Valium...

[teverheart2002]

For those who have had dogs that have cluster seizures, have you ever had to give the oral or rectal valium. I almost hate to see what comments are going to arise from this.

Bandit went through one ten minute seizure more or less. Came out of it, went outside and peed, came back in, promply went into another seizure, threw up, and started having a pretty heavy seizure which lasted off and on for probably good hour and a half. On a side note I can not believe that the only emergency vet is either Waldorf or Annapolis, that is horrible, and even worse when you have to drive 45 minutes with a dog seizing in the backseat. Of course, by the time we arrived at the emergency vet he was in the stage where he was stable, but could either go back into another seizure or come out of it. They gave him a shot of phenobarb, and he slept the night away.

Anyway, we have finally realized that phenobarb is now a daily requirement. And, so that we can be prepared if the next ones are the 2 hour cluster seizures, the only way to get control is the rectal valium, or orally if you can catch them after the first seizure. Has anyone ever had to give their dogs this??? Any words of wisdom?? TYIA

 

[cattitude]

What are you feeding him?

 

[virgovictoria]

Of course, by the time we arrived at the emergency vet he was in the stage where he was stable, but could either go back into another seizure or come out of it. They gave him a shot of phenobarb, and he slept the night away.

Anyway, we have finally realized that phenobarb is now a daily requirement. And, so that we can be prepared if the next ones are the 2 hour cluster seizures, the only way to get control is the rectal valium, or orally if you can catch them after the first seizure. Has anyone ever had to give their dogs this??? Any words of wisdom?? TYIA

Let me start by saying, to date, I have not had any pets experience seizures. It sounds frightening! And, although down the road you may want to look into diet and environmental triggers for reducing episodes, I suggest, if you don't already have one, you find a very loving and trusting veterinarian that you can seek advice from as well. He/she should be able to help you through some of the oral/anal administration issues if you make it through the weekend.

You prolly already know all of this... Just know that I feel for ya'!

 

[teverheart2002]

We are covering the food angle too, going to go shopping in the near future, or I'm going to start cooking for him. The stuff that we give them now is the cheap stuff only because they go through 50 lbs in 3 weeks. But we have realized that if we get him the expensive stuff it will save us the emergency room bill in the long run. (I figured out that the treats that he LOVES have BHA in them, which is one additive that can cause seizures too) Hindsight is always 20-20

 

[cattitude]

We are covering the food angle too, going to go shopping in the near future, or I'm going to start cooking for him. The stuff that we give them now is the cheap stuff only because they go through 50 lbs in 3 weeks. But we have realized that if we get him the expensive stuff it will save us the emergency room bill in the long run. (I figured out that the treats that he LOVES have BHA in them, which is one additive that can cause seizures too) Hindsight is always 20-20

The reason I ask is because our Golden started with seizures at about age 2 and the continued until he was about 5 or so. Vet wanted to put him on phenobarbitol, which I did, but he was a zombie. I started reading about epilepsy in dogs. I changed up his food and he never had another seizure. Same with my lab, Bubba. He didn't get them as bad as the Golden. But once I made a food switch, seizures have been non-existent.

Good luck, it's a scary thing.

 

[teverheart2002]

What do you use for dog food??

 

[cattitude]

What do you use for dog food??

I use California Natural. But I didn't use that for the other dogs, I've become more of a nut in my old age. The lady at Clippers Canine Cafe is very good with nutrition. I'd take a run over there and talk to her and see what she recommends. You want to stay away from the preservatives and certain "crap" ingredients that can trigger the seizures. It's been a while and I can't remember specifics.

 

[teverheart2002]

I use California Natural. But I didn't use that for the other dogs, I've become more of a nut in my old age. The lady at Clippers Canine Cafe is very good with nutrition. I'd take a run over there and talk to her and see what she recommends. You want to stay away from the preservatives and certain "crap" ingredients that can trigger the seizures. It's been a while and I can't remember specifics.

We'll look her up. I now have a website that lists some triggers for seizures. Basically anything in and around their environment can cause a seizure I knew that there were some additives in their dog food that could cause them, but I think last night made us true believers that there has to be some changes in our household.

 

[flashyfawn]

My old boxer had bad seizures starting when he was just over a year until the time he died, when he was 10. We finally got them under control but never totally eliminated them. The vet gave him valium a couple of times because that was the only way to get him to stop but it wasn't something that I kept on hand. We got his under control by giving him phenobarb 3 times a day and potassium bromide twice a day. It took a while to find the dosage that worked, especially when he was young and still growing.

He ended up being on a very high dose but it cut both the intensity and frequency of his seizures so it was worth it. I had a foster dog who had seizures (also a boxer) and all she needed was potassium bromide once a day and hers were totally under control, so it just depends on the dog.

I second the suggestion of Clippers. In my boxer's case, switching food didn't really seem to make a difference but I think there is a lot more known about dog nutrition now. He did end up with liver problems from the medicine but no other issues, and without the medicine I think he would have had seizures constantly. However, some dogs can have more problems with the meds than he did so you have to do the research and decide what is right for your situation. Good luck!

 

[teverheart2002]

Thanks for all the comments and ideas. We are looking at the all natural dog food, but one thing that I want to be careful of is the herbs also. On the seizure website that I was looking into said that Rosemary can also cause seizures, which I noticed in some of the healthy dog foods found online. Like I said above, almost anything and everything in his environment can possibly cause a seizure. Kind-of a never ending puzzle.

I'm calling my vet on Monday back in OK to see if he will prescribe the valium. I can not go through another 2 hour episode. And the vet in Waldorf wasn't too impressive. Nice, but not impressed. He also gets stressed out big time if he is kenneled at all, just ask Appy, so I know that keeping him overnight at the vets is never an option.

 

[MysticalMom]

How is he this morning Tever?

 

[teverheart2002]

How is he this morning Tever?

Thanks for asking

Still not himself. He is extemely clingy to the both of us, but especially dad. He is a daddy's boy. He also is whiny and gets overly excited by the smallest thing. The whiny thing we have noticed before when he is going to have a seizure, the clingy thing we have noticed usually after his seizures. I am hoping it is him getting used to the phenobarb that we started on a daily basis yesterday. We'll see. He usually doesn't have seizures back to back, but we never had to go through a two hour episode either. Time will tell.

 

[remaxrealtor]

Thanks for asking

Still not himself. He is extemely clingy to the both of us, but especially dad. He is a daddy's boy. He also is whiny and gets overly excited by the smallest thing. The whiny thing we have noticed before when he is going to have a seizure, the clingy thing we have noticed usually after his seizures. I am hoping it is him getting used to the phenobarb that we started on a daily basis yesterday. We'll see. He usually doesn't have seizures back to back, but we never had to go through a two hour episode either. Time will tell.

I'm soooooo sorry to hear you're going through this! Jack has been through the same issues. We took her off the Pheno and (fingers crossed) things are going well. It's so hard to see them go through that! The doggie valium never worked for us. We've tried it on a 4 hour trip and she was finally calmed down as we pulled into the driveway . I hope it works out well and SOON!