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OT - Dogs and Epilepsy

I do appreciate of few of you being honest and proving my point.

My retrievers were never bad diggers. I bought this Golden Pyrenees and my god she just won’t stop. Every time I let her out. Pyrenees are stubborn to the core. So I bought a smart collar and it’s worked wonders. She’s figuring out who alpha is.

There’s a girl who I’m helping get into college. She has lunch at the Salvation Army everyday because her food stamps are just enough to feed her and her aging mother / son dinner. She works 40 hours per week at Walmart.

I agree there are some shitty people in the world. But how anyone could want to help a dog over a person doing everything they can but still can’t hardly feed themselves? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

The dog craze in America is totally insane. That’s my opinion.
She won't stop digging..I've had many Pyrenees ..They're known for digging huge holes
 
Glad to hear Cowtown!! My dog just had her first seizure in 3 months this morning. If you can keep them to a few a year you’re doing well. Mine would have several a day until we worked out the medicine and dosage. We’re planning to try some CBD since the recent studies showed a high percentage of dogs had reduced occurrences with it.
We've wanted to do CBD for a long time, too, actually. The only thing about it is that you can't take the dog off the other current seizure medications in order to test the effectiveness of the CBD. It's just too much of a risk to attempt. That really goes for any new medication someone would want to use for their dog's epilepsy. There's no way to do an accurate trial and error. It's frustrating.
 
We've wanted to do CBD for a long time, too, actually. The only thing about it is that you can't take the dog off the other current seizure medications in order to test the effectiveness of the CBD. It's just too much of a risk to attempt. That really goes for any new medication someone would want to use for their dog's epilepsy. There's no way to do an accurate trial and error. It's frustrating.
Not only that but discontinuing a long used seizure medicine can in fact cause seizures... We learned that when we took her off phenobarbital even though we were doing both phenobarbital and keppra.
 
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Not only that but discontinuing a long used seizure medicine can in fact cause seizures... We learned that when we took her off phenobarbital even though we were doing both phenobarbital and keppra.
Yeah, it's basically that once you start them on a seizure medication, then they're on it for life. That's what we were told by our vet office.
 
Hello all. Just wanted to give those interested an update on our dog, his epilepsy and the meds we're using to treat said epilepsy. It's been over a month since I've given an update, so I figured I'd let y'all know the scoop on him lately. I would also like to hear updates on how my fellow poster's dogs are currently doing. TIA.

He hasn't had a seizure in over three months, since increasing the Keppra dosage (from two a day to three a day) and since starting the KBro (potassium bromide). The difference we see in him currently versus three/four months ago is unbelievable, really. He was having one or two a week, for several weeks, prior to the change. It's literally a night and day difference.

The difference we're seeing is mainly due to beginning the administration of the KBro, and not so much with the increase of the Keppra. The proof came when we boarded him when we went honeymooning (for seven days). The boarding staff couldn't administer the third Keppra because of their schedule. The wife just told them to give him the two Keppra, instead of the three daily and it worked just fine. Even with him going through the separation anxiety and depression, he still didn't have one.

If you have a dog that's epileptic and are searching for meds to help control them, the wife and I HIGHLY recommend giving potassium bromide a try. We pay anywhere from $40-$55 for a 45 day supply of 60.

The wife and I finally now have peace of mind. She has an extremely tough time dealing with it, which makes it very tough here at home. For that, I'm so very grateful. You know what they say: happy wife, happy life. :)
 
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It's a wonder more don't have epilepsy being around you. But by the grace of....


I AM glad all is doing a lot better for you and yours, so it seems...
 
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Wanted to give an update to those interested. It’s been about eight months since this thread has been bumped. Anyway, it’ll be a year next month since our husky has had a seizure. Ever since adding the Potassium Bromide, our boy has been seizure free.:)
 
Wanted to give an update to those interested. It’s been about eight months since this thread has been bumped. Anyway, it’ll be a year next month since our husky has had a seizure. Ever since adding the Potassium Bromide, our boy has been seizure free.:)
What wonderful news, mine is just on the keppra still and has 1-2 a month on average still. I’m worried about adjusting her medication because I’ve read potassium bromide and phenobarbital can reduce the life span of the critters by adversely affecting the liver. Keppra is metabolized in the kidneys and generally has little affect on the organs overtime.

Anyway, glad your pup is doing so well, they’re really part of the family and it hurts to see them suffer.
 
