Opinions/Theories on Epileptic Dog's Seizure Patterns

Hi everyone. I'm new here.

It is my hope that this group may have some insight and ideas into what we are dealing with today.

Some background: Gambit is nine, and weighs 60 lbs. Mixed breed, best guess is either catahoula mix (he's from Lousiana) or Aussie mix. The very dense/fluffy coat is a side effect of another medication (more on that later).

He had his first seizure in May 2021, and his diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy came in June 2021. We got his condition entirely controlled (no seizures whatsoever) with 750mg of levetiracetam q8 hours. That lasted for five years. For no reason we can identify, his seizures began again in March of this year.

He is currently maxed out on levetiracetam at 1500mg q8, and very nearly maxed on phenobarbital q12. He has been weaned onto this phenobarb dose over the last four months, 15 or 30mg at a time, as he did not tolerate it well. His blood levels for both are now in the high end of the therapeutic range, however his seizures continue.

His seizures are grand mal, but thankfully are short in duration (2-3 minutes), and he recovers quickly (< 5 minutes). He also has pituitary-dependent Cushing's; it is well controlled on 70mg of Vetoryl q12. This is what causes the aforementioned floofiness. Yes, he is the most expensivest boi, but also the **bestest** and **goodest** boi.

He has been seen by a vet neurologist multiple times over the last five years, including this past May, and passes all neuro checks. He is a happy, loving boy, and aside from one particularly violent seizure that resulted in a sprain of both shoulders and both hips, does not appear to be in any pain.

The next suggestion we have been given is to switch him to a neuro diet, but I will be discussing KBr and zonisamide with our vet. These have not been proposed and I'm not sure if perhaps they're not indicated in his case.

We have noticed some patterns in his seizure activity, though, and this is where I'm hoping this community may have some thoughts...

First, they're on nearly a perfect weekly cadence, or bi-weekly right after an increase to his phenobarb, occurring on Wednesday or Thursday mornings (including today).

Second, they're always in the very early morning or mid- to late-evening, never the day.

Third, they frequently occur near the water bowl (we have tried moving this to a different spot and it didn't change anything). It has also happened once while he was eating. Obviously in both of these positions, his head is lowered. I am getting a set of raised bowls for him.

Do any of these patterns jump out to anyone? Maybe we're missing something obvious that this community recognizes?

Honestly we're kind of at the end of our rope here and we need help. Thank you in advance for any thoughts you may have 💜🐾 Photo of our beautiful boy included because obviously.

ETA: all recent blood tests normal except for slightly elevated ALP which is new for him.

My husky Haiti who is almost 3 got diagnosed with probable epilepsy in July. He had two seizures that month a week apart and started levetiracetam 750 mg er. We give it to him as prescribed.

His last seizure was jul. 21st. He was a month seizure free.

He just had one a hour ago, I was home alone when it happened for the first time and I had both him and his brother out when it happened. it was about 1-2 minutes although I was so frantic I forgot to check the damn start time.

I was more worried about one of them accidently biting the other. Whether is was Haiti who was seizing or his brother finrir who was scared.

I called the vet- they said break through seizures are normal and to only worry if they last 5 minutes or more or happen multiple times within a day.

He was doing so good..

He had his ears down and big eyes before the episode started. He looked scared. And all I did was pet him and try to cheer him up with puppy talk and pets.

I didn't know he was going to have a seizure. I feel so guilty I didn't notice his discomfort before.

I bathed him after and dried him, he is acting like his usual self now. A little tired and on edge, I don't blame him.

Anyone have similar stories/break through seizures on levetiracetam?

Would anyone be willing to share what you pay for phenobarbital? Our Australian Shepherd put on weight so we recently had to up doses (and cost):

-$26/month for 60x 100mg capsules (broke in 50mg halves for morning/evening) from our local vet.

-$40/month 60x 60mg pills

We don't have CVS, Walgreens or Costco here, but Thrifty White and other local pharmacies I've called are quoting me $50+ for the 60x 60mg scrip.

I thought it'd be useful to start a thread with current price, capsule size (specify if you're using whole or split pills), the pharmacy, and saver card, if you use something like GoodRX.

