Lola was diagnosed as epileptic at 18 months old after suffering status epilepticus. She was given lots of sedatives and finally stabilized. As time went on she returned to her usual bright, confidante and goofy self and no seizures at all. Slowly her medication (epiphen) was reduced to an eighth of her original dosage. Then 2 weeks before she was due to be taken off her medication all together she had a very violent seizure and she accidentally bit me as tried to protect my baby from her jerking. She was taken back to the vets a few days later for blood test (the results showed her phenobarbitone levels were low). She had a 5 day corse of levetiracetam for the cluster seizures. In the meantime i was advised to observe her at home and have her dosage increased. In the space of a week she had at least 9 seizures that I saw. Possibly 4 more that I hadn't but judging by her behaviour I can say she has. She is now on 30mg epiphen, 1.5 tablets twice a day. We also have 10mg diazepam rectal solution on stand by for her severe seizures that I've had to administer twice. When she has had a seizure she instantly scavenges for anything that could be edible. She is in the bin, forcing open cupboards, takes food from the baby and even goes upstairs to steal the cat food. It has been a week since her last seizure, which was so forceful she pulled the tumble dryer out of the wall! Yet she still hasn't returned to her usual self. Normally we could leave a plate of chicken on the floor and she wouldn't eat it until she is given permission. We could even leave the room! She seems 'dulled' it is the only way I can describe it. Normally she jumps from the sofa when I return from dropping my eldest off at school but now she doesn't. She flinches quite often and she has never been given reason to. She instantly submits to other dogs even when they are friendly. She barks at people passing the house. When changing a mucky baby covered in weetabix this morning she was constantly trying to lick him making him cry. She is sulky and needy. The vet can't give a reason why she is acting this way and assures me it isn't a known side affect of the medication so now I'm terrified that she may have suffered some brain damage from the seizures as some were incredibly violent and lasting for 3 or 4 minutes (hence the diazepam). Is anyone else has an epileptic dog have you noticed a change at all. Am I worrying about nothing or could it be something more?
Hello Chell , I`m so sorry you are going through this . I also had a little dog who suffered seizures , she would also scavenge for food , and drank more water too . It can take a long time to return to normal after a really bad seizure , my girl would be confused , cry , wander around in a daze and generally appear unwell . I also had the diazepam suppositories for emergency use , they do affect them for ages afterwards , so I do so empathise with you . Ideally , the bloods should show a therapeutic level of phenobarbital , but if this was low , it could account for the violent seizures . Certainly , my girl changed , she became more nervous and skitty around other dogs , became a bit of a loner but very clingy with me . I don't wish to scare you, but I`m sure you know that particularly violent seizures can cause some brain damage , especially if they are cluster or very frequent . You`re obviously very worried about her, and rightly so , I would go back to the Vets and ask for a referral to a specialist , you needn't struggle alone and shouldn't have to , good luck x
Thanks Kate. It does help to know that her behaviour, although unusual for her, isn't unusual compared to others after a seizure. They have increased her dosage since her last blood test and she is booked in for the 13th August to recheck. I think the fact the vet told me it isn't a known side effect of the medication sent me into panic mode! Although I'm aware that seizures can cause brain damage I don't know how that would present itself. I worry so much when it comes to my babies, fur babies included.
Good luck at your check Chell , and yes, increased appetite is a known side effect of phenobarbs ! Lolas behaviour is atypical of a seizure dog , but it can be managed and managed well once a good therapeutic dose has been established xx
I'm so sorry to hear of Lola's issues. My Poppy has been seizure-free for almost nine months now (touch wood), but we still carry the diazepam everywhere with us, and I am nervous if I notice her behaving oddly. I too would recommend seeing a specialist - we did, and it was really helpful, he knew so much and really gave us good information and help, much more so than our normal vet. Good luck, hopefully you will get the medication level right and she will be back to her normal self.
One of our previous dogs was eplileptic. We noticed behaviour changes after fits. She would be very hungry and thirsty, sometimes we'd fill her water bowl two or three times after a fit. She would also become very clingy, sometimes to me and other times to my wife. After a few hours she would settle back to normal.
Her odd behaviour still reamins but no more seizures as of yet. She too drinks loooads after a fit and for a few days after. She also splashes her feet in her bowl too. I imagine she gets hot so we spend an hour or so at a time after a fit outside with lots of water to splash in and space for her to plod about. I'm terrified to take her swimming now though
So sorry to read about your Lola. How old is she? And how long after her last seizure did you initially start taking her off the meds? My boy is 5.5 yo. He is also epileptic. He's on potassium bromide. He became ravenous after starting the meds - known side effect, apparently affects the part of the brain that manages satiety. Wore off over time, but not completely - begs whenever we're eating. After a seizure he is also "drunk" and wanders around. One thing we were told is that he is unlikely to fit while swimming. His seizures always happen early hours after sleep. Apparently more common to fit during or just after sleeping. Since being on epilepsy meds he's cooled down considerably - also known effect of meds. He was very very hot before. He still has access to cooling gel mats for sleeping on. Have you discussed diet with your vet? Blood sugar level drops can bring on a seizure. We have found a raw diet of meat and meaty bones to help in terms of needing far less meds to reach therapeutic blood levels, and I've read of others who have found managing seizures easier when moving to a raw diet.