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What wonderful news, mine is just on the keppra still and has 1-2 a month on average still. I’m worried about adjusting her medication because I’ve read potassium bromide and phenobarbital can reduce the life span of the critters by adversely affecting the liver. Keppra is metabolized in the kidneys and generally has little affect on the organs overtime.

Anyway, glad your pup is doing so well, they’re really part of the family and it hurts to see them suffer.
Well the vet has to test his liver and organ function ever so often to make sure there’s no complications. We’e supposed to try to gradually take him down on the other two: phenobarbital and Keppra. Also, gonna try to experiment with the CBD at some point. It’s just hard to do, without risking the seizure activity coming back. I definitely don’t wanna risk that. The wife will be a basket case and will, in turn, set ole Dad here crazy. [laughing]

Thanks did the kind words. I hope all works out for you and yours. Hoping for yours to eventually be seizure free as well. You’re right, it’s extremely hard to watch them suffer, as they are family. By the way, the wife and I swear by the KBro. It’s the best decision we ever made. That is, besides us getting hitched, of course. :)
 
Well the vet has to test his liver and organ function ever so often to make sure there’s no complications. We’e supposed to try to gradually take him down on the other two: phenobarbital and Keppra. Also, gonna try to experiment with the CBD at some point. It’s just hard to do, without risking the seizure activity coming back. I definitely don’t wanna risk that. The wife will be a basket case and will, in turn, set ole Dad here crazy. [laughing]

Thanks did the kind words. I hope all works out for you and yours. Hoping for yours to eventually be seizure free as well. You’re right, it’s extremely hard to watch them suffer, as they are family. By the way, the wife and I swear by the KBro. It’s the best decision we ever made. That is, besides us getting hitched, of course. :)
Just be cautious with the CBD. We tried some and it actually led to more seizures unfortunately, after a couple weeks of the CBD she had about 17 seizures during that month, once discontinued she's back to the normal 1-2 and occasionally she'll go 3 months or so without one.
 
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Just wanted to give an official update on our husky and his epilepsy situation. It’s officially been a year since he’s had a seizure, fellas! The wife and I are so excited! God, prayer and the Potassium Bromide has made all the difference.

If you have a dog with epilepsy and their seizures are somewhat regular, please consider using Potassium Bromide (KBro). Like i said, we swear by it. It’s worked much, much better than any other anticonvulsant that we’ve tried. Although, the others have also helped: Phenobarbital and Keppra. Hope this helps someone and their dog.
 
We’re struggling again, my girl has had 7 over the last 3 weeks or so. We’ve increased her dose of keppra recently so hopefully that will help. The struggle is keppra is a 3 times a day med and the rest are two, which would put in an additional time to medicate her and we already feel trapped at home.

This stuff is for the bees I tell you. She paced for an entire day after her last one and wouldn’t lay down or even sleep at all. Which meant I didn’t sleep at all either. The vets want to try zonisamide as pheno and KBr are a bit tougher on the liver, but we’re holding out hope the higher dose of keppra helps. I had a little breakdown the other day starting to resent the dog and the situation but she’s the sweetest thing and surely didn’t ask for any of this so most of the frustration was with myself harboring those feelings.
 
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We’re struggling again, my girl has had 7 over the last 3 weeks or so. We’ve increased her dose of keppra recently so hopefully that will help. The struggle is keppra is a 3 times a day med and the rest are two, which would put in an additional time to medicate her and we already feel trapped at home.

This stuff is for the bees I tell you. She paced for an entire day after her last one and wouldn’t lay down or even sleep at all. Which meant I didn’t sleep at all either. The vets want to try zonisamide as pheno and KBr are a bit tougher on the liver, but we’re holding out hope the higher dose of keppra helps. I had a little breakdown the other day starting to resent the dog and the situation but she’s the sweetest thing and surely didn’t ask for any of this so most of the frustration was with myself harboring those feelings.
You can get the er generic keppra that is used twice a day. Be sure to use the GoodRx app to get the best price. Kroger was charging me $60 for 120 pills. With GoodRx it’s $23.
 
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Just wanted to give an official update on our husky and his epilepsy situation. It’s officially been a year since he’s had a seizure, fellas! The wife and I are so excited! God, prayer and the Potassium Bromide has made all the difference.

