my chuhua has epilepsy have you any advice?

Question

after she,s had a siezure she,s all weak shes already been diagnosed by a vet and given medicine but this was before i had her i bought more medicine but i find it makes her worse she only has siezures when shes stressed out some are worse than others but she had a bad one today and i thought she was going to die. is there any one out there who has an epeleptic dog to give me advice on the best thing to do after a siezure.......................should i give her somethink sweet or aviod it

Answer 1

If the vet diagnosed her before you had her, take her to your vet and have them fix her dosage. With the wrong dosage your dog will be worse, not better. Here's a site with lots of information about epilepsy. If you visit their Memorial page you'll need several boxes of tissue. I know I did.
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Resources.html

Answer 2

If its epilepsy then giving her something sweet won't make much difference - that works for diabetic seizures. Its quite normal for her to be weak and disorientated after the seizure. Keep her in a warm, quiet and reasonably dark room until she recovers. Offer water but no food in case she has another seizure. If she is still really disorientated after an hour or two, call your vet. Stay with her if you can to make sure that she doesn't come to any harm. During the seizure itself, stay with her and clear the area around her so she doesn't hit herself on anything. If she is right against a wall, then maybe a blanket between her head and the wall to cusion it a bit. Don't try to move her or anything and keep the area quiet and dark if you can - this is to prevent a sensation overload.
You say that the medication made her worse - do you mean the seizures or just that it made her really dopey and sleepy? If you are concerned about her medication, then take her to the vet and discuss it with the vet. Don't just stop the medication as that could cause more fits.
If she is on medication and still having seizures, even if the dose is quite high, then ask the vet if it could be anything else. I doubt it is the same, but my last dog was misdiagnosed with epilepsy, the medication didn't stop them at all despite large doses; we eventually found she had a brain tumour after a second opinion. I doubt its the same, but if the mediaction has little or no effect on the seizures, then ask the vet if it could be anything else, or if you are unhappy about the treatment, get a second opinion.
I hope this helps, but don't let my experiance scare you, but if you are concerned about the seizures and the medication she is on, then go and see your vet and discuss everything with him - they will be more than happy to talk to you.

Answer 3

Hi, I have a peekigness that has this problem, here is what they have him on
Phenobarbital 5 grains (not grams)

He does still have a seisure once in a while, when he does i put him in the chair and try to keep him calm, and let him know that im there. She most likley had a grandmal siezure this is very scary the wole body shakes violently. I suggest that you call your vet and take her in again. if she is only having them once in a while they wwill not change her medication, because its not real good on the liver, however if it if frequent like more than 1 time a week they will likly up her meds. What ever is triggering this, try to keep it from happening, you said she was getting excited - try to keep her calm. Do not give her anything sweet, sweets are bad for dogs, any human food is bad for dogs, you can give her a treat but i dont know, that that will do any good. Basicly the best thing you can do is keep her as calm as possbile, let her know you are there. Talk to your vet also. If you want to email me feel free my email is [e-mail] good luck.

Answer 4

POTASSIUM BROMIDE (KBr)



Potassium Bromide (abbreviated as KBr) is often considered the first choice drug for any dogs with idiopathic epilepsy, and because it has no effect on the liver, is often chosen for dogs with liver damage. Unlike Phenobarbital (Pb), which is processed by the liver, bromide works by replacing chloride throughout the body, is stored in body fluids and eliminated unchanged by the kidneys. However, where Phenobarbital is effective almost immediately, Kbr can take up to three or four months to reach its full effect. A loading dose may be necessary for dogs with frequent seizures or when Phenobarbital must be withdrawn rapidly because of liver disease.
Sometimes KBr and Pb are used together. For those dogs with epilepsy whose seizures are not well controlled by Pb alone, the addition of bromide can greatly improve seizure control. This often allows either a decrease or total withdrawal of Phenobarbital.

There are actually two kinds of bromide -- potassium bromide and sodium bromide -- and both are equally effective at controlling seizures. Compounded with either potassium or sodium, the bromide controls the seizures. Potassium bromide is preferred when sodium intake must be restricted (e.g., congestive heart failure). Sodium bromide is preferred when potassium intake must be restricted (e.g., hyperadrenocorticism).







For more information on this subject please log onto the link below.



http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/potassium_bromide.htm

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Answer 5

this is not usually known with chihuahua's if she is still having them after medication, she is not controlled, you need to go back and explain everything to your vet, if your not happy with answer try a different vet.

Regarding what to do, there is very little, make sure she is in a safe place when they occur, if not once they occur move things so it is safe, be there when she comes out of it, time the seizures, so you can take them along to the vet, when she comes room give her lot to tlc, and let here sleep it of. When she is having them talk to her, she might be able to hear you even though it looks like she can't.
Hope this helps. Good luck, fingers crossed your vet finds a happy medium with medication that controls this.

Answer 6

I am sorry your chihuahua is having seizures. I had a chi with seizures but it was because she had hydrocephalus(water on the brain). You should try to keep her at home as much as possible because being in her own environment will help keep her from being stressed out. . You need to talk with your own vet about it if you haven't already and you need to keep her on her meds even if you think they are not doing any good. Giving her sweets will not help if it is epilepsy. Giving something sweet is for hypoglycemia(low blood sugar). That has no connection to epilepsy. Good luck with your dog.

Answer 7

you MUST talk to the vet about it, get the appropriate meds, have liver tests done etc. If one type of med' isn't working then you may need to up the dose or try a combination of meds. From experience with a severely epileptic collie, your vet is the person you need to be talking to. The doses also need to be absolutely spot on time. They need to be spaced apart and given right on time. Kip was on 65mg phenpbarbitone. One pill at 8am, one at 4pm and another at midnight. If I was half an hour late on any of them, he would fit. I lost him in the ned to a brain haemmorhage from a massive fit.
You must also ensure she is promptly treated for any infections and kept cool in hot weather as a raised temperature will also induce a fit. It is complicated at first getting to grips with a dose to stabilise her and learning about what might set her off but it can be done, but only with close cooperation between you and your vet.

Answer 8

i too have an epilectic dog, she,s an affenpinscher,aged 10,i have learned to live with it. she does,nt suffer any ill effects after she has come out of the fit, it,s actually more stressful for the person watching the fit than the dog going through it. i also find Denes scullcap and valerian very helpful. its a herbal remedy. so wont damage the liver unlike prolonged use of phenobarbitone. which is the most common drug used for fitting dogs.

Answer 9

She might need a different medicine. Just like medicines that work for some people don't work for others...i'm sure dogs are the same way. I would call the vet and see what he/she thinks.

Answer 10

hello... I have a 15 year old dog who has seizures..and as he ages they have gotten somewhat worse(longer) but all this time without medicine...I see you wrote you give your dog sweets ....hopefully it isn't chocolate. Chocolate will kill your dog same as beer, alcohol, onions. NO CHOCOLATE,NO ONIONS
chocolate will worsen seizures. The natural body reaction after a seizure is exhaustion, heavy panting wanting to sleep...this is all natural...... but the set behaviour before a seizure is different for every dog....it is up to you to figure it out...it took me almost 3 years to know my dogs set behaviour. I hope my experience has helped answer some of the unknown for you...and good luck and many happy walks to you and your pup :o)