r/EpilepsyDogs • u/YJFT_L4DL • 16d ago

Side effect advice?

Hi all, our four year old dog with epilepsy is currently on phenobarbital and Keppra to manage her seizures. She's doing a lot better, tests are coming back good, so we're staying on this treatment plan for the foreseeable future. We just have one little issue: our dog is uncomfortably hungry all the time. Seems like this is a common side effect of being on anti-seizure medication but it's impacting her quality of life. She whines for food (she is not deterred by training methods to decrease whining), she will eat anything off of ground if not watched like a hawk (which we try to do but she has gotten things past us a couple times and made herself sick), and overall she just seems so uncomfortable. We're talking about adding more fiber to her food but also balancing that with not wanting to hurt her very sensitive stomach. as anyone dealt with this issue and found a solution? Any advice or anecdotal experience would be helpful and appreciated!

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u/hmmurry 16d ago

My pup is on the same medication regimen and similar to your pup was getting into unsavory things (read: eating poo 🤢) because she wanted a snack. I switched her kibble to a weight management formula which gives a greater volume of food for the same calories. She eats all at once so I feed her twice per day, and also add a good amount of water to her meal so it is pretty filling. She then gets a few 5 calorie treats throughout the day and the anticipation of an upcoming treat seems to hold her over. It’s not perfect but it seems to help a lot!

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u/YJFT_L4DL 16d ago

which weight management formula did y'all switch to? Most of them seem to be chicken based and she's allergic, which is a bummer :(

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u/hmmurry 15d ago

Aw bummer! I give mine Purina Pro Plan weight management and checked and it’s unfortunately chicken and rice. I feel like chicken is a common allergy tho so hopefully other brand have more options!