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02-22-2006, 10:21 PM | #1 |
YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 473
| Seizures Do any of your pups have seizures? And if they do, do you know what causes them? When did they start and can this be controlled or will it stop? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
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02-22-2006, 10:30 PM | #2 |
YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,394
| Here some info on seizures. Seizures are the result of muscle responses to an abnormal nerve-signal burst from the brain. They are a symptom of an underlying neurological dysfunction. Toxic substances, metabolic or electrolyte abnormalities and/or imbalances cause an uncoordinated firing of neurons in the cerebrum of the brain, creating seizures from mild "petit mal" to severe "grand mal." Stages of seizures: There are four basic stages to a seizure: ~ The Prodome: may precede the seizure by hours or days. It is characterized by changes in mood or behavior. ~ The Aura: signals the start of a seizure. Nervousness, whining, trembling, salivation, affection, wandering, restlessness, hiding and apprehension are all signals. ~ The Ictus: the actual seizure. A period of intense physical activity usually lasting 45 seconds to 3 minutes. The dog may lose consciousness and fall to the ground. There may be teeth gnashing, frantic thrashing of limbs, excessive drooling, vocalizing, paddling of feet, uncontrollable urination and defecation. ~ The Post Ictus: after the seizure the dog may pace endlessly, appear blind and deaf and eat or drink excessively. Causes: The cause can be anything that disrupts normal brain circuitry: ~ Idiopathic Epilepsy, meaning "no known cause" and possibly inherited. This is also referred to as Primary Epilepsy. Check history or pedigree and make sure your veterinarian has looked for possible underlying factors. Seizures caused by underlying factors are referred to as Secondary Epilepsy. ~ Congenital hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) ~ Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) ~ Infections causing brain damage (such as canine distemper, cryptococcosis) ~ Ingestion of toxins (such as lead paint chips, insecticides) ~ Brain tumors ~ Portosystemic shunts (improperly routed intestinal blood vessels bypass the liver - one of the body's important waste-product detoxifiers) ~ Vaccinations Types of Seizures: ~ Mild (Petit Mal) can be a simple as momentarily staring into space or upward eye movement. ~ Moderate (Grand Mal) occurs when the dog falls down, loses consciousness and extends its limbs rigidly. Paddling of limbs, salivation followed by possible loss of control of bladder and bowels and vocalization (blood curdling scream) may follow. This may occur for 1-3 minutes and is most often followed by a period of restlessness, pacing, bumping into objects and loss of balance. Post Ictal period: The dog is conscious but may appear deaf, blind and disoriented. Great care must be taken to prevent the dog from injuring itself at this time. ~ Status Epilepticus can occur as one continuous seizure lasting 10 minutes or more or as a series of multiple seizures in a short time with no period of normal consciousness intervening. This may be life threatening. ~ Cluster Seizures are multiple seizures within a 24 hour period time. This may also be life threatening. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two types and veterinarian assistance is imperative. Rectal Valium is extremely useful in breaking cluster seizures. Please see information regarding this on our website at these links: Home Treatment with Rectal Diazepam and Home Treatment with Rectal and Oral Valium/Diazepam. Post Seizure Treatments: ~ To Reduce Post Ictus Pacing: As soon as your dog has regained consciousness and can safely eat, feeding a small amount of Breyers All Natural vanilla ice cream (a teaspoon for small dogs; a tablespoon for medium dogs; two tablespoons for large dogs) can restore normal blood sugar levels. A seizure may drop blood sugar levels and low blood sugar levels can cause more seizures. A seizure to your dog is equal to your running the Boston Marathon so you will need to replace lost energy by feeding a full meal after the ice cream and then giving a couple of handfuls of kibble or pasta or rice with a little butter every hour. Feeding a small amount of carbohydrates every hour will keep blood sugar levels stable. It is important to remember that your dog will be ravenously hungry so you will need to feed very small amounts at a time either with your fingers or in a bowl so they do not inhale the food and cause aspiration pneumonia. Watch your fingers as you feed them - when dogs are this hungry and recovering from seizures, they can bite you without ever realizing it. The use of Bachs Flower Essence Rescue RemedyŽ (found in many health food stores) has been found to be extremely useful in some cases when given at this time. Simply put four drops of the Essence into the dog's mouth after the seizure has finished. Using these suggestions, the post ictal time and severity will be reduced considerably in many dogs. Medications (listed by trade and generic name): ~ Phenobarbital (abbreviated pb or phb) ~ Potassium Bromide (abbreviated KBr) ~ Phenobarbital & Potassium Bromide ~ Valium (diazepam) ~ Dilantin (phenytoin) ~ Neurontin (gabapentin) Most dogs can be controlled by using Phenobarbital or Phenobarbital and potassium bromide. Potassium bromide is used alone if the dog's liver has become damaged by Phenobarbital. (IMPORTANT: Dogs on Phenobarbital need to have their liver enzymes tested every three to four months using the following tests: ALT (SGPT); AST (SGOT); GGT; and Alkaline Phosphatase. They also need pre- and post-meal bile acid testing at the same time to make sure the Phenobarbital has not caused liver damage. If caught very early, liver damage can be reversible.) Both Phenobarbital and potassium bromide are available by prescription in pill, capsule, and liquid form. Primadone, once commonly used, metabolizes to Phenobarbital in the liver; with prolonged treatment it can also cause liver damage. Valium, injectable administered rectally and oral tablets, are a good choice to halt a cluster seizure or interrupt status epilepticus. Dilantin is currently not recommended for use. Gabapentin is a newer drug being used for humans. It does offer exciting possibilities for dogs as it is only partially metabolized by the liver. At present it is very costly to use at around $250.00 a month; however, with the few dogs that have used it, the results have been very positive. More on http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com |
02-22-2006, 10:48 PM | #3 |
YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 473
| Thank You Thank you so much for the wonderful advice, this is a great help to understand what is happening with my CeCe.
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02-23-2006, 12:20 AM | #4 |
Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 4,387
| The website on the first post is an excellent source. Another thing I learned from the site that really helps is to put a ice pack on the lower back during the seizure. It brings down the body tempreture and helps them to have shorter attacks and also helps them recover more quickly. I've noticed considerable difference using one. We also have her wear a collar with a bell on it so we can hear if she has an episode while we are sleeping or in another room. You'll hear the difference in the sound the bell makes. Jewel was having 2-3 cluster seizures every 5-10 days and single seizures up to 3-4 times a week. We controlled her episodes using only potassium bromide (KBr). We chose not to use the Phenobaribtol because we did not want to risk any damage to her liver.
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02-23-2006, 01:15 AM | #5 |
YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 473
| I've given all the information to my mother and I will be going back to Canada in April and I will see what kind of meds the vet has been giving her for the past 3 years that I've been gone...... I don't really trust this vet that she's been seeing anyway, he's always doing blood tests, always giving her meds that Cece has to take twice a day and he just keeps upping the dosage everytime she has a seizure. I'm going to have a serious talk with this guy when I go back. I think he cares about the money more than the animals he sees. Thank you all so much for your help.
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07-04-2006, 08:09 AM | #6 |
YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 473
| I just heard from my mom that the vet wants to increase her Phenobarbital dosage AGAIN. Will this cause liver damage? Is it harmful? The vet keeps wanting to do blood tests, is this OK? I'm confused and I live all the way across the world and don't know what kind of advice to give my mom.....
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07-04-2006, 02:47 PM | #7 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: kent england
Posts: 1,646
| my sasha had her first one at about 2 she went through her 12 years of life without meds as the vet said they can be harmful and they didnt think sashas fits were bad enough to risk the meds, she had anything from 1 fit a month to 4 or 5 sometimes 2 in one night, she use to know when they were coming and would run to me, i would pick her up and take her in to the garden as i found the air would bring her out of the fit quicker, i would hold her gently and softly whisper in her ear and she would come out quicker, mindyou it did mean she would wet her self on me a few times but it was worth it to help her feel safe when she was having one.
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07-05-2006, 04:33 AM | #8 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: NY
Posts: 342
| My dog started to have seizures when he was older (tremors too) but I believe it came from vaccine because it was shortly after one of his boosters and rabies (which has been tied to seizure problems). I also have two friends who had the same thing happen. Long stories. Anyways, b-complex helped us a lot. Keeping lobelia and honey on hand if a seizure starts works well at pulling them out of seizures. Lobelia especially. One of my friends whos cat started to have them multiple times a week...her vet put her on an herbal conncoction...oh...what was that...one was herbs for brain health...and the other...I can't remember off hand but it worked like a charm. The cat stopped having seizures. I wish I could remember the names. suzie |
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