Anyone know anything about dogs with seizures/neurological problems?

Question

My dog started seizing (or at least what seemed to be seizing) a little over a month ago. All the sudden his head started shaking but none of his extremities.. So, I took him to the ER and they put him on seizure watch for the night. He was prescribed phenobarbetol (sp?) However, he did not seize at all for weeks, and the medication made him pee in the house so we took him off of it (with the doctor's permission) thinking that maybe the seizure was a one time thing. But tonight he started again.. Same thing.. His head shakes uncontrollably for a few seconds (I counted a few different ones ranging from 3-18 seconds) but it's always just his head. He also seems aware while this is happening.. Does anyone know what this could be? We are really starting to think it could be something neurological.. Were planning on taking him to the vet this week but I figured I'd ask here just for my own curiosity. My worst fear would be a brain tumor or something like that. Please let me know!

Answer 1

i know it could be a birth defect, or poisoning, or my grandparents bought a poodle in france and the people had starved her to keep her small to sell her as a toy- and that caused brain damage- so she was epilleptic. im sure there are other reasons, but those are the ones i know of.

Answer 2

I had a dog who was epileptic from the age of 12 weeks until she died at age 13.No cause was ever found,as is the case in most dogs.My dog took phenobarbital,too,and it made her drink a lot,which of course makes them pee more.What you can do is ask your vet just how much water he needs in a 24 hour period,and limit his water intake to that amount,unless it gets very hot.

As for the epilepsy being neurological,it IS a neurological problem,no matter what the cause is.My dog was fully aware when she had a seizure,as she would respond to her name and look at me.She never lost consciousness and never lost control of her bladder or bowels.As she grew older,she had to go on a second medication,potassium bromide,which really helped her and is very cheap.Also I had to inject her with Valium at home when she would have a very bad or prolonged seizure.In spite of this,she had a very good life,and was a happy dog,and as she entered her senior years,the seizures became less frequent and less severe.

I think that because the phenobarbital worked for your dog,that it's probably not a brain tumor,but is just idiopathic epilepsy,and if you put him back on it,he will probably live a relatively normal life.

Answer 3

How old is he? In young animals it is usually epilepsy. In older animals it is usually brain related. Some animals actually seize from neurotoxins found in flea preventatives. Advantix is the worst one for this that I have seen come into the clinic.

You need to keep the dog on antiseizure meds. Everytime he has a seizure some brain cells die. If it continues, he will eventually become ataxic.

Answer 4

i was always told once a dog is diagnosed with seizures to never take him off his meds (common meds are phenobarbital and potassium bromide) because they will get worse. id talk to your doctor about putting him back on meds and trying to make accommodation for him and your carpet as far as the peeing goes.

Answer 5

this kind of happened to my dog.. he started having seizures and he is currently on phenobarbritol (i cant spell it either ) and it just made him really hungry all the time. i would put him back on the medicine..the head thing happens to Sandy too

Answer 6

My sisters dog has epilepsy and is on meds for the rest of his life. He still gets them, but not as frequent( he has had to have his meds upped though).
Good Luck!

Answer 7

I'm so sorry about your dog. Your vet is going to have to do more testing to find out exactly what it is but please don't wait too long where he could be in pain. I wish the best of health to him.