Hi everyone! I have been looking through this message board and everyone seems so helpful and supportive, I just wanted to share our story. We have a 2 year old fox red lab, Archie, who will be 3 in October. He is just the best dog we've ever had, loyal, loving, obedient, calm, I could go on! About once a week he will throw up bile in the morning if he hasn't eaten his breakfast early enough which we've discussed with the vet and have been reassured is common and likely just from his empty stomach. He does just fine after he eats and shows no other issues. On Sunday, however, he had his normal vomiting episode and I tried to get him outside but before I could he started shaking and crouching down towards the ground. He then fell to his left side and had a seizure that lasted probably 30-45 seconds (it felt much longer as I sat with him) followed by a short post ictal phase. I called the vet not even realizing it was Sunday and luckily they were there and had me bring him in for an emergency visit. By the time we left the house and were at the vet he was acting like his normal self. They checked his temperature which was normal and did some blood work that did not show any sign of infection or other organ issue such as liver or kidney which was reassuring. The Dr was very thorough and spent a lot of time talking to me which I appreciated. He said it seemed likely "just epilepsy" which he said is common and often well managed with medications. He also mentioned that seeing as Archie is on Bravecto (his last dose was 6-8 weeks ago) it would be wise to stop using that as it has been known to be associated with seizures. He also started Milbegaurd on June 3 and from what I've seen in some of these threads that has also been associated with seizures. I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with possible seizures weeks later from these medications? The Dr also offered to start him on medication but at this point we felt it might be reasonable to monitor him and should it happen again, start him on medication at that point. It's been two days and Archie is acting like his normal self. My husband and I are about to have our first baby (my due date is in 2 days!) but I am just so torn up about our sweet boy and how scary it was to see him have a seizure. I just want him to be ok. Growing up I had a dog who was on phenobarbital for seizures and lived a long, happy life, so I know that it is certainly possible. I suppose I am selfishly just hoping to hear some positive stories/experiences. I appreciate you reading this and taking the time to think about our Archie!!
A very warm welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your impending baby arrival! I'm afraid I don't have any personal experience to share, but I'm so sorry you are dealing with this at what is an incredibly hectic time anyway. Do let us know how he gets along. Wishing you and your family all the best.
Hi Elise, So sorry to hear that your Archie has had a seizure. I know first hand how scary it can be. We recently lost our 11 year old who struggled with epilepsy for about 9 years. The good news is that Sam did not die from epilepsy and in the last few years his was pretty well controlled. I have posted about my Sam many times. If you search the forum under epilepsy you will find my post along with many others. What I found is that epilepsy is harder on their humans than it is on them. Hang in there. Do as much research as you can, love your dog and let him be a dog. I also was extremely careful about minimizing chemicals, flea and tick, heartworm etc. Those things can trigger seizures. please feel fell free to reach out to me with questions. Best regards, Beth
Hi Elise I am very sorry to hear about your ordeal. I know it is a harrowing experience. My black lab, Mia, had a seizure last November at 5am, after having eaten a cow’s hoof for most of the previous day. It had been given to me by a friend who regularly purchased them at a pet stall at the local farmers market for her own german shepherd. Mia vomited up some of the hoof pieces just before the seizure, which probably lasted about a minute. We took her to closest animal hospital and had to leave her while we waited in the car (due to covid lockdown) and were then advised to go home and collect her later in the day after tests had been completed. Long story short, the vet said the bloods were all fine and didn’t think it was related to her having eaten the hoof. She sent us home with information about epilepsy and medication options, and said that Mia’s age (almost 3 years) was about the time when epilepsy tends to begin. I was a bit sceptical, considering the coincidental timing, and hoped that would be the last of the seizures. A week ago we visited the friend with the German shepherd and Mia spent the evening in the backyard with their dog, who tended to leave chewed bones lying around, much to Mia’s delight. Mia was fine the next day, but the morning after that, at about 4.30am, she vomited up a piece of hoof and then had a seizure. Two days later she vomited up another piece of hoof (luckily no seizure). Ever since, she has been eating and pooing just fine, and is her usual self, although retching a bit of liquid in the early mornings when her stomach is empty. I found your comment about the worm medicine interesting. When I tried to research any possible link between the hoof and Mia’s first seizure, there was very little to find. I did find an article which discussed the dangers of hooves being contaminated with horse or cow worm medicine on farms and potentially poisoning farm dogs who ate them, due to the large amount of chemicals present. I am convinced that Mia’s seizures occurred due to her eating the hooves, and am hopeful that we can avoid any further seizures by keeping her from eating any more of them. I hope I have given you some hope that the medication your dog has been taking may have also been the cause of the seizures. Wishing you and Archie all the very best.
Interesting. I have a dog who stays regularly and apparently his seizures are mainly related to waking suddenly e.g. when someone comes to the door. He had one here when I'd left him in the van while training another dog. I let him out for a wee and he had a seizure, I assume he had been asleep. I wonder if this could be tied in with sudden waking to vomit for your dog? Also interesting is that this dog is regularly treated with Bravecto and similar.
I did quite a lot of research about drugs Toby was getting post cancer diagnosis. FDA handout attached re Bravecto https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...al-adverse-events-associated-isoxazoline-flea
