Dogs and Seizures

Roman

Roman

Active Member
My 8 month-old female Boston Terrier had 2 episodes of what looked like seizures the other day. One happened when she was sleeping, and the other happened while playing, so I took her to her Vet. The Vet didn't put her on any medicine for it, until all the lab work comes back in, which should be today, or tomorrow. I went on-line, and read an article that basically blamed it on the lack of Vitamins in even the best Dog Foods, especially the lack of Magnesium. It stated that because the foods are cooked & processed at high heats, the neutrients cook out. It even said that in most Dog Foods, the by-products COULD include euthanized animals from the shelters, and that not all the by-products are grain fed, clean of pesticide, or other pharmacuticals. This guy even said that there is no evidence that Dogs have seizures for any other reason than a vitamin imbalance. Could this be true? I don't want my dog to go on medications long term, as I know these Legalized Toxins have some side effects on the dog's system, but I don't want her to suffer either. She is on NuPro, and Grizzly Salmon Oil that the Vet said are very good for her. Any, and all in-put would be much appreciated!!
 
drivingdaisy

drivingdaisy

New Member
My dog is a 6 year old black lab and she has been having seizures for about 4 years now. After the first one (which happened while she was sleeping) we took her to the vet. He said that sometimes there isn't a known reason for them and that we didn't need to put her on meds yet. I trusted what the vet said. We do buy more expensive food for our dog and keep her healthy but still with the seizures. I'd be weary of just one site that stated the reason as dog food. I'd like to think my vet would tell us if such a thing had been proven to be true. I'd gladly adjust her diet if necessary. Most of what I have read says its some sort of disturbance in the brain and they are not sure what causes it.


For about 2 years my dog had about 2 seizures a year that lasted about 15-20 minutes, the vet said since they were so few and not very long she would be fine. Then about 3 years ago she had one that lasted like 3 hours off and on and then next one after that was about an hour long and they were coming more frequently. So we put her on medicine. We stopped the medicine once because she was getting a little chunky, but within 2 weeks she had a seizure so she's back on it.
 
ICit

ICit

Jam out with ur clam out
Roman said:
My 8 month-old female Boston Terrier had 2 episodes of what looked like seizures the other day. One happened when she was sleeping, and the other happened while playing, so I took her to her Vet. The Vet didn't put her on any medicine for it, until all the lab work comes back in, which should be today, or tomorrow. I went on-line, and read an article that basically blamed it on the lack of Vitamins in even the best Dog Foods, especially the lack of Magnesium. It stated that because the foods are cooked & processed at high heats, the neutrients cook out. It even said that in most Dog Foods, the by-products COULD include euthanized animals from the shelters, and that not all the by-products are grain fed, clean of pesticide, or other pharmacuticals. This guy even said that there is no evidence that Dogs have seizures for any other reason than a vitamin imbalance. Could this be true? I don't want my dog to go on medications long term, as I know these Legalized Toxins have some side effects on the dog's system, but I don't want her to suffer either. She is on NuPro, and Grizzly Salmon Oil that the Vet said are very good for her. Any, and all in-put would be much appreciated!!
Click to expand...

Seizures could happen for many reasons or non at all if that makes sense :shrug: 99% chance the lab work will come back normal.. just be prepared for that. with a young dog they may calk it up to epilepsy and she will be on Phenobarbital or potassium bromide for life. And you will also have to do lab work every 6 months or once a year to check the levels for life.

there may be ups and downs till you get the meds "just right" for her.

there are many levels of seizures and also she may never have another one again and it could be just idiopathic :coffee:

Diagnostic wise you can go as far as having an MRI done to make sure there is nothing going on in the brain.. Or just ride it out.


…. Any toxins down, did you put any flea and tick meds on her, did you give her a flea or tick bath?
 
Otter

Otter

Nothing to see here
Roman said:
My 8 month-old female Boston Terrier had 2 episodes of what looked like seizures the other day. One happened when she was sleeping, and the other happened while playing, so I took her to her Vet. The Vet didn't put her on any medicine for it, until all the lab work comes back in, which should be today, or tomorrow. I went on-line, and read an article that basically blamed it on the lack of Vitamins in even the best Dog Foods, especially the lack of Magnesium. It stated that because the foods are cooked & processed at high heats, the neutrients cook out. It even said that in most Dog Foods, the by-products COULD include euthanized animals from the shelters, and that not all the by-products are grain fed, clean of pesticide, or other pharmacuticals. This guy even said that there is no evidence that Dogs have seizures for any other reason than a vitamin imbalance. Could this be true? I don't want my dog to go on medications long term, as I know these Legalized Toxins have some side effects on the dog's system, but I don't want her to suffer either. She is on NuPro, and Grizzly Salmon Oil that the Vet said are very good for her. Any, and all in-put would be much appreciated!!
Click to expand...

The 3 times I've seen any of our dogs have problems with seizures, changing their diet stopped them. There are others here that can clue you in on quality dog foods..but I wouldn't rely on a vet's recommendation on food, a lot of times they have deals with certain brands.
 
