Idiopathic seizures

[nyssam]

I have a 3yo GSD that had his first seizure 2 months ago. Since then he has had 5 more despite being on phenobarbital for a little over a month now. His seizures usually last about a minute but he is affected for hours afterwards. He struggles to see, stand, has to go to the bathroom multiple times over a short period of time and barks and cries for a couple hours. All his blood work has come back normal. It's heartbreaking to watch him suffer through these episodes especially since his dosage of medication doesn't seem to be helping. The doctor is considering upping the dosage to 120mg. Any insight or suggestions on dealing with the before and after would be greatly appreciated.


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[Bear GSD]

I'm really sorry that you are going through this. My last GSD suffered from seizures. She actually was on a couple of meds to try and control her seizures.
Besides phenobarbitol she was also on a drug called Kepra (can't recall the formal name for it).
My girl's bloodwork also came back normal, so they were thinking some type of tumor since she was 7 when she started the seizures. I would definietly talk to your vet about altering his dose to see if they can control the seizures a little more.

I used to sit with my girl for a few minutes to calm her down since she was so dazed and I would also give her some yogurt afterwards. I don't kow if you've looked into the canine epilepsy website, but it is good to look at for information and support.

The other thing that I used to do was keep a log of all of my girl's seizures. I would log the date, time and how long she would have a seizure. For us at least there was some pattern to her seizures and after a while we could almost anticiapte them. I don't know if this will be your case, but it's good to keep a record for the vet.
Good luck, I wish you and your boy well!

[Gretchen]

I have no experience with dogs and seizures, however my now adult daughter had them for years (seizure free now). The neurologist tried a few medications, but nothing worked until she used phenobarbital -they stopped after the first dose.

Everyone and every dog is unique, what may work on some may not work on others. For a while we used gabapentin (Neurontin). Our neurologist felt this was a safe medicine for a child. I'm not sure how effective it is for veterinary use, but you could ask your vet about it.

My daughter used to get extremely tired, angry and often vomit after a seizure. Stress and loss of sleep seemed to aggravate the seizures. I wish I could offer better suggestions, you must feel so powerless, it's so frustrating when nothing seems to work. Hope your dog will find some relief soon.

[nyssam]

Originally Posted by Bear GSD

I'm really sorry that you are going through this. My last GSD suffered from seizures. She actually was on a couple of meds to try and control her seizures.
Besides phenobarbitol she was also on a drug called Kepra (can't recall the formal name for it).
My girl's bloodwork also came back normal, so they were thinking some type of tumor since she was 7 when she started the seizures. I would definietly talk to your vet about altering his dose to see if they can control the seizures a little more.

I used to sit with my girl for a few minutes to calm her down since she was so dazed and I would also give her some yogurt afterwards. I don't kow if you've looked into the canine epilepsy website, but it is good to look at for information and support.

The other thing that I used to do was keep a log of all of my girl's seizures. I would log the date, time and how long she would have a seizure. For us at least there was some pattern to her seizures and after a while we could almost anticiapte them. I don't know if this will be your case, but it's good to keep a record for the vet.
Good luck, I wish you and your boy well!

Thanks for the help! I'll definitely keep that in mind if his new dosage of meds still don't help. I started keeping a journal of how long they lasted and his reactions afterwards (he does seem to have a 2 week pattern to the seizures) but I didn't even think to try and recall how he was in the hours leading up to the seizure..great tip ill definitely start that! I just signed up for this forum because I am at a complete loss of how to help him. Thanks for the help! I'll provide any updates, at least today was a good day 😊


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[nyssam]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

I have no experience with dogs and seizures, however my now adult daughter had them for years (seizure free now). The neurologist tried a few medications, but nothing worked until she used phenobarbital -they stopped after the first dose.

Everyone and every dog is unique, what may work on some may not work on others. For a while we used gabapentin (Neurontin). Our neurologist felt this was a safe medicine for a child. I'm not sure how effective it is for veterinary use, but you could ask your vet about it.

My daughter used to get extremely tired, angry and often vomit after a seizure. Stress and loss of sleep seemed to aggravate the seizures. I wish I could offer better suggestions, you must feel so powerless, it's so frustrating when nothing seems to work. Hope your dog will find some relief soon.

Thanks for taking the time to help, I'm researching any and all ideas at this point. He has been on the pheno for a little over a month and is still having seizures so the vet is looking to up his dosage. I just signed up for this forum so I am still getting the feel for it but appreciate all the help and my big boy appreciates it too. 😊


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[Lauri & The Gang]

A must read for anyone with an epileptic dog:

Emma

It's the story of Emma, a 15 month old Dalmatian, that starts seizing after a routine vaccination.

It chronicles her owners 10 year battle with IE (Idiopathic Epilepsy) and all the things they tried that did not work and those that did.


My suggestions, speaking as one that lived with an IE Cocker Spaniel for 12+years:

#1 - stop feeding carbs to your dog. No grains, no potatoes, no corn - none of those things. Just proteins and minerals. A raw diet is the easiest way to do this but you could also go home-cooked. There is NO commercial dry, bagged dog food that does not have carbs.

#2 - no more vaccines. Not even Rabies.

#3 - no chemicals. No topical flea or tick treatments, no sprays for the lawn, etc.

[Gretchen]

Re: Lauri and the Gang post

We noticed certain trends in our daughter's seizures. They seemed to decrease in the summer when she ate more fresh, unprocessed foods, like fruits and veggies.

She had a very bad reaction to a vaccination compared to her twin, and also her seizures seemed to become more frequent for a while following it.

So I would strongly consider this advice.

[GatorBytes]

I concur with and to add to Laurie

Magnesium - sometimes this is all you need
B12/folate (natural form specifically methylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin)
[]Vitamin B12 deficiency and seizures’ - Yavuz - 2008 - Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology - Wiley Online Library

Magnesium: Magnesium tops the list of mineral deficiencies that are linked to seizures. It works with Vitamin C, D, B6, Calcium, Phosphorus and Protein and assists with the absorption of Vitamin C and Calcium. It is important for nerve function and required for sodium and potassium transport. Magnesium is a mineral found in specific fruits, vegetables and essential fatty acids and cannot be adequately obtained through processed foods. Holistic veterinarian Roger DeHaan, DVM states that some forms of epilepsy respond to supplementation of Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Manganese.
The Role of a Natural Healthy Diet in the Management of Canine Epilepsy

[nyssam]

@GatorBytes - thanks for the information! I've always wondered if Logan has a vitamin deficiency....do you know if this is something that would appear on a blood or urine test, or is it something I can ask my vet to investigate further?


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[GatorBytes]

Originally Posted by nyssam

@GatorBytes - thanks for the information! I've always wondered if Logan has a vitamin deficiency....do you know if this is something that would appear on a blood or urine test, or is it something I can ask my vet to investigate further?


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You can test for b12,
Electrolyte test it seems for mag.

but according to this Ehow link,
Only about 1 percent can be found at any one time in the blood. Blood levels of magnesium fluctuate constantly.

Read more: Magnesium Malate for Dogs | eHow.com Magnesium Malate for Dogs | eHow.com