Epilepsy in dogs
Discussion
boobles said:
I thought they might put him on Epiphem.... In time the dosage will have to increase as his body gets use to the medication. I am surprised he is having so many fits so early on as this sort of thing progresses & gradually get more frequent etc. The Epiphem will hopefully reduce them down to only a couple per month & fingers crossed.
Yeah, they said that.He had the first dose last night - he was a bit anxious afterwards (they said he would be), pacing about & wouldn't settle.
Quiet night until the 05.30 chorus.
Had dose number two at breakfast & they're both sleeping now.
Also discovered he'd peed up my boots in the kitchen sometime early this morning. Git.
Update:
He's been on medication since Tuesday night. No fits since last Saturday but that's not unusual.
He is definitely more hungry. He goes crazy if he doesn't get a snack immediately & he's back at the feeding bowls several times a night (whereas it would only be just after feeding time).
He also seems a lot more restless, waiting at the back door/patio doors but when we open them, not wanting to go out.
Something interesting last night though. He was laying on the sofa (asleep or so we thought). On the TV came some police cars with the blues on. After 20 seconds or so, he got up & began furiously trying to scratch the rug with his front paws.
After that, he laid down behind a table in front of the sofa, quiet & seemingly asleep, then a minute or two later, up & more scratching/that going around in a circle thing.
But the last two nights have been better through the night.
Also trying "bone" therapy - the local butcher keeps up in regular supply & it keeps him occupied.
He's been on medication since Tuesday night. No fits since last Saturday but that's not unusual.
He is definitely more hungry. He goes crazy if he doesn't get a snack immediately & he's back at the feeding bowls several times a night (whereas it would only be just after feeding time).
He also seems a lot more restless, waiting at the back door/patio doors but when we open them, not wanting to go out.
Something interesting last night though. He was laying on the sofa (asleep or so we thought). On the TV came some police cars with the blues on. After 20 seconds or so, he got up & began furiously trying to scratch the rug with his front paws.
After that, he laid down behind a table in front of the sofa, quiet & seemingly asleep, then a minute or two later, up & more scratching/that going around in a circle thing.
But the last two nights have been better through the night.
Also trying "bone" therapy - the local butcher keeps up in regular supply & it keeps him occupied.
Smiler. said:
Update:
He's been on medication since Tuesday night. No fits since last Saturday but that's not unusual.
He is definitely more hungry. He goes crazy if he doesn't get a snack immediately & he's back at the feeding bowls several times a night (whereas it would only be just after feeding time).
He also seems a lot more restless, waiting at the back door/patio doors but when we open them, not wanting to go out.
Something interesting last night though. He was laying on the sofa (asleep or so we thought). On the TV came some police cars with the blues on. After 20 seconds or so, he got up & began furiously trying to scratch the rug with his front paws.
After that, he laid down behind a table in front of the sofa, quiet & seemingly asleep, then a minute or two later, up & more scratching/that going around in a circle thing.
But the last two nights have been better through the night.
Also trying "bone" therapy - the local butcher keeps up in regular supply & it keeps him occupied.
I have to be perfectly honest but it doesn't sound to good with the things you are describing.He's been on medication since Tuesday night. No fits since last Saturday but that's not unusual.
He is definitely more hungry. He goes crazy if he doesn't get a snack immediately & he's back at the feeding bowls several times a night (whereas it would only be just after feeding time).
He also seems a lot more restless, waiting at the back door/patio doors but when we open them, not wanting to go out.
Something interesting last night though. He was laying on the sofa (asleep or so we thought). On the TV came some police cars with the blues on. After 20 seconds or so, he got up & began furiously trying to scratch the rug with his front paws.
After that, he laid down behind a table in front of the sofa, quiet & seemingly asleep, then a minute or two later, up & more scratching/that going around in a circle thing.
But the last two nights have been better through the night.
Also trying "bone" therapy - the local butcher keeps up in regular supply & it keeps him occupied.
I really hope it's just some side effects to the tablets.