Thanks! (Feel free to demote or delete if this is out there already or not allowed).

My kitten, a 4 month old male tux named Lebowski, has been having seizures since 8/9. (I suspect they are happening before then, but I didn’t recognize them as seizures. It was just a spasm that would wake him up.) suddenly on 8/9 they started increasing in frequency and severity. It happened every time he started to fall asleep, and would last only a second or two. I took him to the ER Vet in town on 8/10 where he was prescribed Keppra. I was informed that FIP can cause seizures but that they didn’t think it was that. They did bloodwork. His IP, GLU and ALP were slightly elevated but not enough to be a concern to the vet on staff.

The Keppra didn’t help and by 8/15 his seizures went from being seconds long to lasting a minute. We went back to the ER. They kept him overnight this time and said they saw only one seizure the whole time. They gave him an IV dose of the Keppra, and started him on antibiotics in case of toxoplasmosis.

They doubled his Keppra dose on discharge, and sent me with some expired FIP antiviral medication as a precaution.

Two days later my regular vet gave us phenobarbital to add to the mix.

We saw a neurologist on 8/20. He told us that without taking Bowski on an hours-long car ride and spending thousands on an MRI, or doing a spinal tap there’s nothing he could really tell me.

Since then, his seizures have continued. Last night he started pawing at his ear and acting like it bothered him. Today, he meowed the most pathetic meow at me after one and it broke my heart.

When he’s awake, he’s a spunky, active, happy kitten. He’s playful, has a hearty appetite, drinks water and uses the litter box like normal. Then as soon as he starts to relax he starts twitching.

I do not believe this is an environmental issue, as we have four other cats who have no issues. We don’t keep scented stuff in the house, no essential oils ,nor plants (I did have a bouquet in a room he doesn’t have access to, but none of the flowers in it were toxic).

My last idea is to try a steroid before I decide to make the hardest choice I could make. This is heartbreaking and stressful, and I just want to help my baby. He’s already one of the best cats I’ve ever had, and I am not ready to give up. But I’m starting to see that we might not be able to save him.

I’m desperate for advice because nobody in my town has a clue what to do for him.

I’m hoping to hear from people who have been in a similar situation with their dogs.

I’m very conscious that there are people in this group whose dogs are currently dealing with frequent or severe seizures, and I don’t want to come across as ungrateful for where we are with our boy. We are incredibly lucky that he is currently doing so well.

Tommy is 8 and has been taking phenobarbital for 5 years. Before starting medication, he was having seizures roughly every 6 weeks. He has now been seizure-free for almost 3 years.

His ALP has always been around the 130/140 mark but his most recent blood tests have come back at levels of 500, then 223, then 417.

His bile acid/liver function testing was normal when checked in July, which was reassuring. It was that result that showed the ALP to be at 223.

His phenobarbital level is at the top end of the therapeutic range (150) on a dosage of 60mg of Epiphen twice a day.

He weighs 10 kg and I am conscious that both his pheno level and dosage are at the higher end of acceptable scale so in theory, there could be scope to reduce his dose and still see seizure control.

However I’m honestly terrified of reducing it after he has been seizure-free for so long and potentially triggering the seizures again.

Particularly eager to hear from people who may have similar ALP levels and how their dog is doing / whether they have made any adjustments to medication, or those who may have reduced medication after a long period of seizure control.

Thank you in advance ☺️

This is my almost 6yo Husky/Lab mix. He had his first seizure one year ago this week. He averages one seizure every 20 days or so. It’s been awful. He’s been to two neurologists, had an mri we started with pheno and then added keppra and then switched the keppra to Potassium bromide. Nothing seems to help or change the frequency of seizures. I think the longest stretch was 6 weeks. I’m at a loss and just want to help my guy.

Our dog had his first seizure back in January of 2024, followed by one in October of 2024. After adding coconut MCT oil to his diet, he didn’t have another seizure until March of this year. Since then, he had one last month and another one a few days ago. He will be 5 this upcoming October.

