Dog Lovers. I need advice!

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Wen37
Wen37 Posts: 218 Member
in Chit-Chat
I have a seizure dog and I was wondering if anyone else on here does and have you had any luck treating them. I have a beautiful female husky named Zoey. She started having seizures about a year ago. She has been taken Phenobarbitol and it has decreased the frequeny of the seizures until now. We have had to up the dosage along the way and she is on the highest dosage now. She has had violent seizures everyday for 3 days. Its so sad to watch and I just don't know what to do. We are taking her back to the Vet tomorrow but I wanted to see if any of you have suggestions that I might can discuss with my Vet. Thanks.
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  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
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    You might need to have her meds changed to something stronger. I have epilepsy myself, so I know all about seizure meds. Usually if the meds stop working they turn out not to be the right drug for that type of seizure. Zoey might need to be put on something else. When the first drug doesn't work, the doctor, or in Zoey's case, vet, tries a second drug, and maybe third or fourth until something is found that works. Sometimes a combo might be needed. Don't worry, I'm sure that your vet will find something for your lovable pooch. :happy:
  • Wen37
    Wen37 Posts: 218 Member
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    Thanks. When we first put her on the Pheno she was a zombie. I hope if they have to switch her meds or do a combo like you said they she still can have a good quality life. She is a very athletic dog and I don't think she would be happy just laying around the house all the time. Do you meds effect your day to day activities?
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
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    I have my days when I'm doing great, and other days where I just can't win and have at least one seizure, for days on end. Full moons are a factor, too. They're when I have to watch out and be more careful or I'm bound for disaster. It's kind of like driving around in a car on a nice and newly paved road, all smooth going, and suddenly you hit a part of road that's as bumpy as heck that didn't have any warning signs before you hit it. The road is your mind running normally and the bumpy part is when it short curcuits and starts to seizure. Sometimes I get a warning, or as the doctors call it, an aura, and I'll sit or lie down before it happens, other times there's no warning and boom!!! Down I go if I'm standing up. I sit down a lot to prevent this, although since I've been doing MFP the situation seems to have changed quite a bit, even my neurologist noticed my last appointm ent with him. But I have to go shopping in a wheelchair because the lights trigger my seizures, and I can't stay on the computer for too long. I also can't play certain video games for too long either (Super Mario is the worst trigger :grumble: ) so life is tricky. I've had epilepsy since I was almost 4, December 1981, I was still 3, and I'm 34 now, so I know quite a bit about popping pills. Thirty years is a long time to take them, hopefully your little Zoey won't have to take so many pills a day. (I take 4 different kinds to control one kind of seizure and one kind in two different milligramages!!! :noway: ) I have a dog too, by the way, a mini Dachshund named Marty who's rusty in color and overweight but lovable!!! Take care, and give your Zoey a squeeze for me.

    Jennifer
  • mmstgr
    mmstgr Posts: 578 Member
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    My dog has seizures, but not very frequently at all. She isn't on any medications either.
    I'm sorry about yours. I know how hard it is to watch. xoxo
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    My dog has seizures. I've never witnessed one, but my mom says Barkley basically just zones out for a while and then snaps back to reality. They don't sound too bad but are scary. The vet said there wasn't much they could do. She's perfectly healthy other than that.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
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    Hey fellow husky lover! None of mine have seizures but a friends does, he's currently in the process of trying to find out what's causing them. Just out of interest though, do you use any kind of flea treatment on her, like Advocate?
  • cattracy0829
    cattracy0829 Posts: 177 Member
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    My dog started having seizures when he was 5...the vet could never find a reason. He is on Phenobarbital 2x a day and does not have them anymore. He is now almost 11 and as healthly as can be!!
  • shaelataylor
    shaelataylor Posts: 224 Member
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    i had a dog who had seizures that were triggered by certain foods. his were caused by epilepsy and mushrooms were a trigger so we had to be careful not to let him lick any plates that could have mushrooms. if you give your dog table scraps, you could stop for a while and see if that decreases the seizures. if so, maybe its something in the food. if not, then i dont know. i am sorry though. :(
  • Megume
    Megume Posts: 74
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    They just approved Keppra for canine usage! :D (I work with epileptic people and own an epileptic dog) You'll get there!! Good luck

