Aims of Dog Epilepsy Treatment (what to do when the meds don't work) - Dog Health Vet Advice
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 чер 2019
- Epilepsy is distressing enough without the treatment not working. But what are the aims of treatment and what are your options if your dog's treatment is not stopping their seizures?
There are a number of different dog seizure causes. For a young dog with repeated seizures, with no problems on bloods, with no access to any toxins and who's fine between seizures, the cause of seizures is most likely to be epilepsy.
it's important to say that the aims of epilepsy treatment is to reduce seizure frequency and reduce seizure severity. So we're not necessarily trying to eliminate all seizures. Although that would be nice, it's not something that we're going to realistically be able to achieve in every epileptic dog.
If anti-seizure medication is not working, and the dose has been checked then a new drug can be added to the treatment plan, or the drug used can be completely changed to something different.
Related videos:
causes of seizures - • What Causes Seizures i...
Dog epilepsy facts - • Epilepsy In Dogs: 9 fa...
When to start epilepsy treatment - • When to Start Epilepsy...
Phenobarbital - • Phenobarbital in Dogs ...
Get your question answered at dralexanswers.com
Check out all my free downloads and resources: ourpetshealth.com/resources
Subscribe to the channel: goo.gl/CRZKwq
Social:
Twitter: / ourpetshealth
Facebook: / ourpetshealthtv
Instagram: / ourpetshealth
Disclaimers:
- all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledged. Links in description are typically affiliate links that let you help support the channel at no extra cost.
- We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
- Music from Jukedeck - create your own at jukedeck.com
- The information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute specific vet advice for any individual cat, dog or other animal of any species.
for more information head over to OurPetsHealth.com - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
Keppra is probably the only thing that has helped my Nicholas. He was having epileptic seizures about every month, usually 2 or 3 almost 24 hours apart. About a week ago, he had a cluster of one every 2 to 3 hours for a total of 6! The toll it was taking on his little body was unbearable, I honestly don't know how he didn't suffer a heart attack or stroke. Thankfully our vet prescribed Keppra, 2 hours after his initial dose he responded favorably. He's been extremely lethargic and is having some minor issues with coordination and bowel movements, but as time has progressed, he appears to be returning to his normal self. Time will tell how beneficial this treatment is, but so far I am thankful. All my best to all of you and your fur babies.
Hey. 1 year later is your dog doing good? My pup is having 8 seizures every 2 hours. Usually they stop after 3 days. But she has around 8 a day. 2 hours apart. I'm thinking about the meds u mentioned.
My Belgian Shepherd had been epileptic since a year old, and controlled with daily tablets from the vet. When he started a seizure, I was about to give a phenobarbitone suppository, which left him dazed and sleepy for hours. I gave him some drops of CBD oil which I use for chronic pain. Having heard it is of use for childhood epilepsy I thought I would try it, we are all mammals. In the time it took to get the dropped back in the bottle, from lying stiff with terrified eyes and gritted teeth, he was sitting up and smiling. No side effects, no grogginess, just back to normal. I started giving him a few drops daily and he never had another seizure.
This is self help, keep a bottle of CBD oil handy and treat your epileptic dog. It's a cannabinoid, same as the endocannabinoids the bodies of ALL MAMMALS make, and it;s the safest medicine around for dogs and humans, or any other mammal friend you have.
I would never let a dog suffer a seizure without acting. The dog he talks about should NOT be sedated or injected, just give several drops by mouth and the seizure will disappear. Taken daily the dog will never have another. If the vet merely hopes to reduce but not enttirely stop all seiizures he's admitting defeat for pharma meds. There is no such failure with CBD, nature's remedy. Don';t take my word for it, try it and see. It's totally safe.
My dog weighs 117 lbs . I live alone and am 60 . I say this bc I can’t obviously move or lift him alone. He had his first seizure in Feb and has had 4 total ( as of 5/10/23) he will be 8 in June .
He is a silver Labrador and the genetic tampering they do to produce the color had truly made him super vulnerable in almost everything! Allergy shots ( Cytopoint) are every 30 days at over 200$ a shot bc he’s so allergic he will lick his paws constantly!
My vet gave me Keppra right off bc I’m alone & his enormous size. He was/is ok on this dose (1000mg 3 x day)he was stumbling etc and drowsy the first month but then went to normal . He had another seizure on Keppra so vet started him on phenobarbital- I gotta say that was the worst drug imo ever! He was a drowsy drooling sad thing for those 30 days until his blood work showed it was too much and also damaging his liver ( I was almost ready to put him down bc his quality of life was pitiful on that drug!