She is 3 1/2 now and started at 18 months old. Her meds were reduced after a year and a bit. She was only 2 weeks from coming off her meds all together then started again. Vethas always been happy with her bloods except the last one. She has them done every 6 months to keep an eye on kidney function. She's a very active dog and her food is still measured out,we always have people stop us to comment how "trim" she is "especially for a chocolate lab". Always bothers me that, no excuse for a fat dog regardless of breed! We were told by the vets that she would probably calm down when on medication but she is just as daft as ever haha
We were told our boy can only come off the meds if he's been two years seizure free. Unfortunately his longest time seizure free has been 7 months, so he's still on the meds. Had Lola been seizure free for a long time before taking her off the meds? We were also told our boy would calm down - he went crazy when he started the meds. When we lowered the dose he calmed down. Also giving it in the morning was better. We started at night and he would not calm down to go to sleep. He's 5.5 yo and has aged into a very calm dog. Sometimes I'm worried he's too calm!! Vet said it's normal for his age. He does sometimes become a crazy puppy when he's overexcited - we love those moments!!
We were told our boy can only come off the meds if he's been two years seizure free. Unfortunately his longest seizure free has been 7 months, so he's still on the meds. Had Lola been seizure free for a long time before taking her off the meds?
She was just over 2 years seizure free. So much so the vets was doubting if she was actually epileptic. She has 1.5 30mg epiphen tablets in the morning and again at night. I don't see Lola ever calming down. She'll be geriatric loon!
I just saw your other post about the worst seizure yet. I'm so sorry. Our boy is on Potassium Bromide. I don't know what Epiphen is and whether it works in the same way as KBr? We saw a specialist physician vet who put Snowie on KBr. He said it takes longer to reach the therapeutic levels, but because Snowie wasn't badly epileptic ("not badly" means he was having a seizure every 4-6 months, although he was medicated when he had two seizures in a weekend), we could afford the time to reach those levels. No sooner did he start the meds than he had a seizure a week or two (I can't remember) later! The vet said that meds won't remove the seizures altogether, but if there is a 50% reduction in seizures, then they see that as success. The KBr is a very easy drug to administer because if you forget a dose, it doesn't matter as it takes months to alter the blood levels. Unlike Phenobartione, which must be given on the dot every 12 hours. I used to follow a blog of a Dalmatian breeder who had an epileptic dog. She had huge difficulty managing her dog's seizures -- the dog was on both Phenobarbitone and KBr. When she changed to a raw diet that was low in salt, she had far more success in managing the dog's seizures. With KBr, salt competes with the uptake of potassium -- the more salt, the more drug you need to get the right therapeutic levels. Snowie is on a raw diet which is low in salt (sodium chloride - table salt), and he is on a very low dose of the drug -- 1.4ml/day. The correct dose should be 4ml/day for his weight. But when he was on 4ml/day, his blood levels went into the toxic range and he became paralysed in his hind end (scary!!!!!) -- that's when we tested his blood and discovered this. We now test every 6 months to ensure correct levels. We also give him the meds in the morning. We originally gave him the meds at night, but he was crazy at bedtime and would not go to sleep. Vet said the drugs can have this effect and recommended morning dose. Made a massive difference and he calmed down at night. I see @Stacia recommended the Phyllis Croft website. It is a wonderful resource! Highly recommended. Hopefully you'll get to the point where Lola's seizures are managed. There are so many things that can trigger a seizure, and you just need to find the triggers for your dog (if you are lucky -- not so easy!). With Snowie, we suspect low blood sugar levels are the trigger, which is why he gets his around 4am. We now feed him a bedtime snack (100gm raw meat) -- it was mainly to stop the morning hunger pukes -- and I'm sure it has also made him more stable in terms of blood sugar. Right now he seems very healthy, no sign of a seizure. Interesting how your baby seems to know if a seizure is coming. With Snowie, I could see the signs for a week and I'd wait with anxiety for the seizure to happen. Usually he smelled "anal", ie his anal glands were filling up (vet said this is an anxiety thing and that he probably also knew he was about to get a seizure, which can be frightening for the dog) and his eyes would be glassy. Each dog shows its own signs. I know some people say their dog stares up for days until the seizure happens. When the seizure was happening, I'd take an icepack and rub it up Snowie's back from tail to head and back again to cool him down. I read this can reduce the severity and length of the seizure. Another thing to consider is any chemicals you might be giving Lola for fleas and ticks. With Snowie, there is only one worming tablet we can give (Mediworm) -- others trigger a seizure. Also Bravecto we suspect caused two seizures within six weeks. We don't treat for fleas and ticks at all due his chemical sensitivities, but we do deworm every 3-4 months. If you read the inserts of any of these chemicals, they usually mention adverse effects for dogs prone to seizures.
I cant offer any info on epileptic seizures with animals but when I work in the trauma unit of a general hospital we would often be referred cases of patients who had experienced a seizure and were possibly experiencing postictal psychosis, and the symptoms could vary from perceptual disturbances to altered states of mood and thought content. It would difficult to diagnosis in a dog. But just a thought?
Epiphen is a Phenobarbitone and recently had a 5 day course of levetiracetam which is supposed to stop cluster seizures. Worked for a short period. We don't use anything other than what our vet uses because I don't think I would know where to start! We've only given her worm treatment as a pup and flea treatment the time my cat went exploring for a few days and came back covered! I don't even use shampoo. I can't tell when she is going to have a seizure. Each time has been slightly different but there is a smell when she is fitting. I think it is in her saliva. She spits out loads of thick sticky frothy stuff and it STINKS! I can't quite describe the smell but it lingers. She doesn't seem to have a trigger. Thanks Harley - I'll have a read up. No harm in learning something new
It might be anal gland secretion. Sniff her bum to see if that is where the smell is coming from. It has got to be the worst smell ever! My vet said dogs can secrete from their anal glands when they're anxious, and that they're likely to feel anxious at the time of the fit. Snowie also froths at the mouth when he's fitting. Horrible, looks rabid, and very frightening the first time.