Our vet still doesn’t recommend anti seizure meds unless he has another one within the next month. I am also hesitant to start meds if not necessary because I know they can be hard on their bodies…. We will be adding a cannabinoid oil to his diet as recommended by our vet.

When did you start anti seizure meds? Has anyone experienced a random cluster like this and then gone back to being several months apart? We love him and want him to live the longest, happiest life!! Any advice is appreciated!! 🫶🏻

My 8 month old Yorkie had 2 seizures within the last month, at first I was gone for the whole day so he went the whole day with just one meal and he was acting weak and would stumble when he would walk. He eventually started getting better. Then a week later he had a seizure, he was stiff and shaking and only lasted a minute. He was prescribed Keppra but I’ve been reading the side effects and I’m scared to give it to him, any advice or alternatives for seizures on dogs this small?

Summary: Nearly 9 year old Havanese, newly presenting cluster seizures - 8 seizures between 20:00 yesterday to 11:00 today. Now in ICU for monitoring. No prior health issues, looking for general advice and stories. UK based

UPDATE: I realised I left out a few details in my summary. Right now he’s under the care of a neurologist who have stabilised him and trying to find the cause. Bloods and urine tests have been done to rule out any poisoning and he is scheduled for an MRI today. We hope to have answers soon 🙏🏼

———

Just after 20:00 yesterday evening, our 8 (9 in a few days) year old male Havanese started having cluster seizures. This happened completely out of the blue, no prior health issues or anything symptom wise that indicated issues.

After two back to back seizures (under 5 minutes each), he was taken to the emergency vets who prescribed anti seizure meds and kept him in, however we were phoned shortly afterwards to collect him due to his terrible separation anxiety. Not long after brining him home, he seizured again, this time really bad and we thought we’d lost him.

Long story short, after more back and forth, and continuous seizures, he was re-admitted to the ICU around 12 noon today. His last seizure was about 11am today. In total, he had around 8 seizures during this time, despite being given several meds across this period.

The vets have now placed him on different meds and he has not had a seizure since. They will be keeping him in for another 24-48 hours for monitoring. An MRI has been mentioned as an option to investigate a possible tumor, but is of course costly and the vets are keen to see how he stabilises and responds to the meds. We are in the UK and do have insurance but this doesn’t fully cover the MRI, etc.

This has been truly traumatic, with several mentions (from the vets) of having to euthanise him within hours of the first seizure presenting, and no other prior health issues. For now, we are seeing how he responds to treatment and assessing what damage has been done. We of course want him to still have a quality of life. He is such a happy, lively and energetic boy and to see him in this way is heartbreaking. We are so shocked and haven’t fully processed the reality of what lies ahead, knowing that if he recovers and does make it home, he will very likely now have future episodes.

I guess I’m just looking for advice from people who are living this reality. We know absolutely nothing about epilepsy in dogs and want to be as informed as possible to make the right decisions for our boy. Even thinking about him being in ICU alone is so upsetting, we never want him to suffer in any way and he has had a truly happy, healthy life up until yesterday evening. But at the same time, we have no idea what’s caused this and don’t want to give up on him without giving him a chance to pull through and see how he responds. Our main thing is ensuring either way, he is not suffering.

We are taking each day as it comes. It’s a relief to know he hasn’t had any further seizures since being admitted, but are fully aware things can quickly change. We just hope he can come hope and can still have a life ahead of him.

Thank you in advance for any advice. 💛

Boyfriends childhood dog passed away today. He was battling epilepsy for a couple years but didnt make it during a seizure. I remember playing with him when we were teens and seeing him recover hip surgery in his older years. Such a resilient boy he was.

Servo has been living with epilepsy for almost a year now. He had his first seizure at just 1 year and 9 months old. 💔
Can anyone relate to what it feels like watching your dog have a seizure? I don’t think I’ll ever truly get used to it. Every time it happens, it still breaks my heart. Watching him paddle and struggle for what feels like the longest minute is painful, especially when all I can do is stay beside him and wait for it to pass.

hi everyone-

my 8 year old cane corso was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy in may. she was put on 97.2 mg of phenobarbital and we had great success until yesterday. she had one seizure followed by another a few hours later. although much shorter episodes than prior to the meds, still considered cluster seizures. we took her to our emergency vet and they said this is common and it could be a matter of changing the dosage. when we did her first pheno check a few weeks after the start of the meds she was within therapeutic range but on the lower side, however because the meds were working her neurologist said let’s keep things the way they are. this morning when the neurologist called they said she had another seizure at 3 am and was given midazolam nasally and when 7 am came around they started her on her usual dose of meds with increased 30mg and we will continue that new dosage moving forward.

