OUr dog has not gone more than a few weeks without a seizure

[petula]

Our dog is a 5 year old, in very fine physical condition, English pointer mix. She developed seizures about a year and 1/2 ago. Our vet put her on phenyl barb and that helped alot. But after recently testing her liver, damage has begun from the drug. Our vet then added potassim bromide along with the phenyl (cutting the phenyl level some). She managed to make it to 2 weeks and 5 days, and about 1/2 hour ago, had a what seemed like at least a minute longer seizure than normal. The vet wanted to wait til the dog was seizure free for 30 days and then test the potassium bromide levels to see how much more we need to give her and then start decreasing the phenyl barb because of the beginning of liver damage. We are at our wits end. The seizures are horrible, starting out with a blood curdling scream and paddling and stiffness. So awful to watch. She seems to fit epilepsy symptoms over a potential brain tumor, but then we don't know what the symptoms of that would be. Anyone else having or had difficulty getting the right dosage to stop the seizures for a few months? I saw someone used keppra and got it from a Canadian pharmacy. Any help would be appreciated. It is Saturday nite and I cant call my vet until Monday.
Regards to everyone who reads this!
Cheryl in Reno

[richmauer]

Petula,
First calm down. We have all been through this phase of epilepsy, when the meds have either not started working effectively yet or the correct dosage is found. Your pup will make it through the weekend when you can call your vet. You truly must stay calm or your dog will feel your fear. If the meantime, if he has a seizure, make sure he is safe, so try and be there with him. If you can, place an icepak or bag of frozen peas on the nape of his neck during and after the seizure. Do not put your hand near or in his mouth. When the seizure passes, calm him and pet him, talking softly as he lies there. After, make sure he has water if he needs it, and accompany him outside to pee, if he has too. The paddling, noises and stiffness are normal symptoms of the seizure. Don't be alarmed.
My vet assured me that they feel nothing bad during the seizure and that they do not remember having it, so calm yourself and your family.
Please let us know what the vet says on Monday and good luck!

[MK's mom]

Did your vet give your dog a loading dose of bromide (KBr) or just a regular dosage? If he just gave a normal dosage it can take up to 15 weeks to reach therapeutic levels, so checking the serum levels in 30 days is too soon and the tests will show that he doesn't have adequate levels .

Vivian

[Gentle Jacob's mom]

Hi Cheryl,
I'm sorry you're going through such a rough patch with your dog. Yes, it can take time for the dosage to be figured out and for the drugs to help. We've been going through this with Jake for over 4 years and even though we have had times of going 6-8 weeks between seizures, it's usually 2-3 weeks. Jake takes generic Keppra called Levetiracetam. If you decide to use it check with the pharmacy about their source. There can be varying levels of the actual drug depending on that. Also, have them contact you if they change their source. Have you tried ocular compression if you suspect a seizure might be coming? There is a website called canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com that has a lot of information, but I think the people that come here often have more information. Also, I didn't notice that you are using rectal valium. If you aren't that would be something to talk to your vet about. Whatever you do, please don't jump to the conclusion that your dog has a brain tumor unless your vet or neurologist has suggested that. I know that seizures can be horribly scary, but our vet has told me several times that it is much harder in us than it is on Jake. If it would help you might want to watch other's videos of seizures online. It's difficult to watch, but it might help you see that your dog is going through what most do.
Take care and let us know how you are.

Linda

[PugOwned]

Hi Cheryl,

I am sorry to hear that your baby is having seizure too. My four-year-old female pug started having them in October, 2010 out of the blue. They think she has hydrocephalus so she is on 500mg/kg of Levetiracetam (generic for Keppra) three times a day for her seizures and 20mg of Prilosec once a day to reduce her brain fluid. She will go about two-three weeks without a seizure and then have one every day for abotu five days. It is a slow process with getting the meds right. Costco has been our saving grace. Keppra costs $300/month at most of our pharmacies but at Costco it is only $40.00. We use the mail order pharmacy. You do not have to be a mamber of Costco to use their pharmacy.

I hope your baby gets relief soon.