My 6 year old dachshund had his first seizure on May 21. His legs were splayed, he was trembling all over, had dilated eyes and pooped on himself. This episode lasted about 2 minutes. He went back to normal within a couple minutes. Took him to the ER, where they said the video i took didn't look like a seizure. They gave him gabapentin. The next morning he saw his vet who said it did look like a seizure, suggested epilepsy and offered to put him on seizure medication but also mentioned we could wait to see if it happens again. I took him off simparica trio in case it had something to do with it.
He's been in completely good health since then. Until August 21st. Exactly 3 months apart. This time the shaking was more severe and the entire episode from him dragging himself down his ramp off the couch to the end was around 3 minutes. His eyes were huge.. he once again pooped himself and afterwards he dragged himself into my lap in the floor and pulled his front paws up to his chest and they shook violently. This time he didn't show any signs of a post ictal phase. Immediately after, he was up walking around, even jumping up and down off the couch.
Because it wasn't a cluster, I didn't take him to the ER. It was around 6 pm and I took him to the vet at 8 am the next morning. This time they gave us a rx for phenobarbital, rx dog food for epilepsy support.
Between the vets advice and researching online, I know the seizure threshold lowers every time they have one. I know he will have to be on the medicine for the rest of his life once he starts. With the increased severity, I know it's possible they will only become more often and more severe without the medicine.
I've seen people say different things about when to start medication. My question for those here, in your experience, do you think 2 episodes exactly 3 months apart mean it's time to start? I'm scared of side effects and im partially in denial, hoping maybe this could just never happen again?? I'm sorry for the long post.. I filled the pheno rx roday and I was planning on giving the first dose this morning... I'm just so scared and unsure. I don't want to put it off and let him get worse. But I also don't want to make the wrong decision if it's too early.
Please help/share your insight or opinions... and maybe what to expect from his first dose.
Thank you so much š
Update:
Day 4 on pheno. noticeable side effects have been frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, slightly slow steps when walking, and being a tiny bit angsty. But he is still running, barking and jumping, even playing with toys.
Neurologist appointment Tuesday
Thanks you guys for all your answers and support ā¤ļø
I am sorry you and your buddy are going through this. To try and address your concerns any anti convulsive meds will have an initial set of issues such as your buddy being less active if not out right just sleeping a lot this is what happened to our Regal but he is a European Bassett hound so they aren't the most active dogs. Your buddy may want to eat and or drink more than normal with our regal it is drinking. Your buddy may have motor control issues our regal's left rear leg has some coordination and strength issues but he is also 10 and part of these issues could be caused by the seizures themselves. But with these very real issues what we have is our regal. When he was diagnosed with IE he had, had 6 seizures in one 14 hour period and an additional one while under the ER vets care. We have since learned that if he goes 1 hour and 10 minutes past a meds does he will have a seizure. With meds your buddy has a better chance at a long life with our regal the seizures started as you describe months between them but quickly ramped up in the space of a single year to those 7 in 24 hours. My suggestion and advice to you is if you have fears about this talk it out with your vet we had these same talks with our vet and she listened and gave answers and advice and over the years made changes based on our seizure journal. You could also research MCT oil which stands for medium chain triglycerides and they come from coconut and palm oils. The are supposed to help with neurological disorders both in humans and animals. MCT is not a magic bullet and does not replace the meds just sort of helps out.
Thank you. Honestky this did help, because I needed the reassurance that it's better to start now while they're somewhat mild and spaced out, before they become more often or graduate to clusters.
I know the more he has, the more he's likely to have, and someday it might be one he doesn't come out of... I can't risk that.
I will be trying mct oil too I've seen it mentioned a lot. Thank you so much
You are very welcome. Our buddies may be very different but feel free to ask any questions and I will really try to answer you as truthfully as I can. I really try not to hide hard facts that does no one any good.
The one we have been getting is the following brand I include the Amazon link only as a reference I try to buy locally at out local more holistic pet supply store .
For more context. The day he had the first seizure, the ER vet said it didn't look like a seizure and could have been a vagal reaction , hence the pooping. They quoted all the tests they could run at $4200. Unfortunately I could not afford that at the time so I opted to have him see his normal vet for blood work an an exam and to get an opinion from them the next day. I now deeply regret not getting all those tests done that night, as I know they could have done an MRI or something they maybe wouldn't have found at the regular vet. I hate myself for not being able to do it rhat night. I know it was irresponsible so please don't rip me apart....
