[Mike B.]

I know there are lots of dog owners on here so has anyone had a pooch that had epilepsy? My little girl (4 yr. old beagle/lab mix) had a seizure tonight which is now her 3rd in the last year and they plan to put her on phenobarbital. Just curious if anyone has had to deal with it. I have an appointment next week but from talking to the vet last visit, it will be one pill every 12 hours for the rest of her life. Side effects include weight gain and possible liver damage plus regular testing to make sure the liver damage isn't getting too bad. I'm excited

 

[BurlyShirley]

I had a german shephard as a kid that would have seizures every few weeks. My dad shot it.

 

[habitatxskate]

we had to put my dog down, she had cancer in her stomach and throat, so she was always throwing up and not eatting or drinking, golden retriever..out of respect for her, we had to put her down since she was in a lot of pain and wasn't very happy..i miss her...

your dad just shot your dog since it had those? wtf, weird, but to each his own..

out of respect for your dog, you may need to make the decision of letting her rest and not having to deal with that..i mean dogs do have feelings, and i wouldn't want to take 2 pills a day and go to a doctor very often..and trust me those doctor setups, even a frequent scan can cost 200 + a vist, +medicine..

i hate to be the bairer of a bad idea, but sometimes..yeah,

 

[partsbara]

I had a german shephard as a kid that would have seizures every few weeks. My dad shot it.

sometimes dead is better

 

[stevew]

and i wouldn't want to take 2 pills a day and go to a doctor very often..and trust me those doctor setups, even a frequent scan can cost 200 + a vist, +medicine..
,

So you would rather die? I bet you can't wait until old age sets in.

Taking two pills a day isn't the end of the world.

Who said having a pet was cheap.

 

[disasterarea]

a mate of mine's lab has fits. She's (the dog) on long-term medication and has been for the last 6 years, still going strong. Other than the occasional seizure when she gets too excited she's just like any other dog.

 

[.:Jeenyus:.]

and i wouldn't want to take 2 pills a day and go to a doctor very often..and trust me those doctor setups, even a frequent scan can cost 200 + a vist, +medicine..

Hrm, by that logic I should have killed myself a couple of years ago.



I'll take the pills and doctors visits (for my pets as well as I)

 

[Toshi]

one of my "fluff classes" (no, not fluffer before someone jumps in on that joke ) last year had some interesting stats that showed that the general public, other patients, and especially health care providers had a much more dismal perception of the quality of life enjoyed by paraplegics when compared to the views of the paraplegics themselves.

 

[BurlyShirley]

one of my "fluff classes" (no, not fluffer before someone jumps in on that joke ) last year had some interesting stats that showed that the general public, other patients, and especially health care providers had a much more dismal perception of the quality of life enjoyed by paraplegics when compared to the views of the paraplegics themselves.

oh yeah, who the heck wants to admit that they need to be put down?

 

[binary visions]

out of respect for your dog, you may need to make the decision of letting her rest and not having to deal with that..i mean dogs do have feelings, and i wouldn't want to take 2 pills a day and go to a doctor very often..and trust me those doctor setups, even a frequent scan can cost 200 + a vist, +medicine..

That has nothing to do with what the dog is feeling. Dogs don't care about having to take a little pill rolled up in a piece of cheese.

The money is just a question of how much you want to spend on your pet. Some people set a limit. I'd probably go to the poor house before letting my animal be put down because I couldn't afford treatment.

In the end, it's about quality of life. I and my parents spent a small fortune on my last cat, who had several problems as he entered his 17th year with our family. He had some kidney problems, and turned diabetic. We were giving him special food, insulin, and bringing him in for tests occasionally. It cost a lot, but he was still a very happy cat and that's what was important - it was two and a half more years before he was unhappy and suffering, at which point we had him put down.

As long as the animal can still be happy, stick by her. I'm sorry you're having to deal with it, though

 

[pZyteX]

my dog (then 8 years old) had 2 seizures about a year apart and none since then. But I was scared as hell the first time it happened.

 

[dogwonder]

Is she a healthy dog otherwise? If so, give her what she needs!!! We had a dog we gave prozac to help offset separation and general anxiety (and insurance didn't cover a nickel). I'm with BV, but dogs are part of the family around here.

 

[dan-o]

One of my dogs (lab) had seizures every so often (3-4/yr). They sucked to witness but she lived to be a happy 13. IIRC, she was never medicated given the fact that the seizures weren't frequent. I'd get a 2nd opinion on the meds.

 

[Mike B.]

One of my dogs (lab) had seizures every so often (3-4/yr). They sucked to witness but she lived to be a happy 13. IIRC, she was never medicated given the fact that the seizures weren't frequent. I'd get a 2nd opinion on the meds.

Thanks for the support all. I've had her to two vets already and will be going to a third just to make sure. Putting her down is out of the question. Other than a food allergy she is very healthy and active and doesn't mind a pill covered in easy cheese. The problem with not medicating her is that she is often home most of the day by herself and can easily get hurt during a seizure. With the first seizure she was just sleeping on the couch, immediately jumped up and ran across the room into a wall. I dove after her to grab her she so didn't get hurt. The meds aren't expensive but the vet visits/tests down the road could be.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Sounds like they should have pet HMO's.

 

[Nick]

-snip- The money is just a question of how much you want to spend on your pet. Some people set a limit. I'd probably go to the poor house before letting my animal be put down because I couldn't afford treatment. -snip- As long as the animal can still be happy, stick by her. I'm sorry you're having to deal with it, though

what he said.

A good friend has a poodle that started having somewhat regular seizures. The dog take daily medication and the episodes are pretty much in check. I believe there is hope for a good outcome here.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Sounds like they should have pet HMO's.

Don't laugh. Some companies offer them.

 

[geargrrl]

I worked with a gal who's elkhound took daily medication for epilepsy, no problems there. Then, the dog was stolen out of her yard. She freaked, but the thieves brought it back within two weeks, it was having seizures on them.... I guess they forgot to steal the meds.


gg

 

[urbaindk]

We had an epileptic dog when I was a kid. You could always tell when it was coming on. She's start whining and drooling. Eventually she would fall over, twitch a little and foam at the mouth. When it was over she'd just take a nice long nap and wake up good as new. We would just pet her calmly and try to keep her calm during the episodes.

We never did any medicating or anything. It really didn't seem like that big of a deal. She live a long happy life (except for a few hours once a month or so.)

I also have a riding buddy who has a history of grand mal seizures. I certainly wouldn't want to put him down.

 

[JohnE]

We had a dachshund mix who was epileptic. He took Dilantin (An anti seizure drug?) which was a big family joke, as my Father took the same medicine! He went quite nuts as he aged, barking at shadows and cop cars in the middle of the road...

 

[MudGrrl]

I got a Collie in Germany. Her name is Sasha.
She was full grown at the time ( I believe she was about 6 yrs old).
She had been through numerous military families, because she peed when she was scared. She also had seizures.

I didn't know about the seizures.
The first time it happened, I kinda freaked.
The next few times (every couple of months or so), I would just sit by her and talk to her and tell her everything was going to be ok. She would come out of it, and I would give her water, clean her up, and give her treats.

The seizures came less frequently. As of today, I would say it's been a good 3 years since she had one. I have no idea what happened, what factors got her better..... no clue.

I did tell the vet about the seizures, and nothing was prescribed.


Kinda funny, Sasha is actually sitting right next to me right now... she's hanging out at the office.

She's a good buddy.