I was released wheh she gave me the emergency nasal kit to give during a seizure in addition to him going back on Keppra .
He’s back to his old self .he’s had one seizure but it was less than 70 sec long . He always has these now when he’s asleep (?)
I started him on purina pro plan neuro care food - he loves it and it seems to be helping (?? ) it costs 125 for a 25 lb bag, - has anyone else had any luck with that food ?
Thanks
Nice video Alex. You're a skilled communicator. Nicely explained /Soren, DVM
Thanks Søren, great to get positive feedback from a fellow vet!
Hello. My dog is 1.5 years Australian shepherd pure bred. We know parents, grandparents and siblings. She is the first to have siezures. It started 1 month ago. I would say they are cluster siezures. They are very violent and long and the recovery takes a long time as well. In February she had 3 violent siezures lasting between 2-3mins in 24hrs. She was diagnosed with epilepsy and prescribed Keppra at 750mg every 8hrs. Almost exactly 1 month later she had another round of cluster siezures. This time it was 4 in 24hrs. Each progressing. The 4th siezure occurred at the emergency vet clinic and they had to administer emergency medication. The vet then "loaded" her with phenobarbital. And sent her home adding 64.8mg of phenobarbital along with the keppra. I then took her to her normal vet, they prescribed the extended release keppra so that we could give her both phenobarbital and keppra every 12hrs. (This helped us immensely)
She gives no warning signs of a siezure. And her siezures are long and violent with very long recovery. This has been so hard on our family. We are aware there is no "fix"
My question is, at what point do you determine that its best for the dog so say goodbye? I can not afford to get the MRI done or anymore costly vet bills. In the last 2 months we have invested close to $5k usd in vet bills. Everyone is constantly on edge and concerned. We want the best quality of life for our sweet pup and I don't want my kids to have ptsd from their dog.
(Small background, I also have a 13 year old chihuahua mix and a 10 year old golden lab, both my husband and I grew up with dogs, this is all new to us)
*apparently I'm logged into my kids profile. Lol
I’m going exactly through the same situation, it’s so frustrating! I’m pregnant and my husband is out of town most of the time due to work. And I’m dealing with my dog’s epilepsy by my self , putting him to sleep is my last option. I don’t know what to do. We increased the dosage and medication is not helping him, he has become violent, and I have another dog. We can’t be spending more money every month on veterinarian.
If I were you I’d take my cue from your other older dogs . I had a chinese crested w heart disease that was 18 and he’d rally around almost every time I was ready to make that decision . I knew it was time when my other sweet boy started sleeping with & near him downstairs at night( bc he could no longer do the stairs ) I knew Cooper was comforting him and that was my “ something is different “ cue.
If your animals are getting more “ worried “ about him you’ll know .
My sister's going through this now. We both have 19-month-old purebred aussies and hers needed emergency surgery when he was a few months old because he has pica and ate something that nearly killed him.
That triggered seizures so they put him on medication but it wasn't helpful. At first it seemed to help but then it stopped. It's too expensive to keep increasing his meds because he needs blood work each time and that cost a few hundred. Today, he's had over 10 seizures so my sister decided it was time. He's not even 2! Stupid dog! 😞 Bailey gets so excited when she knows she's going over to see him. Now he'll be gone and she's gonna wonder where he is but she'll never see him again.
At least she got to see him one last time today since my sister walked him over here and they played together. And my 4-year-old niece and her 13-year-old brother are gonna hurt from this. Not to mention my sister. I mean, Loki is a handful and I'm sure there will be some relief not dealing with the constant drama with him always getting into things or the expensive vet bills but she loves that dog regardless.
I'm so glad I was always on top of my dog when she was growing and I made sure to train her some bit. I alway haven't had her fixed because I don't know if she has the MDR1 mutation. She doesn't have pica but she has partial anorexia so if she's fed human food she won't touch her dog food. She'll starve herself for a bit. I catch my mom feeding her human food off her plate and I have to yell at her to stop! I'm tired of having to prepare specific foods for her.
I could not lose my baby girl, not this early! I lost my 13-year-old morkie on March 23rd, 2021 due to heart disease and it nearly destroyed me. Bailey and Loki were born that December 6th, 2021 and we got them at 2-months-old. I'm too emotionally overwhelmed to handle anymore heartaches. 😞 My poor sister has it just as bad if not worse with how overwhelmed she is with everything.
