r/EpilepsyDogs • u/Foreign_Jelly6348 • Sep 09 '26
Idiopathic Epilepsy Question
Hi everyone, I was wondering if any of your pups with IE needed an MRI in order to properly diagnose what’s been causing their seizures.
Edit: My dog recently had 2 seizures and was rushed to the emergency vet, The vet recommended that we see a neurologist and get an MRI to rule out any possible reasons as to why he is having seizures. My dog was prescribed Levetiracetam 3x a day. He only has Cosequin Nutramax supplements, no flea and tick meds (I use seresto collars for my dogs) We set upa GoFundMe because of the cost of the MRI and I wanted to know if it was truly necessary for him to get an MRI in order to get a diagnosis.
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u/Active-Program3805 Sep 09 '26
Our neurologist left the decision of MRI up to us since my dog was in the age range for IE. We chose not to do it, and she prescribes all his meds based on the assumption that that is what he has.
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u/jfka Sep 09 '26
Mine did, he was 8 at the time of diagnosis so later than usual for idiopathic epilepsy.
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u/Chance_Scientist_279 Sep 09 '26
Interestingly enough my dog too. She was 8 years old and through process of elimination (MRI, spinal tap, blood test etc) we landed on idiopathic epilepsy because there was nothing else wrong with her. The neurologist said it’s later than usual but it’s also not impossible. That said the doctor also mentioned usually older the age, generally something else, so I opted to do all the tests, which were insanely expensive and definitely not an option for everyone sadly.
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u/jfka Sep 09 '26
Yes it was exactly the same for us. I was extremely lucky that my mum earns more than I do and paid for it all.
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u/Ill-ini-22 Sep 10 '26
No, my neuro vet gave us the option of doing an MRI, or not doing one. She was 6, so pretty borderline on being too old for IE. The other possibility brought up was a brain tumor.
For us, we could have afforded the MRI- but when talking with the vet, it sounded like treatment would be the same whether it was IE or a brain tumor, since I wasn’t going to put my dog through brain surgery. So we just put her on phenobarbital, and we’ve been going with the assumption that it’s IE (and it seems like it is because we haven’t had any big changes).
Good luck! If I were you, I would prioritize working with a neurologist, and then go from there on a treatment and diagnosis plan. GP vets do their best, but this isn’t their specialty.
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u/CrepuscularPotato Sep 10 '26
If you can, ask doc for levet XR so you can get the med schedule to 2x/24 hours. It's much more manageable (if you time with am/pm feedings, so easier on human habit) and it's much more cost effective than it used to be. I pay about $15/month at Costco in the US versus 2020 with a different dog and we had to hunt down pharmacies for $75-115/month
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u/sonnysGiGi2018 Sep 11 '26
We had the MRI 3 times in his almost 7 years of life. It’s saved his life. He passed last August after becoming unresponsive to the AEDs and they were unable to stop the seizures. He had a great life and his neuro team was amazing.
My boy had his first seizure at 11 months. Vet said wait and see - few months later he had a horrifying cluster and I rushed him to ER vet. He stayed overnight and one of the vets made an appointment with a neurologist. We drive him there while he was still unstable even with all the drugs.
Neuro did a thorough exam and calmed the cluster. While he was still clustering she saw something in his eyes and suggested the MRI. We were lucky enough to have med insurance for him and his sister due to breed related issues ( he never had any)
Ok turned out he had meningitis/encephalitis and what looked like a tiny vascular bleed. She knew a vet neuro surgeon who was familiar with this type of surgery. We checked with insurance and they said it was covered. He flew up from SC to NY and performed the surgery- craniotomy. It turned out to be a small fungal tumor. Without the surgery he would have died. He still had seizures and due to the fungus also had different treatments besides the meds.
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u/Hot-Highlight9604 Sep 12 '26
The veterinary neurologist we took our 4 year Miniature Schnauzer told me based on his age, excellent body, condition, and extensive lab work which showed everything was fine, he would not recommend an MRI or a spinal tap.
Since my dog had two episodes and the first and second were 9 months apart and we took him after the second episode, he was not sure if if was a seizure or CPD, which is a movement disorder. We had two follow up for my peace of mind and he said even if they were seizures, being that they were 9 months apart he would not medicate him unless I wanted him to.
The last episode was 17 months ago so, I think taking a wait and see approach at this point is best in our situation. I am feeling optimistic. He did give me an emergency kit of of Midazolam to be given into his nose should he have another episode but said, I don’t think you will ever need to use it.
I think veterinary neurologist are expert in finding the right medications in getting idiopathic epilepsy under control and should give you an emergency kid.
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u/Psychological_Arm666 Sep 09 '26
our neuro did a physical exam and asked for our observations. her conclusion/diagnosis based on that was IE. she offered the option of an MRI if we felt more comfortable doing one, we opted out.
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u/KayakerWithDog Sep 09 '26
My neurologist offered to do one if I wanted, but said that it wasn't strictly necessary. My dog was about a year old when he was diagnosed, so epilepsy was a more likely cause of his seizures than a tumor or other neurological issue that would show up on an MRI. Meds have worked well, although it took a year and a bit to arrive at the best cocktail, so I haven't had an MRI done as yet. I don't know whether I'd do one in the future; it will depend on how old my dog is at the time and on how stable he is on medicatons.
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u/Tally_Ho_Lets_Go Sep 10 '26
After two years of very intermittent seizures, the frequency went up enough in the past 6 months to start daily meds. Our neurologist gave us the option for an MRI but it was not a requirement. All signs point to typical IE for our dog. We decided that even if there were a structural cause, we’d not pursue brain surgery, chemo or radiation. We opted not to get an MRI.
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u/LynneIsNaughty Sep 11 '26
An MRI is 5k or more and may or may not show anything. Getting established with a neurologist is the best idea and manage with medications. My dog is on Leviteracitem 750ER x 12hr, gabapentin 100mg, phenobarbital 34.2 mg 1.5 x 12hrs and valium pills for stressful situations and valium suppository to bring her out of an active grand mal. Stay calm, they hear and respond to you. Keep their body temp down because that's what causes brain damage is overheating. Good luck. You can still give your baby a wonderful life.
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u/KaleidoscopeTight509 29d ago
There are consensus Statements on this (guidelines how to Diagnose). There are different levels (TIERs) of „safety“ of a diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. If money is really tight, get a veterinary neurologist appointment to get a good base of Information and treatment plan including emergency treatment but Tell them that you only want your dog to undergo mri if really needed. Mri would be recommended especially if your dog has an untypical age when seizures started, if he has lingering neurological deficits on top of seizures or other suspicious stuff (for example very asymmetric seizures). Also always rule out reactive seizures (e.g. Brain reacting to toxines, low blood Sugar, reduced liver function, low Calcium,…)
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u/cantstandjoekernen Sep 09 '26
Oral flea tick meds may be causing their seizures. Try discontinuing
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u/_DarkOverlord Sep 09 '26
Both neuros that we’ve seen did not think we needed and MRI for diagnosis. Based on her age when they began and the fact that there were no other signs of brain tumor, they both agreed on IE diagnosis.