around, but it can do damage over the long term at higher doses. Once you get control, you may want to work with your vet on experimenting with lower dosages.

[jodzy mac]

Goergina ebony

 

Im so sorry to hear of the seizures in your furbaby! My boxer just started having very violent seizures. ..once they started he had 6 consecutively until sedated.  Then 2 a day and was hospitalised and put on phenomav. The cause of the seizures is unknown. I have brought him home today and he is really wobbly on his feet and falls over. Im hoping that this is a side effect of the medication and that it will get better. He drinks alot of water and needs to pee all the time now. 

I sympathize with having to go to work and leave them alone and how tough that is. I do the same and worry all day. This is not a life for my boxer who is usually full of energy and really active. It breaks my heart to see him like this and i totally know what u r going through 

[Paul777]

Sorry to hear. It must be awful to witness.

Hope this isn't against the rules but legal states in America are having excellent results treating dogs with epilepsy, as well as a host of other ailments, with cannabis.

It's not just humans who benefit from this amazing, safe & natural Herb.

 

My aged Rotti ate a dozen 'special cookies' from my bin, slept for over 30 hours & never had a problem with his back legs again :  )   Coincidence, I think not.

 

Good luck & a hug for Ebony.

[sandgrubber]

This thread has resurfaced. 

I'd be interested to hear how Ebony is doing.

I notice, no one answered your question about whether you should contact her breeder.

The answer to this is an unqualified YES!!!!  Any responsible breeder needs to know if and when they are throwing pups with epilepsy.  Without such feedback they are powerless to prevent future problems. 

[Dave-o]

I'm starting to feel like I respond to most of these threads with "What are they eating?"

 

I have a personal friend who's dog suffered horrible seizures for years, about 3 or 4 per year. She was feeding him a main brand of dog food by *cough* Purina, and since changing to a raw diet about 3 years ago not a single seizure. It's not the first time I've seen a diet change resolve seizures completely. Obviously not the only cause, but a simple one almost always overlooked.

 

Seizures are a horrible thing to experience.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Dave-o

[Maddy]

19 hours ago, Dave-o said:

I'm starting to feel like I respond to most of these threads with "What are they eating?"

 

I have a personal friend who's dog suffered horrible seizures for years, about 3 or 4 per year. She was feeding him a main brand of dog food by *cough* Purina, and since changing to a raw diet about 3 years ago not a single seizure. It's not the first time I've seen a diet change resolve seizures completely. Obviously not the only cause, but a simple one almost always overlooked.

 

Seizures are a horrible thing to experience.

 

My epileptic dog was fed a raw diet and would have at least one seizure every day. Unless the dog has a hepatic shunt or an insulinoma, diet is incredibly unlikely to have any impact on seizure activity. You should know as well as anyone that correlation is not the same as causation and in the case of idiopathic epilepsy, seizures can come and go again. If the seizures are moderated by diet, then it was suggest one of the two possibilities above, both of which are incredibly serious and need a vet, not a meaty bone.

If your dog has epilepsy, it needs to have liver function checked, several sets of BGLs (to catch abnormal extreme lows) and a full blood count to rule out infection, etc. 

This is going to sound snarky no matter how I word but Dave.. you have to understand that epilepsy is a terribly difficult condition to live with and that IF ONLY it was a simple as changing diet. It shits me when people make it sound like such an easy problem to fix, just give it some magical herbs, or some raw food and *poof* neurological disease fixed!

Quote

Obviously not the only cause, but a simple one almost always overlooked.

This is utter, utter garbage.