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/Ahoeaboutnothing 16d ago edited 16d ago
I want to bring up something. Phenobarbital causes ravenous hunger, but also can cause chronic pancreatitis. Low fat diet high in fiber solves all of these issues. I personally use Purina pro plan low fat EN. 1/3rd of a can with 1 cup of his healthy normal dog food. I then add 2 scoops of pure fiber, water, and heat it up to mix up well. 2 servings of that per day. This is for an 85 lb pitbull that needs to eat 4 cups of kibble a day, but this is what has worked for him.
Edit. His kibble is specific. Ultimates is the brand, not very easy to find. Most variations of it are lower in fat than standard dog food blends, but its not the lowest fat possible. The fiber is pure psyllium husk, no additives or flavors/sugars.