I'm a Mess !!! any and all help welcomed...New to Seizures

[loganthedog]

1st and foremost, Thank You to those who have provided kinds words of encouragement and support.

Logan has now been home a full day and things are back to somewhat normal in my household. Logan is Definitely feeling the effects of the PB. He has been very tired and at the same time more restless than usual. Last nite was OK, although any time he moved on the bed i woke up fearing the worst. Needless to say im taking baby steps, but plan on sleeping tonite

I guess one of my biggest fears is that he had some kinda isolated cluster seizure episode stemming from a bump on the head while playing with my other dog and now i have him on meds for what may be the rest of his life.

The part that really upsets me about this disease is that every vet ive spoken with has told me that Logan is healthy in every way possible and that it is very unusual for an 8 year old dog to just become prone to this. Then they jus tell me to wait, keep him on the meds for a month, do new blood work, yada yada yada...I just wish there was a definitve way to tell if he is in fact Epileptic.

the info leading up to Logans 1st seizure is hazy cause when i saw him, he had already bumped his head on the coffee table, although it didnt look abnormally hard, and could very well have already been seizing before he bumped his head.

side note: its kinda funny and fascinating how my other puppy (Piper) knows something's different about Logan. She follows him around the house and keeps him company more than ever. I think i like animals more than humans, present company excluded of course...

thanks, Jamie

[skrpio]

Did you mention the bump on the head to the vet? It may not be the cause but sometimes seizures are brought on by pinched nerves. He could have done something like this while playing - got a nerve in his back or neck.
One of the reasons why they are so tired is that having a seizure is comparable to running a marathon and when they have had a cluster you can imagine how much of a strain this puts on their bodies. On top of this they have the post ictal running around.
Make sure he has a comfortable place to rest and also the other dog gives him time to rest. Even if this means crating one or the other.

[loganthedog]

just checking in to say we have been seizure-free since our return from the hospital and Logan is adjusting much better to his meds after 1 week.

Best of Luck to everyone out there, and thanks to all for the help.

[adajadesmom]

Glad to hear it! Ada is having a rough time with her meds and getting up on her own. I'm glad to hear Logan is adjusting well to his!
Here's to more seizure free days!

[loganthedog]

LOGAN UPDATE:

100% seizure free since taking him off the PB completely, over a month ago.

We remain on our toes, and prepared for any possible seizures, but hope for the best.

I couldnt keep him on those Meds any longer without knowing in fact that he was epileptic.

fwiw: i did get the OK from 2 sets of Vets to ween/remove him from the PB.

edit: omg, todays his b-day...HAPPY BIRFDAY LOGANTHEDOG !!!!

[skrpio]

That's great news and I hope that he continues to be seizure free.
Do not let your guard down. Best of luck and please keep in touch so we know how Logan is doing.

[Melissa and Raven]

I'm happy to hear it. And Happy Birthday Logan. My birthday wish for you is that you remain seizure free - forever.

[MTM]

Yay Logan! Hope you had a great birthday!

[richmauer]

Great news for Logan! HAPPY B-DAY LOGAN!!!!

[loganthedog]

Today @ 1:30pm while sleeping Logan had a seizure. It didnt last nearly as long as the past ones, and he recovered quite quick once it was over. I gave him some valium, and hes relaxing at the moment.

He had been seizure free for over 2 months since the original, and had been off the PB completely.

I am torn about what i should do...

On one hand, i am very hesitant to begin the PB again.
And on the other hand, maybe he needs it?

Any and all advice welcome...

[skrpio]

Is Logan on anything for the seizures? The thing with any anti seizure meds is that they normally only reduce the occurance of seizures not completely stop them. In some cases they do.

[loganthedog]

I took Logan off the PB almost 2 months ago.

He had been seizure free since the original set in January.

He was on the PB from Jan-Feb, and then ween/removed from it.

He wasnt the same dog on the meds, and i hated giving it to him.

Im going out of town this weekend, and now im worried crazy about it.

[MK's mom]

Even if you put him back on Pb today, it wouldn't reach therepeutic level for a week or so. (I can't remember the exact number of days it takes, but it's much quicker than KBr). All I can say is, you're very lucky it took 2 months for him to seize again, some dogs don't make it when weaned from that medication.

Can you think of anything environmental that could be triggering his seizures? Some dogs aren't really epileptic, they have a low seizure theshold and react to other stimulants such as cleaning agents, blinking lights, medications, etc. It could also be that he's a guy that will have a few seizures a year and not need medication.

Vivian

[loganthedog]

Can you think of anything environmental that could be triggering his seizures? .

To answer your question, Nothing has really changed for him or us, and this time it occured while he was Sleeping, whereas he was playing with our other dog last time and possibly bumped his head.

It could also be that he's a guy that will have a few seizures a year and not need medication.

Thats what i was starting to think. Is this a realistic idea? Do other parents subscribe to this theory?

[MK's mom]

No one on this board has a dog that only seizes a couple of times a year and doesn't need medication. (those folks don't usually feel the need for support) I have a friend that had a dog like that years ago, she said the pup seized about 4 times a year and lived to a ripe old age. Time will tell you where your dog stands, I hope for both your sakes he falls into that category.

Vivian