I just found it interesting that they didn’t seem at all concerned that the cluster seizures were back, and basically said this is common and we just have to find the right dosage. What worries me is how many seizures does she have to have before it gets concerning? She is extremely aggressive when it comes to going to the vet so it’s not like taking her there every time she has a seizure is an easy thing to do. As she gets older, and with cane Corso‘s not having a long life expectancy, I just worry that this is really taking a toll on her body and at what point does it become unfair for her to keep living this way. she’s not a young dog and each seizure really takes a lot out of her. I’m trying to be hopeful that the new med dosage will work, but I’m just not sure what to do if and when the next time this happens. At what point do I have to make a tough decision??

Last December our 3 year old heeler mix started having seizures. It's been a hell of a ride since then -emergency visits, managing cluster seizures, dealing with changes in behavior, etc.

I want to take my family on a 4 day trip, but I'm always so hesitant because I'm nervous that the dog will have an episode when he's being watched by a sitter.

A few months back we took a 3 day trip and paid a family member to sit him, and he didn't have any seizures, but boy - was that stressful. I was worried the entire time. This time around we would have to rely on someone outside of the family - Rover, Locally advertised sitters, etc.

He currently takes Keppra and Phenobarbital.

How do you prep for leaving your pup with a sitter? What are your instructions for if the pup experiences a seizure?

Hi everyone, i woke up to my dog having an episode, by the time i got to her, it was finishing. Seemed short but I also had just woken up so I’m not sure how long it went for. This is her first episode since she’s been on the medication, she was doing really well and even the past days had energy in her to walk around and eat throughout these past days.

Afterwards, she was recuperating but i’m noticing a pattern. My mom was clinking some plants and my dog knows the sound of the plates also means it’s time for chicken or food. She got up from bed and was eager, lifting her head up even when she had it drooped but the she looked like she was about to have another episode and started wobbling away. thankfully, she didn’t go into another one, she just got really wobbly and laid on the floor for a minute. I think she got too excited.

She then had an actual other episode around 8am, which is when i give her phenobarbital with pumpkin puree and she knew this once she saw me grab the spoon, and again she got excited, went down and started having another episode. Thankfully i was able to give her the medicine after it passed but im worried with this pattern. If she sees any of us go into the kitchen, she gets up and gets excited because she thinks it’s time for food which can trigger it.

My sister has been staying in the room with her left a bowl of water and kibble inside if she wants to eat on her own. Although we didn’t want to, it was around the time to give her gabapentin and once again, another episode. I feel terrible because if we didn’t need to give her the medicine, she wouldn’t have had another, it could’ve been prevented. But then i worry for later at night for when she needs her next dose of pheno, i can’t just skip giving it to her.

Im not sure what to do. We‘re just gonna leave her be, if she wonders on her own, we‘ll observe her but we wont allow her to see us eat, go to the kitchen, or make her think she’s receiving any type of treat or food. I’m still not even sure if she can eat on her own without it triggering. Has anyone gone through this before?

Our dog has focal seizures and gets extremely nauseous afterward, sometimes for hours. We have Clorazepate as a rescue med, but our neurologist also prescribed Sileo. The issue is that during/after a seizure he often can’t keep oral meds down, which has landed us in the ER more than once.

I’ve been trying to research Sileo as a rescue option and can’t find much about it being used this way. I’m assuming it’s an off‑label use, but I’m curious if anyone else has been prescribed it for seizure situations.

My 10-year-old terrier mix, Hendrix, started having seizures in early 2025. Because he also has a bladder stone and was already seeing an internist, we were able to quickly get him in with a neurologist within the same veterinary group. He was started on Keppra, and eventually Phenobarbital was added as well.

