Accepted Answer

Ok!

It sounds to me like your dog has been diagnosed with epilespy. You have described her seizures as getting closer together, with them being now 2 a month.

Let me talk a bit about epilepsy and then come back to what I would do if your dog were my patient.

Epilepsy is a condition that dogs are born with that leads to seizures. Often, when seizures start, they are many months apart, and start getting closer together very slowly. We generally treat an animal once the seizures are closer than one a month.

The goal of ANY anti-convulsants is to keep the seizures at LESS THAN ONE A MONTH. Your dog has been having two a month, which indicates to me that she needs intervention to decrease the number of seizures. We cannot eliminate seizures, just reduce the frequency and severity.

Here is more about epilepsy:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1828&articleid=433

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/seizure-disorders/page1.aspx

When I diagnose a dog with epilepsy, the first drug I reach for is Phenobarbital. This is generally effective. Monitoring requires:

1. That the owner keep track of how often the dog has a seizure AND

2. That adequate blood levels are reached (determined by a blood test every 6 months), AND

3. That the dog’s liver is coping ok with the medication (determined by a blood test every 6 months).

Phenobarbital does cause sedation, but in most dogs this is only for the first few weeks, and then they adjust to it.

When I have a patient that is having seizures more often than once a month, OR who is still really sedate after the first month of treatment, then I would start with blood tests to see if her blood phenobarbital evels were ok, and that her liver was ok.

I would then determine if I could change her dose of Phenobarbital.

If her Phenobarbital levels were in the desired therapeutic range, and yet she was still lethargic, then I would consider using a different anti-convulsant.

The next one that I would reach for would be an anti-convulsant called Potassium Bromide (K Br). Again, this would be monitored the same way as the Phenobarbital for response to therapy, blood levels and liver tests.

If the dog STILL seizure frequently despite this medication, I would add in another medication for control. This third medication is Clonazepam which is related to Valium (diazepam) but lasts longer in the blood stream.

Here is more about all these medications:

Phenobarbital:

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/phenobarbital/page1.aspx

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/the-importance-of-a-phenobarbital-blood-test/page1.aspx

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/phenobarbital-level-in-dogs/page1.aspx

Potassium bromide:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/potassium-bromide-level-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=0+1303+1458&aid=1465

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/potassium_bromide.htm

Clonazepam:

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/clonazepam-klonopin/page1.aspx

The other thing I wanted to mention is that new research has shown that in dogs with epilepsy, there are things that can TRIGGER a seizure.

So, in a normal dog, these things would not cause a problem, but in a dog with epilepsy, it can just lower the seizure threshold and cause a seizure.

One of the things that has been implicated is food allergies.

Thus, in dogs with epilepsy it can be helpful to try a hypoallergenic diet. This does not cure the epilepsy, but may decrease the number, severity and frequency of the seizures.

Indeed, some dogs with mild epilepsy are improved by alternative treatments.

The most widely supported treatment (meaning that it has been proven to work for some dogs) is the use of an elimination, hypoallergenic diet. For some dogs, seizures seem to be triggered by an underlying allergy to the PROTEIN in the food. It could be anything from chicken to beef to lamb or ANY other protein that the dog has ever eaten).

Because it is possible that this is triggered by an underlying food allergy, we usually recommend a food with a NOVEL protein that the dog has never had before (venison, fish, duck, rabbit are all options) and NO other sources of protein.

That means NO treats, NO rawhides, NO table scraps. You could talk to your vet about this.

You would need to commit to about 6 months of this strict diet in order to determine if it was going to help your dog at all. It would do no harm!

Other vets have had success with acupuncture, chiropractic, chinese herbs, and homeopathy. You could ask your veterinarian about these possibilities for your dog.

With your dog, my treatment approach would be:

1. Start potassium bromide (as phenobarb was too sedating when used befor).

2. Start a hypoallergenic diet

3. Consider alternative treatments like acupuncture to be used IN CONJUNCTION with the above.

 

If your vet is unwilling or does not know how to treat your dog, I would suggest that you ask for a referral to a veterinary neurologist. I certainly think that there are treatment options that have not been explored yet!

If this has been helpful, please accept my answer and leave feedback. If you need more information, just click on reply and I will still be here to provide it!

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would strongly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

Fiona

Edited by Dr.Fiona on 10/29/2009 at 7:40 PM

Expert:	Dr.Fiona
Pos. Feedback:	99.9 %
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Answered:	10/29/2009

Dog Veterinarian

15 years experience as a companion animal veterinarian in British Columbia, California and Ontario