My Dog Just Had A Fit Or Seizure

[Staffy-Lover]

Dr Childs herself said that there is no evidence that the fish oil tabs do anything but that in her experience and belief... because fish oil tabs are used for memory and brain function (in humans and dogs) that they are beneficial to epi dogs. Also good for the heart etc which gets alot of stress in a seizure.

[frufru]

Can someone lay their hands on the name of the tests for thyroid function that are recommended for epi dogs - prefer actual tests you have had done here rather than what they recommend in USA.

[SueM]

How are all the epi dogs going, on vet advice I had reduced his meds over the past week and arghh had another seizure last night after not having one for over 3 months, it lasted about a minute, he recovered very quickly as usual...So back up with the meds again

[KatLek]

How are all the epi dogs going, on vet advice I had reduced his meds over the past week and arghh had another seizure last night after not having one for over 3 months, it lasted about a minute, he recovered very quickly as usual...So back up with the meds again

i am so sorry to hear that.

I hope he will get better soon!!!

[~Anne~]

How are all the epi dogs going, on vet advice I had reduced his meds over the past week and arghh had another seizure last night after not having one for over 3 months, it lasted about a minute, he recovered very quickly as usual...So back up with the meds again

Why were his meds reduced? Usually they will not recommend reducing meds unless the dog has been seizure free for a minimum of 12 months.

Monte has been only having single seizures lately which is great. The bad thing is that I am now worried about Pb toxicity. His ataxia is really bad at times. So much so that just recently I purposely reduced his meds for 2 days to drop the levels in his system. His seizure control is better on the high med regime as the single seizures prove but I am torn between control and the side effects he has to endure.

[SueM]

Wrong vet advice by the sounds of it, he will have to go in for another blood test soon to see how his levels are, Katlek he is ok it doesnt seem to effect him in anyway at all apart from having a fit about every 3 months it seems...In fact he has his first obedience trial next weekend ps Puggles he has only ever had a single seizure so hopefull it will be another 3 months now before another appears...

Edited August 16, 2007 by varicool

[frufru]

Thanks for the update - its good to know how they are going and any changes or new info.

[CaseyKay]

We are currently 3 months seizure free and I would not think about reducing KCs meds. But her Pb levels are towards the low side of normal/therapeutic, all her other values are good and we do not have any side effects. In fact she is normal active go go go Border collie and sometimes we joke we should up her meds so we can get away with some lazy days with less walkies!

I was away this week and she was being cared for by my husband. He was very good with the meds, left notes everywhere and put alarms on his cell phone! but he left the cupboard open after he fed the cat and KC ate 2kg of cat food :rolleyes:

Luckily she was fine, I got home later that day and she was lying on her back on the couch groaning and farting with a very full tum, but didn't seem too much the worse for wear. This is my fussy girl who is always impossible to put weight onto. She had to sleep outside last night due to needing to go to the toilet about every hour...

Last time we reduced her meds she had gone 8 months seizure free and it took a few months to reduce them to nothing. She went another 18 months after that no seizures before they started up again. I used to think she would never seize again but now I know better, I would only decrease her meds if she was ataxic or her liver readings were high. We seem to have a good balance now. She used to be quite woozy on Pb when she was younger which is why I took her off it and didn't want to start up again.

[Staffy-Lover]

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.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

At Molly's last check, one month after she began on Pb, her levels were at the bottom of the range for therapeutic effectiveness. But she's been seizure-free as far as we can tell so I'm very happy with her response to the drug. I'm taking her for another check in the next month or so (with my new vet) just to monitor her progress and see if the Pb needs adjusting.

I'd *like* to try her on McDowell's epi mix, but I'm too concerned about her seizing again to reduce/remove the Pb...perhaps in a year or so, I'll feel differently?

Does anyone have experience with an epi dog on herbals in addition to/instead of Pb?

Good to have the thread bumped for newer members or those with questions about seizures. Thanks for bumping it up again.

[frufru]

Talking about new members - there is one called "puppies mum" who needs help with a J russell x that clusters and is not responding to meds as well as hoped.

[~Anne~]

Does anyone have experience with an epi dog on herbals in addition to/instead of Pb?

Maybe put the question to the epi list?? With Monte's condition being as chronic as it is I would never consider experimenting and prefer the traditonal methods but that is no to say that other methods wouldn't be suitable for you though.

[puppiesmum]

Talking about new members - there is one called "puppies mum" who needs help with a J russell x that clusters and is not responding to meds as well as hoped.

thats me... I've just sat down and read all 15 pages and what a read! Sometimes I feel like Im the only one who has to go through this, but its actually comforting to know there are other people out there who seem to be going through the same thing. Here's the link to my other thread http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=110946 and my story is in there.

thanks a heap Frufru for alerting me to this thread - it has been an awesome read!