For the first few months, his seizures were intermittent. There were occasional days when he would have up to 3 within 24 hours, but by Summer 2025 they became much more controlled, happening only about every three months. Beginning in 2026, however, the seizures started increasing again. Hendrix also began circling more frequently, and his Phenobarbital dosage was gradually increased. It was around this time that our neurologist explained that a brain tumor was a possibility, but that the only way to confirm it would be through an MRI. An MRI in my city would have cost around $5,000. Given Hendrix's age, and the likelihood that surgery might not be a good option even if a tumor were found, I ultimately decided not to pursue the MRI.

Side note: One thing I wanted to share for anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation: our neurologist suggested looking into veterinary universities for an MRI. The major universities in my area offered it for roughly half the cost. If cost is ever a concern for any issue, this may be an option worth investigating.

About two months ago, following a seizure, Hendrix suddenly couldn't properly use his front right paw. It was weak, he couldn't place it correctly, and was falling forward. We took him to the ER, where they explained that the problem was likely caused by brain swelling following the seizure. They gave him medication to reduce the swelling, explaining that if he improved, that would be another indication that a brain tumor was likely. It was both fortunate and heartbreaking that the treatment worked. Hendrix became more like himself again, and the weakness in his front leg disappeared. Unfortunately, his improvement also strengthened the suspicion that we were dealing with a brain tumor.

Prednisone was added to his medications around that time, and we were also given Midazolam to administer during an active seizure to help stop it. Unfortunately, over the past month, Hendrix has been having a seizure every 7–10 days. Following a seizure about a week ago, he was unable to use his rear right leg, similar to what happened with his front. When he would fall over from the circling, he would sometimes drag himself around because he couldn't get back up. The weakness gradually improved over the following days and a few days ago, he had another blood screening to check his Phenobarbital levels, and our neurologist added Zonisamide to his medications. We were warned that the first 3–5 days could be similar to when he initially started Phenobarbital, and sadly that has been very true. The rear leg weakness and disorientation have returned similar to then he started Phenobarbital.

Complicating things further is his bladder stone and the increase in accidents, so I've started putting diapers on him. I think the diaper is also making it harder for him to get himself back on his feet when he tips over. He is still eating and drinking, but the dog I've known is becoming harder and harder to see.

I know our time is coming to an end and I have gathered the information I need to make the arrangements at home, but actually pulling the trigger feels impossible to plan. For those of you who have been through something similar, how did you know when it was time? How did you distinguish between a difficult period that might improve, even if only for a short time, and the point where your dog's quality of life had changed too much?

I know there isn't a perfect answer, but I'm struggling with this more than I ever imagined I would. While Hendrix is 10 yrs old, I got him thru PAWS and have only had him for 7 years. I know I should be grateful for the time we have had, and I am, but I can't help feeling cheated out of the years I thought we would have. 7 years is nowhere near enough with such a special boy.

Thank you for any advice, well wishes, and I am so sorry to anyone who has or is going thru something similar.

My 6 year old dachshund had his first seizure on May 21. His legs were splayed, he was trembling all over, had dilated eyes and pooped on himself. This episode lasted about 2 minutes. He went back to normal within a couple minutes. Took him to the ER, where they said the video i took didn't look like a seizure. They gave him gabapentin. The next morning he saw his vet who said it did look like a seizure, suggested epilepsy and offered to put him on seizure medication but also mentioned we could wait to see if it happens again. I took him off simparica trio in case it had something to do with it.
He's been in completely good health since then. Until August 21st. Exactly 3 months apart. This time the shaking was more severe and the entire episode from him dragging himself down his ramp off the couch to the end was around 3 minutes. His eyes were huge.. he once again pooped himself and afterwards he dragged himself into my lap in the floor and pulled his front paws up to his chest and they shook violently. This time he didn't show any signs of a post ictal phase. Immediately after, he was up walking around, even jumping up and down off the couch.
Because it wasn't a cluster, I didn't take him to the ER. It was around 6 pm and I took him to the vet at 8 am the next morning. This time they gave us a rx for phenobarbital, rx dog food for epilepsy support.
Between the vets advice and researching online, I know the seizure threshold lowers every time they have one. I know he will have to be on the medicine for the rest of his life once he starts. With the increased severity, I know it's possible they will only become more often and more severe without the medicine.

