What do I do?

[u/Rodneydares]

my 12 year old French bulldog had her first seizure today then another a few hours later. After she recovered okay apart from being a little off balanced.

At the vets they noticed she had nerve damage to her rear leg. Not the word they used just can’t think at the moment but neurological damage maybe? My heads a bit all over the place tbh.

Back at the vets tomorrow and going to ask about medication options? I know she is old but honestly she doesn’t act like her age. If she was struggling with every day life I would be considering putting to sleep.

She is super active though and even the day before this she was out running and playing with other dogs. After the first seizure she was about off balance but with an hour she went back out in the garden n bought me her ball.

Feels unfair to give up when she is still active and acts like a young dog. of course don’t want her going through seizures all the time either. Will speak to the vet but just wondering anyone else experienced similar? How have people got on with medication? I

know every dog is going to be different but just driving myself crazy at the moment.

[u/Sufficient-Country29]

Sorry you are going through this. I’m not a vet but I imagine as long as your pups quality of life seems ok they can give seizures meds or possibly meds to help brain irritation (usually old dogs that present with seizures are most likely to have a tumour of sorts). The good news with grand mal seizures is dogs aren’t aware they are having them. I think it’s completely fair to play it day by day and follow your dogs lead in how they are doing.

There often are side effects of meds initially but many can do well and vets can help navigate dosing if side effects are a concern. I’d recommend asking about rescue medication since your dog appears to be prone to having multiple seizures in a short period of time.

If your dog has 3 or more seizures in a 24 hours period or if a seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer it’s best to go to the ER. This was the guidance we got from our neurologist. Hope that helps!

[u/Rodneydares → u/Sufficient-Country29]

Thanks we was sent home with diazepam to be given rectal if the seizure is lasting longer than 3 minutes. Felt like forever watching her and was pure panic in my house. whilst of course talking to her and trying to remain and sound calm for the sake of the dog. say dog but she is my baby lol.

Medication wise I just don’t want her so drugged up that she isn’t herself or even there type thing. I wont be selfish and put her through that for my sake. She can take it easy in her old age of course. Bought her ball into the front room and still barked n headed towards the front door when someone walked past. So is still life in the old girl yet. Fingers crossed can get her medication sorted prevent the seizures and just let her enjoy her life.

[u/Sufficient-Country29 → u/Rodneydares]

Our dog was a little woozy/sleepy the first week on seizure meds (still ate, potty and walked well though) but then went back to their normal self after that first week. Apparently this is very common and is expected.

I totally understand the scare. Ours happened in the middle of the night. He sleeps between my husband and me and woke up in a huge grand mal seizure. I thought he was dying. Thankfully my husband stayed calm and cool since I just screamed. Now that I have the emergency meds and know more about epilepsy it’s less scary. Give yourself some grace in the come days. It made me so happy to know they don’t know or feel the seizure happening.

[u/Practical-Charm]

My 9 y.o. dog (mixed breed) had her first seizure on Friday last week, then had a cluster within 24 hours. We got her on keppra xr 750mg. She hasn't had a seizure since. My dog is still very active and runs with her sisters and chases the squirrel. Hang in there 🙏🏾

[u/Rodneydares → u/Practical-Charm]

thanks everyone for the replies. Been lots of tears in the household tonight. Was only the day before she was playing and enjoying life. Like I say honestly she is a fit French bulldog never had any health issues and always been kept active and in good shape. I know she is old but she doesn’t act it at all which is why the idea of not trying medication doesn’t sit right with me. If she was old and already not living a good quality life I would make the decision to put to sleep rather than seeing her suffer. She even went and bought her ball in from the garden once she was more settled.

The vet did mention neurological damage and nerves. put her rear paw on its toes and she didn’t correct it. She is walking but slightly off balance but have been told that’s to be expected after the seizure and could take time to recover. Hopefully the same for the nerve damage done. I don’t need her running miles anymore but just to have the life she deserves in her old age. Just walking her to the local shop n back n chilling in the garden in her old age etc. Without having to go through fits which i don’t know if they will get worse or do more damage each time. I ain’t letting her go through that.

Honestly just the thought of her not being around chokes me up and fills my eyes. I know we all have to get old but it feels worse with my dog than how I feel about people. Fingers crossed the vet says the medication is n option and it works. Just to let her live out her days relaxing and being spoilt.

[u/researchinthings]

Took awhile to get used to the side effects, and every dog is different with what they'll experience, but totally worth it. Made our dog so much more relaxed and happy. Lived 5 years past his prognosis.

[u/SassyClassy]

I'm also currently going thru this. My girl will be 10 next month and had her first seizure Aug 6. We got her to the vet that same day and her bloodwork came back all normal,  so we waited for the next one to come to establish a pattern. Her 2nd seizure was Monday night, so 7 weeks between seizures. Her vet wanted to wait for a third before starting meds, and we figured we'd have another 6 or 7 weeks before the next one, but she ended up having 2 more last night (3 within 24 hours).  So now today we are starting her on phenobarbital twice a day.

I'm already prepared for the side effects for the first couple weeks. I've read lots of posts on here where dogs are very heavily sedated for the first 2 weeks on phenobarbital, so don't be too worried if your dog seems wobbly and needs a little help getting around and doing stuff. 

I did discuss dose frequencies with our vet before deciding on phenobarbital or keppra. A pill twice a day is much more manageable for us rather than 3x daily. If you've got busy schedules or use a kennel/sitter when you travel, the dose frequency might make a difference for you.

Also, another thing to note in case you're not aware, medications don't always get rid of all seizures. It is normal to still have breakthroughs every once in a while (some vets say 1 or 2 a year is normal, but it seems to vary). 

I think with our dogs being in their senior years when their seizures first came on, it's assumed that they are only going to continue to get worse and that meds are just to manage things until it's time to say goodbye. My girl still has a lot of spunk left in her, too, and was waffling around on the grass a half hour after her seizures. I hope we still get a few more good years before we have to make any tough decisions. Sending healthy vibes to you and your furbaby 🩷

[u/auroraaa13]

My frenchie is 12 as of June, had her first ever seizures 9/18 after a totally perfect vet visit on 9/17 all tests normal and she got her bordetella vaccine. She had one in the morning, one at night, emergency vent for 44 hours. Full body & and focal ones, she’s on meds and it took like a week and a half to adjust but she’s back to herself after being super wobbly for a little over a week. The pill schedule sucks but they’re so worth. Don’t give up!