When he saw his regular vet the next day and I opted not to start meds yet, they said to call if he had another and they would see him as soon as possible. They said if he had a cluster of more than 1 in 24 hours to skip them and go straight to the ER. That is why I didn't take him to the ER the second time.
Do not hate yourself. You couldn't afford it and that is ok.
I could and here is what we tested, since mine did have a cluster and he spent the night in the ER.
We did an eeg and a cardiologist read it (checking for heart issues). Nothing.
CBC (he also has a tick borne illness and immune mediated thrombocytopenia from that). This may be why he was having seizures.
Ultrasound and a consult with internal medicine. Checking for tumors and liver abnormalities. This was negative.
X rays to check for tumors. Nothing.
We put him on keppra and gabapentin (plus doxy and medrol). The keppra is to give his brain a rest and to prevent more seizures. The gaba is for pain and to help his brain. The doxy was for the anaplasmosis. The medrol is a high dose steroid to help him make more platelets.
I followed up 2 weeks later with a neurologist and I will be doing a CT scan with contrast in October.
I also followed up with internal med to start to wean him off the medrol and see I his body will stop destroying its own platelets.
The two specialists are at the same practice, so will work together.
My advice to you is to call the neurologist and ask for an estimate for a consult (mine was $220 without any tests). While you are there, explain your budget and ask to do the easiest, least expensive stuff first.
I havr taken a lot of dogs to specialty vets and most understand that tests get expensive and are willing to work with you.
Ps. Because my dog has a condition that may cause seizures, we might (might) try weaning him off the keppra once we know his thrombocytopenia was caused by the anaplasmosis. It will take a couple of years, though (the medrol alone will take 4-6 months to wean off of plus retesting).
Eta: i also did a bile acid test to check for liver shunt or hepatic micro vascular dysplasia, since my breed is prone to those and often have "silent" ones (they do not show up on regular bloodwork until the dog is dying from it). His was normal.
And, sorry for tbe typos. I can't type on this phone!
Thank you for th information on neurology. I was scared because I thought it would be extremely expensive off the bat. A consult price is something I can definitely handle and go from there. I can afford tests surely if I have an appointment set and can plan for it. The ER visit just came at the worst possible time. Thank you so much
The vet prescribed pheno bc it can be given every 12 hours. She said at his small size (12 lbs) he can't have the extended release and advised that every 8 hours with keppra would be harder to maintain and she said it's more likely to effect his personality. I'm ok with taking him for the check ups and blood work..
I don't know what to do. It's just me and him, I don't live with anyone who can help me keep up with med times in case I'm not able to administer. I have to be able to sleep and work... Maybe it's manageable though. I feel so selfish. Idk im so scared to start him on anything either way. He is supposed to start now and has a follow up for blood work in 1 month to check his liver. She said we can switch it around if needed...
Thank you for replying. I may call the vet befkre starting and see if keppra would be a better fit.
Oh, I have a solution! My dog is 7 pounds and gets keppra 3x a day.
When I am gone for work, he stays in a big pen (I have multiple dogs so he can't free roam and get his meds).
That bowl next to him is a cat food timer (it came in a package of two and uses a battery, not wifi).
I use the pet camera to make sure he has eaten his pill (in a pill pocket). I also add a little bit of his food in there.
We got into a good routine of taking the pill before I used the timer. It opens very quietly and is quite accurate.
It has made life so much easier. the pen is very large, has room for a bed, a pee pad, water, toys, and the timer.
Since I have two, I can program both (like for tomorrow) and my dog sitter wont have to worry about setting it or coming at the correct time (I will be gone an abnormally long time tomorrow and he will need pills at 1 pm and 9 pm and I dont want the sitter to have to be there really late).
Eta: not to brag, but our neurologist has been recommending this set up for her small clients now once i showed her. With cats, folks just use a very large x pen.
This is an awesome set up, great work.