If you have a dog with epilepsy and their seizures are somewhat regular, please consider using Potassium Bromide (KBro). Like i said, we swear by it. It’s worked much, much better than any other anticonvulsant that we’ve tried. Although, the others have also helped: Phenobarbital and Keppra. Hope this helps someone and their dog.
 
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We’re struggling again, my girl has had 7 over the last 3 weeks or so. We’ve increased her dose of keppra recently so hopefully that will help. The struggle is keppra is a 3 times a day med and the rest are two, which would put in an additional time to medicate her and we already feel trapped at home.

This stuff is for the bees I tell you. She paced for an entire day after her last one and wouldn’t lay down or even sleep at all. Which meant I didn’t sleep at all either. The vets want to try zonisamide as pheno and KBr are a bit tougher on the liver, but we’re holding out hope the higher dose of keppra helps. I had a little breakdown the other day starting to resent the dog and the situation but she’s the sweetest thing and surely didn’t ask for any of this so most of the frustration was with myself harboring those feelings.
We were of the mindset that if we didn’t make a move and fast, the epilepsy was going to take him anyway. The KBro might be a little harder on the liver, but it’s a risk we were willing to take. It’s the best medication we’ve used, by far. It saved his life. If you do end up trying it, Chewy is the best place to order it. I think it’s like $39.99 for 60.
 
Wanted to give y’all an update on our dog, Denali. One of the neighbor dogs (a boxer) was in our driveway around a month ago and Denali got real excited and had a seizure right there on the spot. Keep in mind, he hadn’t had one for thirteen months prior to this incident. Seemed very odd and surreal, where it has been so long.

He then proceeded to have one or two more that day. I’ll have to get with the Wife to see if it was one or two. I can’t quite recall right now. He didn’t have anymore for a couple more weeks.

Two weeks after the boxer incident, the little feller had three more in one day. Of course, the Wife freaked out, per usual. We ended up taking him to the vet to have bloodwork and tests ran. No sign of infection anywhere and his organ function was on point as well.

He did, however, up his phenobarbital dosage from two to three daily. He said that two wasn’t enough, due to him weighing over sixty lbs. The vet visit was two weeks ago tomorrow. He hasn’t had one since and has seemed to be his normal self again.

Gonna take him back to the vet next week to have his yearly shots and his phenobarbital level checked. That is to ensure that the extra dosage is at a therapeutic level for his weight. Will post another update after the next vet visit.

IMO, though, I think he’s fine and that five or six seizures in a fourteen month span is probably as good of a scenario as one could possibly ask for. My Wife, OTOH, probably wouldn’t totally agree with that, but that’s my take on the matter. The meds aren’t really supposed to stop the seizures completely, but to control them. I think my Wife MAY finally understand this concept. MAYBE! 🙄
 
I think our dog got into a toxin or maybe it was a combination of that and us changing his food for a week. Anyway, he had 5+ seizures in about a 2 day period. The Wife was a wreck and I had to take time off work and all that.

What I’m curious to know is whether or not anyone has tried CBD to help combat seizure activity in their dog? The Wife went and bought some called Sunmed. He only had one mild seizure after us giving him the CBD. After that, they stopped again, altogether.

I’m very interested in hearing anything on CBD and seizures/epilepsy. Thanks in advance. GBB!
 
I think our dog got into a toxin or maybe it was a combination of that and us changing his food for a week. Anyway, he had 5+ seizures in about a 2 day period. The Wife was a wreck and I had to take time off work and all that.

What I’m curious to know is whether or not anyone has tried CBD to help combat seizure activity in their dog? The Wife went and bought some called Sunmed. He only had one mild seizure after us giving him the CBD. After that, they stopped again, altogether.

I’m very interested in hearing anything on CBD and seizures/epilepsy. Thanks in advance. GBB!
We tried CBD tincture and it seemed to make them worse. Sorry you’ve had such a bad spell, we’re at about 6 in the last 10 days and haven’t gotten much sleep.
 
We tried CBD tincture and it seemed to make them worse. Sorry you’ve had such a bad spell, we’re at about 6 in the last 10 days and haven’t gotten much sleep.
Sorry to hear that. What kind are you trying? This Sunmed brand seems to have worked wonders. I would definitely recommend it.
 
Sorry to hear that. What kind are you trying? This Sunmed brand seems to have worked wonders. I would definitely recommend it.
It’s Infinite CBD isolate. Works good when my knee is hurting though.

 
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