Sorry to hear about your dog.
One of our dogs, Flint the Collie 5 yrs old now), has epilepsy and he has had it for 2 or 3 years now.
He is insured and they have paid out for everything so far.
At the beginning he has had an MRI Scan and a Spinal fluid tap.
He started on Epiphen twice a day and we then had to have his dosage increased as he would fit regularly.
Then a new drug came out, Pexian, with supposedly less side effects. He was on it for less than a year before we had to wean him off it as it was useless at controlling cluster fits.
He is now back on epiphen twice a day and potassium bromide once a day.
As for his fits, they usually last less than a minute and he does pee when he is fitting. We just had to get used to it.
After his fits he is disorientated for a short while. Sometimes longer than others. After a fit he gets a brisk 5 min walk around the block as the vet says that lactic acid builds up when he has a fit. Its like doing a marathon he reckons. That seems to calm him down a bit. He also gets a handful of food to replace his energy.
After his fit he is a bit (very) whiny. According to my other half's mum (who has epilepsy), it could be because he has a stonking headache.
He is at the stage now where if he has more than 3 fits in 24 hours, he is put on Keppra until he is free from fits for 24 hours. This is break the cycle.
As for the side effects from his pills, well it has given him serious munchies and he is always begging for food. He was not like that before his epilepsy, just greedy like most dogs.
Another side effect is a lot more drinking and peeing. He needs to be let out a lot more often.
When he first went on the pills, they knocked him sideways for a bit and it took him about a month to get back to normal. We were told to expect this.
We use a baby monitor at night so that if he has a fit we can get down to his bed and give him his bum juice (rectal Diazapam). If he has a fit, then it's all lights off and all noise off. We have been told its because his senses can't cope that well straight after. We usually leave a room open without lights on where if he is not feeling too great he will sometimes take himself to. I am sure this has prevented a few fits.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Having a great vet has made this a lot easier for us. He has a good understanding of it.
One of our dogs, Flint the Collie 5 yrs old now), has epilepsy and he has had it for 2 or 3 years now.
He is insured and they have paid out for everything so far.
At the beginning he has had an MRI Scan and a Spinal fluid tap.
He started on Epiphen twice a day and we then had to have his dosage increased as he would fit regularly.
Then a new drug came out, Pexian, with supposedly less side effects. He was on it for less than a year before we had to wean him off it as it was useless at controlling cluster fits.
He is now back on epiphen twice a day and potassium bromide once a day.
As for his fits, they usually last less than a minute and he does pee when he is fitting. We just had to get used to it.
After his fits he is disorientated for a short while. Sometimes longer than others. After a fit he gets a brisk 5 min walk around the block as the vet says that lactic acid builds up when he has a fit. Its like doing a marathon he reckons. That seems to calm him down a bit. He also gets a handful of food to replace his energy.
After his fit he is a bit (very) whiny. According to my other half's mum (who has epilepsy), it could be because he has a stonking headache.
He is at the stage now where if he has more than 3 fits in 24 hours, he is put on Keppra until he is free from fits for 24 hours. This is break the cycle.
As for the side effects from his pills, well it has given him serious munchies and he is always begging for food. He was not like that before his epilepsy, just greedy like most dogs.
Another side effect is a lot more drinking and peeing. He needs to be let out a lot more often.
When he first went on the pills, they knocked him sideways for a bit and it took him about a month to get back to normal. We were told to expect this.
We use a baby monitor at night so that if he has a fit we can get down to his bed and give him his bum juice (rectal Diazapam). If he has a fit, then it's all lights off and all noise off. We have been told its because his senses can't cope that well straight after. We usually leave a room open without lights on where if he is not feeling too great he will sometimes take himself to. I am sure this has prevented a few fits.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Having a great vet has made this a lot easier for us. He has a good understanding of it.
Thanks Smashie, some really useful points there.
Agree Bex, the walking bit is a revelation to us - will mention that to the vet when I see her next week.
Couldn't agree more on having a good vet - the whole practice we use is great & the vet who has/is treating Bertie especially so.
