canine epilepsy-does any one have any experience?

[ln1981]

Hi there, just looking for some advice, hints tips etc on canine epilepsy.
Our 2yo BC has recently beeen diagnosed with epilepsy, and was put on pexion tabs to try and bring it under control. Since he started on this a fortnight ago, he has had 1 'cluster' (which he had never had before) and two other seizures which were fairly short and swift but distressing none the less-his fit last night he jumped up onto me and gave me a proper fright! Before he was put on the meds, he was having one fit every three weeks. We have an appointment with the vet this afternoon so they can check him over.
I do understand that it can take a while to get the dosing sorted and that frequency can also increase whilst everything is sorting itself out, but I really wanted to know if there were any other things we could be doing as well as the medication to try and help him out. dp has looked into putting him on a wheat free diet and we have been trying to keep him as calm as we can (he is as highly strung as they come unfortunately).

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences from any of you whose dogs have this horrible illness
TIA

[themonsteratemyspacebar]

My dog has epilepsy, its so hard to watch and go through. He is now on medication from the vets. It took a good few months for it to settle down and for him to stop having fits. But he hasnt had one now in nearly two years! Its such a relief.
What i recommend is making notes on the calendar whenever your dog has one and for how long. Assuming you are not doing that already!
Then you will start to see progress, if not then take the notes back to the vets and they will see clearly what has to be done and if dosage or new meds are needed.

Im sorry that you have to go through this too. Its really heartbreaking and i know exactly how you feel. But i promise it will get better

[IfUSeekAmy]

Sorry to hear this about your poor dog. My Black Lab is 8 and he has epilepsy although the vet we saw when he was young said they wouldn't put him on medication unless he was fitting more frequently. He only has a fit every couple of months but he will also collapse if over exercised and that doesn't take much doing, he has no stamina really and a half hour walk will be enough for him. The fits are scary to witness and they can last 10-15 minutes sometimes and he can have one big one and then a few smaller ones afterwards and then he is usually sick too. Sometimes he seems to stop breathing but then the fit will stop when that happens. I haven't got any advice I'm afraid but I know what it's like and I seem to always be watching him to see if he gets that 'glazey' look in his eyes which he has before he starts fitting. I hope they get your dogs fits under control soon and they improve.

[poachedeggs]

Pexion reaches effective levels in about 3 days so if he's still fitting so frequently then you will need to change track a bit. It has quite a wide dose range though so talk to your vet and see what they say. There are other options for treatment, none without side effects and caveats unfortunately.

Novel diets seem to have an effect in some cases but take veterinary guidance as you must be very strict about feeding when you are trialling them.

Pexion is a very new drug so I'm afraid I can't offer any of the useless anecdotal evidence that owners seem to find so much more reassuring than scientific studies! It is very promising though and I anticipate that even in cases where it isn't effective as a standalone therapy it is likely to reduce the doses of nastier drugs needed to control symptoms.

[ln1981]

Thank you for the quick replies! Much appreciated!

themonster thats excellent! in an ideal world, I would love for them to 'stop' as it were, but failing that, less frequent would be wonderful! We have been very lucky that none of the dc have had to witness the worst fits, all bar two have been during the night, and they were quickly moved out of the way when those two occurred. it is still very hard for them, dd especially-she and dog have a very close bond. dp has been keeping a note of the fits, and as far as i know the vet has it all noted so fingers crossed.
ifuseekamy yes the worst thing previously has been knowing that there is pattern thus far, and wondering if tonight is the night that it will happen. you could have set your watch by them until 2weeks ago!
Unfortunately, there isnt much of a pre-warning with him, maybe a couple of minutes beforehand. like i said previously, last night he jumped up on to me and wouldnt respond to his name, then i knew it was about to happen.
poachedeggs i like the sciency stuff too! dp tends to do anecdotal stuff, and has found a little bit of info which has all been fairly horrendous to read unfortunately.
Im quite prepared that there will be no wonder cure, but anything that makes it easier in him can only be good.
At the minute, he is as calm as he ever is-sat at my feet, but ready to jump into action should i do anything exciting like stand up or sneeze!

[ln1981]

Oh and I shall speak to the vet about the wheat free diet dp was keen to try and see what she recommends. Thank you all again.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I have started a few dogs on Pexiom now and found some need higher than average dose.
Also what are you feeding I have found that If feeding Bakers switch to a more holistic food can help.

[bassetfeet]

My old border collie lass had epilepsy and usually at night . Cant remember the med she was on but it worked fine mostly.

What was important with her was that she was very disorientated and aggressive afterwards. So unlike her and she must have been scared.
I left her alone to recover in a room with familiar smells and her bed .
Just in case you have children OP . It didnt take long for her to come fully around but wouldnt have let the children near in the recovery time .

Thinking of you OP. It seems lots of border collies are prone to this .

[ln1981]

thanks again for replies.
lonecat vet has doubled his dose of pexion, though she reckons we still have scope to increase further (now on 600mg/day). she did say that there were also drugs that could compliment it should we need a little something extra.
dp has been researching different feeds and we are giving him Harringtons for now as it has no added wheat, previously we did give him Bakers. we are now at the stage where we will try absolutely anything, so if we can find something has no wheat (as dp seems convinced that will help him further) all the better.
bassetfeet his fits are mostly at night too, and he sleeps in our room so thankfully for the most part he does get time to recover. the first time he was very aggressive and snarled but like your girl, he was probably terrified. dc's have been well briefed by both us and the vet, to keep well out of the way should it happen. Im the only one who stays in the room in case i need to give him diazepam-luckily i havent needed to! And i keep well out of his way.
His greeting you with his tail wagging and jumping all over you is his way of letting you know he is back with you-reassuring but heartbreaking all at once!

[ln1981]

sorry that should say 600mg twice per day.

[bassetfeet]

He tail wags and jumps all over you to let you know he is recovered and reassuring you .

Lovely to read In1981. Super animals and so part of the family arent they? Sending a tummy rub for him and a scratch behind his lugs

[SauvignonBlanche]

Our rescue Lab has epilepsy, he was started on Epiphen and is now controlled, he hasn't had a seizure for ages.

I picked up on here to avoid Bakers due to the colourings in it.