Should you medicate a dog that has epilepsy? He fits once or twice a month ? I heard medication can be harmful

Question

I've heard there is medication to stop epilepsy, however side effects I believe are damage to the liver and kidneys so is it worth it?

Answer 1

err.. have you taken the dog to a vet? there can be a few things that cause dogs to have fits - epilepsy is just one of them.
if he hasnt been to a vet, he needs to go right away.

after the vet sees him, they will tell you if it is best for the dog to go on medication or not.

dont go by what youve "heard". at this stage, you have no idea if its "worth it" or not.

get your dog seen to properly, and on appropriate treatment if necessary!
.

Answer 2

Hi Jezza! I am a RN, who also had a Border Collie with
epilepsy. She seized anytime and anywhere...without medication, your dog could seizure a small amount, and only have mild seizures. HOWEVER, your dog could also seizure for hours, a very dangerous and life-threatening situation, called "Status Epilepticus" (Look it up!), and, if she lives, could end up blind or paralyzed for the rest of her life!
This is a real "Illness", just like any other, and wishing will not make it go away! Just like wishing won't cure diabetes or
cancer!! Be a responsible pet owner,...give her the medication that is ordered for her, BUT, make yourself knowledgable about the med completely---look up why it is used, (what is the expected result), and what side effects to watch for, if she is allegic to it, or just 'sensitive' to it, it still might be the best med for her---in that case, there are many things that can be done. The dose could be lowered, so she wouldn't show side effects, and just be given in more doses
over a longer time.(Example: Usual dose is 20 mg. once a day.But, your dog has vomiting after that pill. So, decrease the dose to 5 mg., but give it 4 times a day. Lower dose will
probably not cause vomiting, and she will still get a total of 20 mg./day.)
Please remember...any animal that you decide you want as
your lifelong buddy, is TOTALLY DEPENDENT on you for ALL her needs!! She can't call the Vet herself...she can't fill her water bowl...she can't pull the ticks off herself...she especially cannot open the back door and use 'her' toilet!
SOOOOO, you can't get mad when she messes in the house!
You probably got a dog because of that wonderful "unconditional" and total love that we get from our
animals....Show her that you deserve it!
Good luck!!
animal lover from birth

Answer 3

I've personally known several dogs with epilepsy that were taking meds and did fine. The seizures were managed and were rare. But it depends on the severity of the epilepsy and if there is an underlying cause. One was a yellow Lab that was 10 last I saw him. He was a healthy happy dog.

Seizures are not always epilepsy. You have to talk to your vet. Seizures sometimes are a symptom of something wrong, that can be fixed.

Answer 4

This one I'm not sure about, but I would do some research on how damaging a seizure is. If it not too dangerous and the seizures aren't that bad, maybe the side effects would not be worth it. Also, do some research to see if there are some natural ways to help. If he is only seizing once or twice a month, it may be controllable by other methods. I would hold off on the meds until you can do some homework and weigh the options.

Answer 5

Advil can harm your liver & kidneys too.. ALL medications can have side effects thats why you need perscriptions to get many of them. Usually many side effects can be advoided with care. I occasionally dogsat for an epleptic dog who was on eplepsy meds for 5-6 years, compeated to the national torniment finalist levels while on the eplepsy meds, was retired due to fading eyesight but lived to be a VERY old dog. A good outcome from the meds is MORE likely that the opposite.

Answer 6

Being that this is such a case sensitive subject you really need to spend the money and go to several different vets and get their PROFESIONAL oppinon. Some dogs do just fine with out medication and other not so well and seize every day. Its worth it to disscuss it with your vet or several vets and see what kind of a solution you guys can come up with for you baby. Think about the quality of life your pet will have, and what effect phenolbabitols can have on him.
Sorry you baby has this problem. Hope you find a solution for him.

Answer 7

i do believe dogs are over-vaccinated and over-medicated these days ... i agree with the puppy shots to establish antibodies and immunity but i do not agree with yearly shots ... my pup had his puppy shots and he will get the one year booster and no more ... it has been proven that dogs do not need a rabies shot every single year but some places i have heard make that law !!! that would be a law i would break ... my last dog had her rabies shot and seven years later (no other shots in the meantime) i had rabies titer testing done which showed she still had enough antibodies to fight rabies in spite of not being vaccinated in over seven years ... and monthly de-wormers, what a giant scam that is ... unless there are places somewhere in the world that worms are that prevalent maybe, but in my lifetime i have never had a dog with worms, none of my friends dogs ever had worms and none of these dogs were ever on a monthly de-wormer (de-wormed as a pup is fine as i understand the need for it then) ... and then there is the monthly heartworm preventative ... now i can see this could be fine for people where heartworm is prevalent but the reality is heartworm is not prevalent everywhere ... my vet wanted to do a blood test before putting my dog on heartworm prevention ... just randomly i asked him about the prevalence of heartworm were we live and he admitted that heartworms were not an issue where i live but if i were to travel my dog would be protected ... so i declined and said when i am going to travel i will let you know ... i feel bad for people who go to the vet and think every word that comes out of their mouth is the gospel and i do think dogs are way over-vaccinated and over-medicated ...

Answer 8

one of my American pit has serious epilepsy, she was on phenobarbital for quite some time then i found a vet that believes less meds are better and this is what he had me do, She is on a strict wheat,corn, gluten free diet she takes vitamin b12, fish oil,yucca,vitamin c and she gets half a banana every day. since she has been off her meds and on this diet there hasn't been a seizure in 6 months. I wouldn't pull your dog off meds though without your vets approval though. find an holistic vet

Answer 9

This is a good site to learn from and it discusses different types of meds used to treat seizures and their effects

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

Answer 10

please take your dog to the vet, i had a collie years ago whom had epilepsy and wasnt medicated he never reached the age of 4 because of our lake of knowledge or ignorance, only one who can give you the correct life saving answers is your vet.