She likewise explained about Pexian.
Bertie has been fit free since the last episode (a week ago Sunday), which is not un-typical. We wouldn't expect another seizure for another week (based upon history to date). Fingers crossed.
He's been ok since my last post & doesn't seem to be displaying any detrimental side effects (other than wanting bed time with us around 05.30 - probably due to being hungry).
Serious munchies: check
Drinking: check
He has a large (somewhat impressive) bladder capacity (either that or he's tight) & we haven't noticed a lot of additional peeing though. He's very territorial when out for walks, always marking. Often running on empty but still gives it a go. Should have named him "Widdler"
Couple of questions:
Final note; we didn't opt for insurance so are funding all treatment ourselves. Not really that relevant (unless we need a scan).
Agree Bex, the walking bit is a revelation to us - will mention that to the vet when I see her next week.
Couldn't agree more on having a good vet - the whole practice we use is great & the vet who has/is treating Bertie especially so.
She likewise explained about Pexian.
Bertie has been fit free since the last episode (a week ago Sunday), which is not un-typical. We wouldn't expect another seizure for another week (based upon history to date). Fingers crossed.
He's been ok since my last post & doesn't seem to be displaying any detrimental side effects (other than wanting bed time with us around 05.30 - probably due to being hungry).
Serious munchies: check
Drinking: check
He has a large (somewhat impressive) bladder capacity (either that or he's tight) & we haven't noticed a lot of additional peeing though. He's very territorial when out for walks, always marking. Often running on empty but still gives it a go. Should have named him "Widdler"
Couple of questions:
- How do your other dogs react when Flint is fitting?
- Have you been able to maintain Flint's weight?
Final note; we didn't opt for insurance so are funding all treatment ourselves. Not really that relevant (unless we need a scan).
Smiler. said:
Couple of questions:
Final note; we didn't opt for insurance so are funding all treatment ourselves. Not really that relevant (unless we need a scan).
My other half has a dodgy daycare/boarding/walking business, so we have quite a few dogs at home at one time. My Springer sometimes takes the fits harder than my Collie who has them in that if he has had one, she can become a bit protective of him and sometimes tells the other dogs off for no apparent reason.- How do your other dogs react when Flint is fitting?
- Have you been able to maintain Flint's weight?
Final note; we didn't opt for insurance so are funding all treatment ourselves. Not really that relevant (unless we need a scan).
As for the other dogs, well it varies. It does not bother most of them. Some of them go a little quiet afterwards for a bit. Fortunately they have all seen him fit now so there will not be another shock to them in future. If he has a fit when out walking and there are other dogs around, we make sure that they cannot get to him as dogs can be unpredictable in such a situation and if a dog is fitting, it has been known for other dogs to attack it whilst that is happening. It has not however happened to us. At night our dogs are crated so there are no issues if he fits at night.
As for his weight, well he is a regular at the vets so we weigh him quite regularly and alter his food accordingly. Has has recently gone from 23/24 KG up to 26kg so we have had to cut down his food a bit. The other half takes him Canicross (cross country running with dogs) and he loves it, however she fell down our stairs before christmas and her back is still not 100% so she hasn't done much recently, which probably explains his weight gain. Some of her canicross friends do take him out every now and again which he loves. 9 miles....pah...a walk in the park for him. Good thing is though he will not fit whilst running. Our vet says it is unheard of for that to happen.
With regards to insurance, ours is now £82 (984 a year) a month for him, which is about twice as much as my car insurance!!! So far I have always claimed far more than I have paid. Pills are not cheap at I think about £30+ a month, plus the regular bloods he has to have and consultations. When on Epiphany as it is a barbiturate they have to have regular bloods to ensure that the kidneys/liver (can't remember which) is not being affected by the drugs. In addition the diazepam is £11 for each 10mm rectal tube. At one point when he was having his cluster fits he was going through quite a few.