12 years life expectancy?
😢my dog is only two years and four months old...
She started having seizures every night at 2 a.m. for around one minute..
Will talk to the vet tomortow
How will a BARF diet help?
I heard that commercial food, tin or dry, will make the condition worse.
Why do they get this condition?
My dog developed epilepsy just after he turned two. He's on phenobarbital, keppra, as well as clonazepam and diazepam for his cluster seizures. His main trigger is getting excited and after 3 years the medication has become so ineffective that we can no longer take him on walks. And, his fear of the garbage/recycling trucks often triggers them. If he has one seizure he will continue to have cluster seizures for 5 days following the first one... If we're lucky we will go a month in-between his first and last seizure. Our neurologist has been less than helpful and often gives the wrong prescription (leaves a 15 day gap in between when his medication runs out and when it can be refilled). We've just added zonisamide to his schedule and are very hopeful that it will help. Having a dog with epilepsy is torture and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Its the same case for our dog too, is there any positive effect on your dog?
@@opapachuau4218 it’s been three weeks and not a single seizure!!! 🥳 AND, we’ve taken him out for walks (on leash) and haven’t had any problems!!! It’s nothing short of a miracle. It’s given us hope that we may be able to get back to a semi “normal” life again. 🥹😭
A street dog has been blind for 5 days blind after epilepsy . He had a seizure . Please tell me how to cure him
My dog is having several seizures from muscle toxication what medicine should I give ,pls help its an emergency sir!!
My dog had a seizure I took him to the vet but I been giving him the medication they gave him but it's like he's not himself he's been walking excessively and won't stop but while he's doing this he acts like he's blind he fallows the walls to no where to go and he also drinks a lot of water but we don't think the walking is good at all cause he's not sleeping I dnt no what else to do and now he's breathing heavy and fast in so worried
Is twitching in the face and collapsing a lot normal for epilepsy in dogs? My dog had a mri and her brain came back fine and same with her spinal tap so they said she developed epilepsy at a late age of 10 and she hasn't been herself at all. She acts so confused, has a hard time laying still always paces around and shes on kepra but i don't know what to do I asked the vet what to do and they said the kepra was all for now and it's so sad and frustrating
I wouldn't say that was normal at all but it sounds like your dog has had a full and thorough investigation (a lot more than most dogs get), and it sounds like your vet is doing what they can. I would suggest keeping in close contact with them and letting them know if there is any progress or not regularly. If there is none and the plan doesn't change and you have not yet seen a neurology specialist then that would be another option. Good luck
Mine is doing the exact same thing except she is whining and crying constantly now and even howling.. She is on Depakote. I had googled Keppra and it said it had not been shown to help dogs
My dog just got prescribed levetiracetam for her seizures (was was taking gabapentin which helped for some time but she started having more frequent seizures), is the levetiracetam as effective as phenobarbital? Thanks
It can be a very effective anti-seizure medication for sure. Time will tell if it is enough for your dog (I hope it is)
All I want to know is how to counter the pacing my dog does with her meds. She paces for hours and sleeps for about 20 minutes. It seems like our only options are drunken stumbling or pacing. There has to be something in-between.
Have you tried CBD? Its helping my dog get rest. Also do the meds with food, my dog get restless if the med are taken on an empty stomach.
@@Gulfstreams thanks for your reply but she passed shortly after this
@@pinkladyht Im sorry for your loss
I am so worried that the next time my dog has a seizure he will not wake. He's only been having them for about 4 or 5 months but a few weeks ago they got really bad and he had four or five of them within an hour or two I took him to the vet put him on keppra but a week later he had two more and today he's acting funny and I am scared to go to work this morning. He's 3 years old German Shepherd. Play last anywhere between a couple minutes up to 4 or 5 minutes. I don't like him being alone I want to be there for him when after he has one. It has stressed me out so bad that I begin to have tightness in my chest because I'm so worried something bad especially when I'm gone. I don't know longer business so sometimes I say the hell with the yards and I stay home with him. But I know I have to go to work.