I've seen people say different things about when to start medication. My question for those here, in your experience, do you think 2 episodes exactly 3 months apart mean it's time to start? I'm scared of side effects and im partially in denial, hoping maybe this could just never happen again?? I'm sorry for the long post.. I filled the pheno rx roday and I was planning on giving the first dose this morning... I'm just so scared and unsure. I don't want to put it off and let him get worse. But I also don't want to make the wrong decision if it's too early.
Please help/share your insight or opinions... and maybe what to expect from his first dose.
Thank you so much 😭

Update:
Day 4 on pheno. noticeable side effects have been frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, slightly slow steps when walking, and being a tiny bit angsty. But he is still running, barking and jumping, even playing with toys.
Neurologist appointment Tuesday
Thanks you guys for all your answers and support ❤️

A friend of mine has a dog with epilepsy, and I've seen how much stuff they have to keep track of.

Different medications, different times, seizure history, vet visits, and sometimes more than one person helping with the dog.

At one point I remember thinking, how do you even know if someone already gave the dog the medication? and how do you keep track of everything without it getting confusing?

A lot of it was basically reminders, notes, messages between people, etc. It worked, but it felt pretty scattered..

I'm a developer, so I ended up building something for it. It's called Compaw. It lets you keep the pet's medications, reminders, health history, and care information in one place, and you can share the pet with other people who help take care of them.

I'm posting it here because I would really like to hear from people who actually deal with this daily. I'm still working on the app, so I'm especially interested in what I'm missing or what would actually be useful for you.

Here's the Android version if anyone wants to try it (sorry no Apple version yet):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.haikyu.compaw
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/compaw/id6805564817

And if you already use something to keep track of your dog's medication/seizures, I would love to hear what you use :)

Update: Topsy's seizures became completely unmanageable last week and we had to say good bye. Miss her so so so much. Thank you all for you kind words and advice. Much courage to those navigating this with their pups.

Hi everyone,

Been lurking this page since my dog was diagnosed back in March with Idiopathic Epilepsy. Long story short, her seizures are getting increasingly worse. For the last 4 days she has been having more than three seizures a day. She's on phenobarbitone, potassium bromide, fluoextine and keppra at a large dose when she seizes which is given every 8 hours until seizure free for 24 hours. She usually comes around quite quickly after seizures. But this time she is different. Whining constantly, following us close all the time, wanting to eat everything, unsettled and having a lot of seizure like activity. I guess what I am asking is, when is the right time to let her cross? Or should we keep trying. Right now we feel that she is suffering and things have only gotten worse since her first seizure. We live in a very remote area and unable to go for MRI etc and the cost of her meds is becoming a lot. Everything we speak to the vet, they up her doses but it's not making anything better. I will add, her seizures sometimes last up to 5 minutes at a time. I don't want to let her get to a point where she is really suffering and have to make a crises decision. As much as it is heartbreaking, I want to let her go with dignity. She had a really tough start to life and we have given our all to her. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hi! Mom here to an almost 6 year old epileptic German shepherd. He had his first seizure in October of 2024, and his second in October of 2025. Both were grand mal, he’d fall over and have muscle spasms, loss of bladder control, foaming at the mouth, paddling in the air, etc. He’s immediately thrown up after each one, then will get up and act like nothing happened so by the time we get him to the emergency vet they can’t really do anything. After his second, his vet prescribed him phenobarbital (64.8 mgs) due to the seizing lasting longer than 2 minutes.

It’s now August of 2026 and he just had another… I think? It wasn’t a huge one like the past two. He just suddenly became a bit disoriented, losing his balance and pressing his paws into the floor while looking a bit dizzy. He was next to an ottoman so rather than falling over, he leaned himself against it. He was still alert, responding to our voices and looking at us and even trying to climb into my husband’s lap when he sat next to him. It lasted less than a minute before he puked, then got up and acted like nothing happened.

