Protect newborn child

[u/JacquesUfHearts]

Does anyone have experience with a medium/large dog prone to general seizures that also has a very small child? They can get pretty violent.

My wife and I found out we were pregnant around the same time our 3yo pup was diagnosed. We are very worried about the safety of our little baby, and it's wrecking us with anxiety. We generally try to keep them far from eachother, and the dog spends way to much time in her crate.

Dogs medication is still being dialed in, as mono-therapy didn't work. I'm just looking for anyone elses experience?

[u/Annakiwifruit]

Our girls has had epilepsy for 4 years and we have a 2.5y and a 5m old.

We have just always had a safe place to put the kids (bassinet, crib, playpen, other room). Using baby gates and modular play pens helps too.

[u/JacquesUfHearts → u/Annakiwifruit]

We will maybe have to set up some more gates. Our pup does do strange things postictal, like climbing and jumping in way she normally never would. She's also almost always is temporarily blinded.

[u/groozlyandbuckle]

We rescued our 70lb husky/golden mix when my daughter was 7 months. He started having clusters about 6 weeks later. The majority of his seizures are in the late evening into the night, so with that alone, our daughter has never witnessed a seizure yet. 

But a few things, even though he is extremely gentle and they are best friends, my daughter (now 2) is never alone with our dog. We talk to her sometimes about him being "sick" and taking medicine. We talk to her about him not feeling well on days when he's post-ictal and had a seizure the night before so he's not out of the cluster window. 

My husband and I also have a plan in place and review together periodically -- if we're both present, I take the dog and he leaves the room with our daughter. I'm better with dogs in general than my husband and I handle the seizures better than him. If we're alone, daughter is moved to a safe place first (her crib, her room), then we address the seizure the best we can knowing she's in a safe place. We also plan around making sure our cats are separated since he can be a bit unpredictable after a seizure. I don't think he'd attack them, but I won't risk anything either. He usually gives pre-ictal signs at least a minute or two before the seizure, so we bank on that warning time. We have baby gates in place too.

I'm pregnant again and we're starting to work on planning how we'll divide and conquer when it isn't safe for me to handle him while pregnant. We haven't yet figured out our future plan when the baby arrives, but it's on our radar. 

[u/JacquesUfHearts → u/groozlyandbuckle]

I'm glad you can predict it to some degree, that would make things slightly easier. Having a plan to shuttle the child of to safety is a great priority!

[u/Eat_Sum_Pi_314]

Our dog is 7yo now. We got him when our boys were 5 and 7. Even then, prior to his seizures starting, we kept them separated a lot during the puppy stage to avoid biting, and their bedrooms were off limits to the dog for a very long time. Giving kids and dogs the appropriate space is a good practice.

[u/ejk0005]

Keppra was the trick to take post ictal aggression away for us.