You’re not alone I too have a wolf/German mix and earlier today he had a cluster 3 ina row I felt so bad my heart hurts idk what todo I took him to the vet got the emergency nasal kit and they prescribed keppra I’m really not sure about giving it to him looking at all reviews idk what todo either I hope yu know you’re not alone and everything works out
nice video. my dog used to had seizure once a hour.but after i gave it 5 mg of phenobarbital every morning and evening.it works.should i change the dosage?its only 6 month dog
You need to talk to your vet about medication dose. Here is some general info about phenobarbital - ua-cam.com/video/Iral3UWbfEQ/v-deo.html
My boy is on pheno zonisamide keppra xr and now bromide. They always start again frequently. He’s also on cbd. Whst else can I do? He’s was in the hospital for 7 g few and mals. I’m ready to lose it. I love this boy so much. He can barely walk since the bromide. Legs are so weak.
I'd suggest that going to see a specialist neurologist is the next option. Good luck
A good start would be a biologically appropriat raw diet! As in nature. Called BARF. Give the body all the natural goodness God designed! Dry or tin just does not do it!!!
@@OurPetsHealth he does see a neurologist. And he’s on a raw diet. Still hard to control. Now he’s on bromide and he’s so weak in his legs. Terrible
@@vanity68 try to add Medium Chain Triglycerides into his diet
Hi Alex, I have a four and half year old Cockapoo who had his first seizure a year ago. He is currently on phenobarbital (one in the morning, two at night) and what’s strange is, he will go a month to a month in a half without any seizures and then he will have 3-4 cluster seizures in a 24-30 hour range. It’s literally become routine. My vet has been very unhelpful so I am just wondering if you have any suggestions?
This does happen from time to time. If they are that infrequent then, even though they come in clusters, so long as the recovery is OK and they are not getting more serious each time, then I'm not sure I would be too worried. The other main option is to either increase the phenobarb (depending on what the blood levels are at) or adding in another anti-seizure medication.
@@OurPetsHealth Thank you! I really appreciate the insight. It’s just good to know that these clusters are not serious. They are always the same length so definitely haven’t increased in length or severity.
That’s my dogs routine too
Hi My dogs Golden Retriever is 4 years old is epileptic. he is under medication Phenobarbital 2 times 135mg each time . Potassium Bromide 2.5ml x 2times and Kepra levicerectum 6000mg per day . and still getting seizures . we did his MRI - Nothing came out . he got pancreatitis because of medicine.
And still getting seizures what is next
I'm sorry but if all meds are failing I would look into cannibis no joke especially with seizures I have seen it work with adults kids and animals who had really bad seizures it is worth looking into.
Its certainly an option and one that I've discussed in a separate video. More and more studies are looking into this
I tried it and it didn’t work. How do I find a great quality one?
@@marshabeatty6589 Dr. Jones has a good option. He has a you tube channel if you search his name. There will be links to his supplements from his channel.
CBD works and also Melatonin for Night seizures .. Go grain free and home cook ..
I’ve done all that
Aloe vera does the trick. There are so many success stories for people who have fed aloe vera to there pets. Even a study done on rats proved it really helps.
Are u sure about this? Please help my dog
@@zusanakalitouw1182 Yes, its definitely worth giving it a go. I wish you and your dog the best of luck.
@@kearonluka9642 thank you. Can I mix aloe vera with milk or fish? Because my dog won't eat aloe vera.
@@zusanakalitouw1182 I'm not to sure I'm sorry, try some UA-cam videos on feeding dogs aloe vera :) I wrap mine in ham and throw it to the dog and it's gone in seconds lol.
@@kearonluka9642 okay thanks 🙏
Our dog population is really, as a whole a very sick bunch!
Wild dogs never get sick in this way. Why is that?
Is it the food we feed them? Toxins, pesticides? Too many vaccs? Flea control on the shoulders?
What causes this? Any idea? I have been a breeder of Golden Retrievers. Never ever have
I had any dogs sick! The very most they got is a wetspot! Doctors and vets always treat the symptoms only, never the cause!
I fed all my dogs on BARF. MUMS ALWAYS HAD PLENTY OF MILK TOO!
Milk?
I’ve been thinking the exact same thing
@@marshabeatty6589milk is for babies no adult animal drinks milk after they are weaned! Only humans are stupid enough.
Its everything you listed. We way over vaccinate, even the best Kibble diet sucks, toxins everywhere and we have been sold the idea that this is all necessary for good health. Raw feed and cut the vaccinations.
@@marshabeatty6589 for their babies of course! No supplementation needed, even with 12 puppies, just quality fresh food for mum, and lots of it!