    Also, Vit E is great for epilepsy, helps feed the brain, keep it healthy plus the only side effect is your dog ends up with a healthy coat and heart :3
  • stang_girl88
    stang_girl88 Posts: 234 Member
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    My sister's dog has seizures and her vet said it sometimes can be the food they eat. Of course this isnt the case with all dogs that have seizures, but it has helped my sister's dog. He still gets seizures every once and while and they arent as bad so it did help him. Most dog foods are crap and I am sure you would be amazed at the ingredients in them. I hope you can find something that helps soon, how horrible for the both of you.
  • bexy_27
    bexy_27 Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't have any advice for you, but I am so sorry to hear this and I hope you find a way to help her! :heart:
  • darjeff
    darjeff Posts: 15 Member
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    My Golden Retriever started having seizures just after she turned 2 years old. It took a bit of time but they finally figured out it was her thyroid. They put her on Synthroid and she's had one seizure in ten years. She's now a very happy puppy-like 12 year old going strong!
  • sjmgde
    sjmgde Posts: 381 Member
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    HUGE dog lover and its scary to watch them have seizures. My dog had a mini seizure and it FREAKED me out. Hopefully they can find something else out to help cure or help him. Thoughts are with you. I say go to webmd for pets. That is what i did for my dog. Unfornatelu the outcome was euthanism (spelling)last week. So it was tough but i got m y questions to ask the vet of petwebmd.
  • kathyhull
    kathyhull Posts: 327 Member
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    My old Huskey had a couple of very scary ones when he was a puppy but he seemd to grow out of it and lived to be 16. They are a very active breed - he loved to run! He was also pretty stuborn - would sit at the very back of our yard with his back to me and pretend he wouldn't hear me calling if he didn't want to come in. Hope things work out for you and your dog - I know how hard it is to deal with and we love our pets!
  • bcsrule
    bcsrule Posts: 51 Member
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    Did they do a Thryoid test when she first started the seizures? Thyroid testing should be considered in any dog with recurrent seizures, look up Jean Dodd, DVM. And yes medication changes, food several things may help but ask your vet before changing that Pheno dosage! Good luck!
  • MissCheese
    MissCheese Posts: 195 Member
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    Sorry to hear about your Dog, I've got no advice for you but do send our best wishes.

    Charlie (Slave for two Whippets)
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 835 Member
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    My husky started having seizures about 4 years ago. We have undergone so many tests and they still can not find the cause to the seizures. The meds he was given only make him sit around the house stoned out of his mind, so I took him off the meds since I wanted my dog. He averages only 1 seizure about every 6 months and when he goes into one, I just hold him until he is done. He is still a very active 9 year puppy.
  • panzerhaus
    panzerhaus Posts: 16
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    Our Rottie has seizures too :( The phenobarb is pretty much working for she does get occasional break thru seizures but they are not as violent as they were before we starting treating her. now she was kinda lazy anyway so we don't notice the zombie side affect. Rambling sorry.. anyhow we notice that she seems to have one when she has had a bunch of people food (we have small children she will snitch from or we have a party and people feed her before we can stop them) so that is at least something to try to avoid if you haven't already. good luck!
  • graceleigh614
    graceleigh614 Posts: 19
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    My malti-poo is four and started having seizures when she was two. They were horrible! She in on phenobarbital once every other day and hasn't had a seizure since! Good luck with your dog.
  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,032 Member
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    our old rottie used to have them though was well controlled on phenobarb and only fitted if she got her tablets late!

    Our current rottie cross has had two fits, months apart but is not on medication yet. We read that a spoonful of honey after a fit will stop subsequent fits (due to fits lowering blood sugar) so we actually give her some honey every time she looks a little zoned out in case she is building up to a full fit. I cant see the honey doing any harm at the very least so that may be worth a try for you, straight after the next fit.

    Both dogs had very full on fits, not a nice thing to see in large dogs

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