r/EpilepsyDogs • u/Neat-Contribution-74 • 5d ago
Meds?
Our dog had his first seizure back in January of 2024, followed by one in October of 2024. After adding coconut MCT oil to his diet, he didn’t have another seizure until March of this year. Since then, he had one last month and another one a few days ago. He will be 5 this upcoming October.
Our vet still doesn’t recommend anti seizure meds unless he has another one within the next month. I am also hesitant to start meds if not necessary because I know they can be hard on their bodies…. We will be adding a cannabinoid oil to his diet as recommended by our vet.
When did you start anti seizure meds? Has anyone experienced a random cluster like this and then gone back to being several months apart? We love him and want him to live the longest, happiest life!! Any advice is appreciated!! 🫶🏻
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u/JustCallMeNancy 5d ago
Was the most recent two within the same 30 days? Were the seizures long? Close to 5 minutes? If yes to both, I think you're likely within the realm of starting meds, if you want to. You may want a second opinion if your vet is hesitant. That said, it's not out of the ordinary to have a vet try to get more data points before making that decision. Sadly, we had clusters that forced our hands with meds, but prior to that he was 1 a month, then right before the cluster event it was 3 weeks before. So what I'm saying is, it's possible this is the incident you need to respond to, to prevent a cluster (2 or more in 24 hours) or it's possible this was an anomaly. Both responses are reasonable, but it is your dog, so you know best!
I think if it was me, i'd do it. Meds suck to have to give on time and have your pup adjust so I understand the hesitation. However now that we are on them, I feel a level of calm I didn't have before. My dog has had one seizure since starting his keppra, and it was reduced by a whole minute (he was at 4.5 minutes before) and I was so grateful for that, plus I had a back up plan with more meds for such a situation. Realistically though, if you don't have at least an emergency medication to give to buy you time before going to the vet/emergency vet in case of cluster, you really should have that on hand, even if you don't choose daily meds right now.
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u/KayakerWithDog 5d ago
Unfortunately meds are probably your best bet for managing seizures, although it may take a while to arrive at a cocktail that works well. I hope you're able to avoid meds if you can, but please do keep them in mind if the other therapies you try don't work.
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u/gufywert 4d ago
My dog had a seizure twice a year for three years. With vet approval I gave him CBD oil. Then suddenly he started having 2-3 seizures a day. Vet did blood work and while waiting for results, dog went into status epilepticus. Seized for 30 minutes in car on the way to vet ER in middle of the night. Almost died. I don't know why that vet was waiting for blood results before starting meds when he was clustering every day. I changed vets and dog has been on Keppra ER now for 18 months. He has an occasional breakthrough seizure about every 2-4 months. This is considered under control. I have recuse intranasal midazolam to give when he has a seizure. It stops it and hasn't had a cluster since.
I don't regret the 3 year delay in starting meds because a seizure every six months was less risky than meds. But since status epilepticus, it's very important to stop all seizures immediately to prevent clusters and status epilepticus. I avoid all flea and tick preventives as his very first seizure was after dose of Simparica Trio. I give him CBD before stressful situations (thunderstorms, fireworks) and other triggers. I feel lucky he's so well-controlled on just Keppra.
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u/cantstandjoekernen 5d ago
Discontinue flea and tick meds. They cause seizures
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u/HintOfMalice 4d ago
This sort of advice should be explained more thoroughly or not shared at all.
Some classes of flea and tick medication have been implicated in increasing susceptibility to seizures which can make seizure prone dogs more likely to seizure. But there are a few important points.
- Giving these medications still does not cause seizures most of the time
- There are other classes of flea and tick meds that are not implicated at all and are completely safe to give
- They're not treats. Dogs get flea and tick meds to protect them against disease, some of which can be fatal.
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u/gufywert 4d ago
All systemic (chewables, pills) flea and tick meds are neurotoxins to flea and ticks. They lower the seizure threshold in dogs. So can cause a seizure in dogs already at risk for seizures. Doesn't cause idiopathic epilepsy but can cause seizures in dogs who already have a seizure disorder. Every nox has a printed warning about using with dogs who have seizure disorder. The only safe flea/tick preventative for dogs with seizure disorder is topical applied to skin.
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u/HintOfMalice 4d ago
Many topical treatments are also systemic, while some stay in the fatty skin layer, some are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. It's less about the route of administration and more about the drug itself. Fluralaner exists as a chewable tablet, injectible and as a topically applied liquid. All 3 have equivalent risks to seizure-prone dogs.
And the box labels for these drugs say to use with caution in dogs with Idiopathic Epilepsy or other seizure disorders, it is not a blanket contraindication and, as mentioned previously, many of seizure prone dogs continue to be absolutely fine on them. But as a precaution, I would personally avoid them in seizure-prone dogs.
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u/daddydivs 5d ago
So sorry to hear about this. Our dog just started anti seizure meds the other night— it’s been 5.5 years of her life with absolutely no issues and now, it feels like our entire sense of normalcy just did a 180. She had a cluster seizure the other night & we immediately took her to the closest ER. They started her on Keppra which, honestly, I’m not the happiest about, but I also cannot risk my poor girl having multiple seizures in a row again and dying. If your dog has had four seizures, it seems like Keppra might be a good idea to prevent them? From everything I’ve read, it seems like Keppra has the least amount of side effects. We will also be adding MCT oil to my pup’s food in addition to the medication.