When he had his clusters he had to go to the emergency vet for observation overnight. It was Saturday night. The emergency vets were next to useless and didn't understand why we were bringing him in. We had to explain that our vet told us to and they MUST put a catheter in him in case they need to administer medication. Our vet ended up laying into them the next day for the way they treated us. They are a nationwide chain (well 50+ surgeries) and my vet just happens to be good friends with the founder/big cheese.
That was £400 or so. Unfortunately we he found out that epilepsy in dogs is not cheap! No NHS for them.
Thanks again Smashie.
So far, Bertie has only had fits at home, never whilst out (fortunately).
Our other dog get a bit aggressive when Bertie is fitting but that's because he thinks it's play time & that's how they play. We keep him off but he also has a tendency for jealousy if Bertie gets attention. It's not a serious issue so far though.
I hadn't considered the ongoing costs for tests (I think it is the liver they test). The drugs are not that bad so far - we paid less than £25 for a months supply of Ephipen & 5 x 5mg Diazepam.
In any event, we'll just have to grin & bear it.
So far, Bertie has only had fits at home, never whilst out (fortunately).
Our other dog get a bit aggressive when Bertie is fitting but that's because he thinks it's play time & that's how they play. We keep him off but he also has a tendency for jealousy if Bertie gets attention. It's not a serious issue so far though.
I hadn't considered the ongoing costs for tests (I think it is the liver they test). The drugs are not that bad so far - we paid less than £25 for a months supply of Ephipen & 5 x 5mg Diazepam.
In any event, we'll just have to grin & bear it.
When ours was having his cluster fits, our springer was a bit jealous. We had to ensure that if he had a fit, that we gave her a bit of extra attention to make up for it.
Whenever ours has a fit, he gets to spend the night in the bedroom with us. He does go in a crate though as we a) Don't want his peeing on the bed, b) He won't be able to fall off and injure himself and c) he takes up too much space so I would have to go to the spare room. The springer gets to stay on the bed which she loves (she's a small springer).
I do really hate it when he has a fit in the middle of the night as I am the one that has to get dressed and walk him round the block.... even worse if you had a very rare lads night out and feeling worse for wear.
Whenever ours has a fit, he gets to spend the night in the bedroom with us. He does go in a crate though as we a) Don't want his peeing on the bed, b) He won't be able to fall off and injure himself and c) he takes up too much space so I would have to go to the spare room. The springer gets to stay on the bed which she loves (she's a small springer).
I do really hate it when he has a fit in the middle of the night as I am the one that has to get dressed and walk him round the block.... even worse if you had a very rare lads night out and feeling worse for wear.
Just a quick update.
It's been a fortnight & a day since his last event. From the pattern of the last 8 weeks, he was due one yesterday.
He's very sedated for the few hours after medication & overall is a lot less active.
Saw the vet last Friday, all good & he's due a blood test (for assay at med trough) a week Tuesday.
It's been a fortnight & a day since his last event. From the pattern of the last 8 weeks, he was due one yesterday.
He's very sedated for the few hours after medication & overall is a lot less active.
Saw the vet last Friday, all good & he's due a blood test (for assay at med trough) a week Tuesday.
Good to hear he has not had one. That is the point of the meds after all. It does not mean he will not get any, just less frequent and also hopefully less severe.
The fact he is not following his pattern means the meds have kicked in.
I am sure your vet has already mentioned this, but one thing you should try and work out is what triggers the fits. After 3 years, I think we are finally getting there. For us it seems to be beef i.e. treats with beef, beef and products containing beef. The vet has to make sure that even any medication (worming etc) does not contain any beef stuff.
His last fit happened after the other half gave him some lamb (she knows the vet said not to give him anything but his food and cooked chicken, but she obviously knew better). This leads us to believe that red meat could even be one of his triggers, but we are not at the stage for experimentation.
He has also had fits when we have been decorating, which I believe is down to the fumes.
The fact he is not following his pattern means the meds have kicked in.