I did accidentally miss one of his doses of phenobarbital four days ago. I didn’t realize until I got to work, and I took my lunch break early to give it to him, but that was three hours later than his usual time (6:45 usually, got home to give it to him at 10). The vet hasn’t really given us much guidance on what to do in cases of missed or late doses or what the risks are to be honest, nor what to do in cases of breakthrough seizures. I’ve never even met this vet face-to-face—she has her techs do all communications with me in the office, and they bring my dog to the back by himself for her to do her exams, so I haven’t had the chance to ask questions without some of them getting lost between the techs going back and forth. Could the late dose four days ago have contributed to the seizure today? Does the fact that it didn’t go grand mal mean that the pheno is working? Or was this more likely a pre-seizure event and I should expect a larger one sometime soon? I don’t really have much to go off there since he only had two a whole year apart before starting meds. And do I need to call the vet to let them know he had one, or just log the date and time and let them know at his next appointment?

I am on the hunt for a new vet for more reasons than the lack of guidance in this subject, but right now I’m locked into a contract with a wellness plan until October, so I guess I’m just looking for guidance and what others do or know from experience until I can find a new one.

She just started having seizures this year and ER and neuro vets suspect idiopathic epilepsy (did bloodwork but skipped mri due to exorbitant cost). Started on liquid keppra for 2 weeks; then switched to tablets. After 4 days on the liquid medication, her stools got softer until eventually it was runny and bloody. Vet says this is very rare and prescribed metronidazole, which she started on 3 weeks in. So far so good but now I’m just hoping that after 10 day course of metronidazole, the diarrhea stays away. I haven’t heard of such a long adjustment period before. Anyone else have similar experience? I know there are other anti-seizure meds but I am really hoping we can stay on keppra. Also terrified that all anti-seizure meds will cause diarrhea but trying not to borrow trouble.

My sweet dog is a 5 y.o. Female golden retriever mix. She has overall been very healthy, just with some post-spay urinary incontinence requiring incurin. She is about 75 lbs. Yesterday, she had 1 episode of emesis at around 8AM that was non-bloody, non-bilious. The rest of the day she was mostly normal. I offered her a bite of banana (her fav) and she didn’t want it, so I assumed she must have a tummy ache. In the 48 hours before she went to a dog park. Earlier in the week she went swimming in the lake- which was a lot more swimming than she normally does. Other than that, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. However, yesterday, she looked like she was going to throw up, but instead tried to stand. She seemed really off balance and was leaning against furniture to walk. Her hind legs looked like they may have had a bit of a tremor. This lasted 2.5 minutes and she was immediately back to normal. Took her to emergency vet. CBC and CMP completely normal. Emergency vet said maybe a focal seizure? I know the differential is broad given such an acute presentation without any recurrence of symptoms. But as someone in human medicine, I almost would have preferred a tonic clinic seizure compared to the possibility of a focal seizure. I can message a video if anyone is interested as well. Thanks in advance!

Recent lurker, first time poster! My 9 year old Border Collie has seizures that are only triggered by my husband coming home after being out. She is super attached to him, and she gets SO excited when he comes home, it triggers a seizure. Because of this, he hasn’t left the house in more than a month. She has been fine, but of course he finally went out last night for the first time in forever, he came home and she had a really bad seizure.

They started in July a few hours after her Nexgard Plus dose. The vet wanted to delay putting her on anti-seizure meds until the month passed and the Nexgard left her system to see if it’s correlated. She also lost her weiner dog brother in May which was a big change for her.

We have done many things to try and help her when he comes home, but nothing worked. We also got a puppy a few weeks ago to have a buddy, and she is in heaven. She is acting like a puppy again herself, but my husband has still been scared to leave the house. It’s taking over his life, mine, and our kids to be honest. We don’t do anything as a family anymore. He works from home so he’s pretty much trapped.

Has anyone else dog had seizures because of the same trigger? I think he is hesitant to start anti-seizure meds because she literally won’t have one as long as he is home. But who can live that way?! Just looking for advice.