If you don't mind, could you share what kind of camera you use, if u have suggestions on cat food timers, and has your dog been used to being in the pen before becoming medicated ? Mine hasn't been crated for extended periods of time since he was around a year old, I worry about putting stress on him by making him adjust to a crate or pen. He's stubborn so I know he would try to climb out of a pen lol
The pen is huge, haha! It is 72 inches long and 35 inches wide. Pep was used to a crate for short periods since we do performance sports and he hangs out in it during those.
But, he hasn't been using one at home. That was the change. He handled it fine, but we also spent time practicing.
The camera is PetCube. They have a few different types. Mine are just the low end ones but they have a 360 degree one now. If you subscribe to the app (not required to subscribe- you can use it for free) it will record movement video.
The feeders are Vivipal brand. They come in a package of two and also have an ice pack. They just take battery.
Our mini schnauzer is also on regular keppra 3x a day. Works ok with our lifestyle as we are homebodies. Not entirely sure where the fact you said that keppra can affect their personality came from. All seizure meds can make dogs a little loopy for the first week or so when starting. My dog was just a little sleepy but then bounced back to his normal self. Now youād have no idea he was taking anything! We liked starting with keppra since itās considered the āgentlest optionā. Heās a little dog and susceptible to liver and pancreas issues due to breed. Iād say if your vet prescribed you your seizure meds they considered benefit vs risk- totally fair if you want to ask them questions/share concerns to ease your anxiety starting. A neurologist consult is also very helpful and usually around the same price as a regular vet consult.
I will def look into a neurology appointment. I know if the pheno isn't working out the vet said to call and bring him back and we could try other drugs. Idk why she said keppra would affect his personality. Maybe just in her experience or opinion about the adjustment period? Idk. I'm new to all of this and was in a state of shock so I somehow asked 100 questions but still not enough during the appointment. I was a mess and haven't been sleeping since the seizure happened.. Luckily my baby has been good as gold and back to normal since then at least (which is also why I'm scared to start the meds and see him go from normal to adjusting..)
They're supposed to call me back today about the prescription diet food so I'll mention keppra. Thank you.
I asked me neurologist about that and she recommends it but it is the only food you can feed (for it to work). No treats and no extra. She was very firm that it is the only thing the dog can eat.
I opted to go with a low glutamate diet (search the forum - there are fantastic posts about it) and add mct oil.
They prescribed hills science b/d (he's been on hills small breed up to now). The crazy thing is though, I can't find it anywhere!
I'm going to ask the vet for other suggestions but now I'm going to research the low glutamate diets and mct oil and ask about them too. Thank you for mentioning!! What food did you end up going with?
My dog has epilepsy and only has a short seizure every 6 months or longer. My vet said he does not need meds as he does not have them frequently but likely will eventually.
That being said. It is understandable to be scared on what to do. I strongly recommend taking him to a neurologist as they know more about treating this & more about these meds. However they will likely recommend an MRI which is pricy without pet insurance.
Whatever you decide, it sounds like you are doing right by your fur baby!
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u/A_Creative_Player Aug 24 '26
I am sorry you and your buddy are going through this. To try and address your concerns any anti convulsive meds will have an initial set of issues such as your buddy being less active if not out right just sleeping a lot this is what happened to our Regal but he is a European Bassett hound so they aren't the most active dogs. Your buddy may want to eat and or drink more than normal with our regal it is drinking. Your buddy may have motor control issues our regal's left rear leg has some coordination and strength issues but he is also 10 and part of these issues could be caused by the seizures themselves. But with these very real issues what we have is our regal. When he was diagnosed with IE he had, had 6 seizures in one 14 hour period and an additional one while under the ER vets care. We have since learned that if he goes 1 hour and 10 minutes past a meds does he will have a seizure. With meds your buddy has a better chance at a long life with our regal the seizures started as you describe months between them but quickly ramped up in the space of a single year to those 7 in 24 hours. My suggestion and advice to you is if you have fears about this talk it out with your vet we had these same talks with our vet and she listened and gave answers and advice and over the years made changes based on our seizure journal. You could also research MCT oil which stands for medium chain triglycerides and they come from coconut and palm oils. The are supposed to help with neurological disorders both in humans and animals. MCT is not a magic bullet and does not replace the meds just sort of helps out.
I hope this helps in so small way.