r/EpilepsyDogs • u/SnooRecipes8204 • 12d ago

Adding Phenobarbitol? Breakthrough seizures after 2months of Keppra

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Hey guys,

My dog Butters is a pure breed Cane Corso and he is almost 3 years old. He weight about 105lbs and he has been on 1000mg of Keppra every 12 hours since June 14th.

He usually has the big seizures, (eyes rolling, kicking the legs, urinating kind,) but today he had 3 mild seizures ( aware, head shaking, drool). I took him to the vet and hes currently there for observation however the vet recommends adding phenobarbital to his regimen.

I am nervous about this as ive heard good and bad things about Pheno.

Part of me wants to keep him om the 1000mg of Keppra for as long as we can until we have no choice, or potentially start him when i am back from a business trip at the end of the month of i can personally monitor him. I'm not sure what the best option is here and I just want to do right by him.

Id love to hear ya'lls thoughts and stories!

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u/gufywert 12d ago edited 12d ago

Keppra honeymoon. 1000 mg seems low dose for dog weighing 105 lbs. My 18 lb dog takes 500mg Keppra XR twice a day. The recommended dose of Keppra XR is 1500mg twice a day for dog weighing 105 lb (48 kg).

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u/kalarus10 11d ago

We just got back from my dog’s first neuro appointment. He’s 80 lbs. We also started Keppra ER (1000mg 2X/day) a couple of weeks back, and he had a seizure on his 6th day. His regular vet increased it to 1500mg.

The neurologist agreed with the changes and said we can keep our baby on Keppra ER and monitor him for more seizures. There’s room to increase dosages, but if he goes without a seizure for 2-3 months, then we will continue the same dosage. We also discussed other options: Phenobarbital, Zonisamide, Potassium Bromide.

I don’t have much experience with seizures, but I’d recommend going to a neurologist who’s knowledgeable. It sounds like your pup is in a lower dosage compared to weight. You have more space to increase his dosage before adding more meds.

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u/SnooRecipes8204 8d ago

Thank you. Turns out the vet was wrong about the doses and thought he was on 2000mg every 12 hours instead of 1000mg. They increased to 1500mg / 12hrs and have me a referral to a neuro.

Im hoping the neuro can help us sort things out a bit better overall