[~Anne~]

Not sure of this is epilepsy related but it may have some link to Monte's meds os I thought I would post here.

We had to dash with him to the emergency care Vet yesterday. He had fluid coming out through his nostrils and this was making it difficult for him to breathe. There doesn't appear to be anything on his lungs so they have ruled out any thing like pneumonia.

Over the last few weeks he has been showing progressive signs on an increase in ataxia and clumsiness. This morning, when we picked him up to tranfer him to his normal Vet he looked like he had been overdosed. The emergency Vet says they gave the correct dose so it could be all linked. He was very uncoordinated and very sleepy. They are running tests on him now.

I am a worrier and I can't stop worrying about my Monte Bear.

[Staffy-Lover]

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?

[~Anne~]

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.

They are doing his levels today. I haven't changed his food at all so I am not sure what this is all about. The only thing that is different is the addition of fish oil caps in the last few months.

ps- is the after hours vet that you go to the one in baulkham hills?

Yes. Expensive though but comforting to know they are there 24 hours a day.

[frufru]

Sending best wishes to Monte and his family.

[CaseyKay]

Poor little Monte pug. I hope he recovers quickly.

We had to go to emergency vet weekend before last, KC had a bad cluster getting worse and closer together, she had 6 in all before she had IV valium (I have given her rectal valium after number 3 and she went three hours before starting again). She was not recovering much at all in between. She would have the seizure with usual copious foaming and urination of 1 minute to 1.5 minutes. Usually after this she races about into walls etc for about 20 seconds and then paces for a bit. After these ones she did not run around, instead she sat up whimpering and her face still twitching and saliva in ropes falling off for about another two minutes. Then she just lay down. It was horrible, I drove to the vet crying my eyes out thinking this was the end. She has not clustered since last November. These were the worse seizures I have seen her have. I keep thinking about them even now, not good.

I had to carry her in to the vet, she could not walk and she was covered in wet and drying foamy saliva and urine. But the IV valium made an instant difference, within a minute or two she was trying to stand up and also trying to crawl into my arms, licking me.

I feel so bad, because I was away the previous week so we had to change her meds around a little bit due to the hours my husband works. I checked it all with the vet (didn't think there would be a problem) and the epi list, got lots of replies saying changing to 3 times a day just for that week shouldn't cause problems. She was getting her usual morning dose and a split evening dose slightly higher than the usual pm dose.

Just in case that wasn't the reason (she had a minor focal sort of episode only a couple weeks before that), we have upped her Pb slightly to 45mg BID, vet says see how she goes in a month but he would rather put her on KBr and drop her Pb back down a bit. She still doesn't have any side effects etc on her Pb dose, but I am worried about starting her on KBr because it seems to cause problems with ataxia.

Puggles and Staffy-Lover both your dogs are on KBr as well as Pb? The vet said in the beginning she might be quite ataxic but this should ease?

[CaseyKay]

Puppiesmum, I just read your thread, it sounds like you are having a really bad time with your boy.

We had up until the last episode, always given her full meds after one seizure and not had more than one since we started doing this (KC has clusters), I think it does work.

[~Anne~]

Sending best wishes to Monte and his family.

Thanks. Monte is still in hosptial. His blood work (not for his levels but the normal bloodwork) showed his electrolytes are out and his potassium levels ( I think it was postassium)[EDITED: It was his chloride levels] is at a dangerously high level. Xrays have shown that there appears to be a problem in his esophagus.

They are thinking there are two issues. One being the esophagus and th eother (I am praying it isn't) is a neurological disorder. His ataxia and uncorodinated movemnets come and go throughout the day it appears and this is what is concerning them. His blood work is also a mystery and we can find no reason for the high levels. If they can't reduce them he could ultimately go into a coma and die.

Having said that though he is apparently all bright and chirpy this morning. They are knocking him out to scope him and will do some more bloodwork today. His liver enzymes were slightly elevated but nothing out of the ordinary for a dog on Pb. His blood work for his Pb and Kbr levels will not come back for another day or so.

Puggles and Staffy-Lover both your dogs are on KBr as well as Pb? The vet said in the beginning she might be quite ataxic but this should ease?

Yes, Monte is on both Pb and Kbr. His ataxia is really bad at the moment (as above) but we are not sure why or if it is drug related. My Vets do not think it is as he has been on the same doseage since he saw Georgina late last year and after the intial settling in period he was fine.

The ataxia is sad in a Pug as their little tail doesn't curl properly either and a Pug whose tail hangs is a very, very sad Pug usually. Obviously this is not the case with Monte but it is still sad to see.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Puggles