ICit

ICit

Jam out with ur clam out
otter said:
The 3 times I've seen any of our dogs have problems with seizures, changing their diet stopped them. There are others here that can clue you in on quality dog foods..but I wouldn't rely on a vet's recommendation on food, a lot of times they have deals with certain brands.
Click to expand...


:killingme and their brands have all the by-products in it :cough::cough:
science diet :barf:
 
Roman

Roman

Active Member
toxins

ICit said:
Seizures could happen for many reasons or non at all if that makes sense :shrug: 99% chance the lab work will come back normal.. just be prepared for that. with a young dog they may calk it up to epilepsy and she will be on Phenobarbital or potassium bromide for life. And you will also have to do lab work every 6 months or once a year to check the levels for life.

there may be ups and downs till you get the meds "just right" for her.

there are many levels of seizures and also she may never have another one again and it could be just idiopathic :coffee:

Diagnostic wise you can go as far as having an MRI done to make sure there is nothing going on in the brain.. Or just ride it out.


…. Any toxins down, did you put any flea and tick meds on her, did you give her a flea or tick bath?
Click to expand...

Nope..no toxins have been given recently. She is over-due for her Frontline, and Heart Worm meds. I'm scared to give them to her right now. So far..no events have occured. I am hoping that it is just idiopathic, and will never happen again. My Vet said to keep notes, and to look at the gum color ASAP. If they're blue, she needs an echocardiogram. But she did say the heat sounded good, and the pulses corresponded. Labs are just fine too.
 
frequentflier

frequentflier

happy to be living
otter said:
The 3 times I've seen any of our dogs have problems with seizures, changing their diet stopped them. There are others here that can clue you in on quality dog foods..but I wouldn't rely on a vet's recommendation on food, a lot of times they have deals with certain brands.
Click to expand...

Roman feeds her pets good foods. She is one of my regulars :)
 
T

tipsymcgee

Active Member
what are the recommended dog foods? We do use Science Diet and Pedigree and have a beagle that's on bromide that has seizures once every three months or so. Wondering if changing to something healthier/more natural would help the seizures.
 
Roman

Roman

Active Member
Dog Food

tipsymcgee said:
what are the recommended dog foods? We do use Science Diet and Pedigree and have a beagle that's on bromide that has seizures once every three months or so. Wondering if changing to something healthier/more natural would help the seizures.
Click to expand...

Amazingly, my Vet didn't recomend any particular Food. But..she did say that foods that have "By-Porducts" in them, are NOT a good choice. When I told her that I had just started my Pup on Orijen, she said that was a good choice. There are no fillers, and no By Products in that Dry Food. So that is what Meat Ball is on now, and she LOVES it! I make Dog Food too. I got some of the Recipies from the Net. Meat Ball has been on the Orijen since she had her seizures. She's not on any medicine for them either, and hasn't had a seizure since.
 
tes218

tes218

New Member
Roman said:
Amazingly, my Vet didn't recomend any particular Food. But..she did say that foods that have "By-Porducts" in them, are NOT a good choice. When I told her that I had just started my Pup on Orijen, she said that was a good choice. There are no fillers, and no By Products in that Dry Food. So that is what Meat Ball is on now, and she LOVES it! I make Dog Food too. I got some of the Recipies from the Net. Meat Ball has been on the Orijen since she had her seizures. She's not on any medicine for them either, and hasn't had a seizure since.
Click to expand...

That's great! Hope she remains seizure free.
 
Lilypad

Lilypad

Well-Known Member
Roman said:
Amazingly, my Vet didn't recomend any particular Food. But..she did say that foods that have "By-Porducts" in them, are NOT a good choice. When I told her that I had just started my Pup on Orijen, she said that was a good choice. There are no fillers, and no By Products in that Dry Food. So that is what Meat Ball is on now, and she LOVES it! I make Dog Food too. I got some of the Recipies from the Net. Meat Ball has been on the Orijen since she had her seizures. She's not on any medicine for them either, and hasn't had a seizure since.
Click to expand...

Roman-check this out-Boston Terriers are prone to seizures, some maybe not all; but do some reading/research, it might help.

Seizures in Boston Terriers epilepsy

 
acommondisaster

acommondisaster

Active Member
I read the article about seizures with interest; my sister's vet told her not to talk to her lab while she was seizing, because she was concerned that the dog was trying to fight the seizure when she heard my sister's voice. My sister said from then on she just made sure the dog couldnt hurt herself and she felt like her dog recovered faster after the seizures.
 
Roman

Roman

Active Member
Dog

That's a good idea, and this is what I TRY to do when Meat Ball starts to have one. By the way...she had another short event Wednesday night. It lasted about 20 seconds. It seemed when I said something softly to her, she was done. My 21 year-old Mutt had seizures too. When she felt like she was going to have one, she'd jump in my lap, or lay at my feet and then proceed to Seize. So I think that if they are about ready to seize, they might be more comfortable with their Person near them. I'll have to ask my Vet about NOT talking to them during an event, and see what she has to say about it. Thank you for the advice.!
 
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