I am sure your vet has already mentioned this, but one thing you should try and work out is what triggers the fits. After 3 years, I think we are finally getting there. For us it seems to be beef i.e. treats with beef, beef and products containing beef. The vet has to make sure that even any medication (worming etc) does not contain any beef stuff.
His last fit happened after the other half gave him some lamb (she knows the vet said not to give him anything but his food and cooked chicken, but she obviously knew better). This leads us to believe that red meat could even be one of his triggers, but we are not at the stage for experimentation.
He has also had fits when we have been decorating, which I believe is down to the fumes.
23 days. He's just had a violent fit. The poor bugger fell off the back of the poof & got his head wedged behind a pedestal unit.
Luckily the floor is tiled so he slides quite easily.
Was a messy one though.
Administered Diazepam, cleaned him up & took him for a walk around the block. He's not pacing about like he has done every time before though. Hopefully get a proper sleep without a repeat.
Fingers crossed.
At the vet tomorrow for his blood test.
Luckily the floor is tiled so he slides quite easily.
Was a messy one though.
Administered Diazepam, cleaned him up & took him for a walk around the block. He's not pacing about like he has done every time before though. Hopefully get a proper sleep without a repeat.
Fingers crossed.
At the vet tomorrow for his blood test.
Not a pleasant thing to happen, ours has fortunately had one for over a month now. #it may be a good idea to video one of the fits on your phone especially if there are 2 of you around (one of you looking after the dog). You can then show it to your vet as he will then be able to see the severity of them. We thought our Collie's fits were not all that severe as they did not last too long, but when the vet saw the video, he said it was severe.
The other thing it will help with is if you have to leave him with someone when you go out, if they have not seen it happen 1st hand, showing them the video will be beneficial as they will know what to expect if it does happen.
The other thing it will help with is if you have to leave him with someone when you go out, if they have not seen it happen 1st hand, showing them the video will be beneficial as they will know what to expect if it does happen.
Well mine has definitely has 1 fit this evening, and maybe a mini fit a few minutes before.
The other half thought he has peed on the bed so told me to stick him out. I put the duvet in the washing machine and went to look for him as he wasn't just staring in as normal (when in he looks out, when out he looks in - messed up dog!). Looked around for him and he was fitting. I'm sure the bed wetting was a mini fit as he never has accidents indoors.
Oh well. Only 3 more days until more bloods at the vets.
The other half thought he has peed on the bed so told me to stick him out. I put the duvet in the washing machine and went to look for him as he wasn't just staring in as normal (when in he looks out, when out he looks in - messed up dog!). Looked around for him and he was fitting. I'm sure the bed wetting was a mini fit as he never has accidents indoors.
Oh well. Only 3 more days until more bloods at the vets.
Bertie had a fit last night. The third since starting medication but his first in 31 days.
I wasn't there with him, I've been in hospital since the beginning of March. My wife was with him though & said it was mild compared to the previous ones & also it was a single event. That has not been the case for months.
She did administer Diazepam & said he settled down quite quickly. Maybe the medication is starting to work. It's been quite a shock for both the dogs with me suddenly being absent for a long time.
I miss them both terribly
How is yours doing Smashie?
I wasn't there with him, I've been in hospital since the beginning of March. My wife was with him though & said it was mild compared to the previous ones & also it was a single event. That has not been the case for months.
She did administer Diazepam & said he settled down quite quickly. Maybe the medication is starting to work. It's been quite a shock for both the dogs with me suddenly being absent for a long time.
I miss them both terribly
How is yours doing Smashie?
bexVN said:
That is a really good response, especially as he has likely to have been upset by your absence.
I hope you are ok btw and back home soon.
Thanks Bex, every cloud & all that. I hope you are ok btw and back home soon.
He's been sleeping on the bed with my wife every night all night since I've been gone, although I suspect that's as much for her benefit as his. She says he doesn't leave her side. Being a rescue possibly goes some way to explain that (abandonment issues).
The other one starts off on the bed but takes himself off elsewhere after a couple of hours.
I'm likely to be in here for at least another month & I am a little concerned about what will happen when I return.
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