It seems my dog may have epilepsy, help

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

My usually dopey springer x has had 3 major seizures in the last eight months. Full on dropping to the floor, rigid, shaking, doubly incontinent, snarling aggressive seizures. We thought the first two were caused by chewing ornamental grass but the third happened in the middle of the night, many months after the grass was destroyed.

Blood tests have come back normal and now the vet is talking about anti-epilepsy meds.

Does anyone have an epileptic dog? How easy (or not) is it to manage in day to day life? I'm concerned about him going to his doggy day care on holiday and being aggressive when he comes out of the seizure.

It's early days so I haven't had time to weigh up the pros and cons.

I would appreciate some help, please!

[BiteyShark]

Can't help with this but bumping thread in case anyone else can.

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

I appreciate the thought, thank you

[Kelliem]

We have a very mildly epileptic dog, very mild seizures. I would take your vets advice obviously however just wanted to share that we started to keep a diary when she had them and found that certain foods triggered the fits, she still has them but hasn't had one for at least a couple of years now. (She did have 2 in a week once) just a thought really x

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

I have made brief notes of his seizures Kelliem but not down to the food he has eaten. We have changed his food completely since his first one anyway (he's picky!)

Does your dog take any meds?

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

We had a cocker spaniel years ago who developed epilepsy when he was 4 - we had to experiment with his medication for a while but eventually got the levels right so that he was mostly seizure-free. He eventually died of something completely unrelated at 14. It was very scary when he first started fitting but he was never aggressive afterwards, just very tired so I can't give you any experience of that I'm afraid

[Kelliem]

No, she doesn't have meds, seizures are so rare and mild vet recommended against it. They have also never increased, she developed them when she was 3, she's now 13. But we are v strict with food (found it was somehow linked to pork!)

[tigerlily1405]

I have a springer with idiopathic epilepsy and has seizures like you describe but not aggressive, he takes tablets called Pexion which don't require regular blood tests, he was having a seizure once every 3 months which is good but seem to have become further apart now, day to day he is fine and his normal self, I would speak to your vet about different meds options

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

Noitsnot he's only aggressive as he's coming round, then he has a huge poo and he's back in the room, if you see what I mean! It's encouraging to read that your spaniel was mostly under control.

Kelliem We'll have to keep a closer eye on his food in that case. DH sometimes gives him bits and pieces as he prepares his lunch for the next day. We'll avoid pork at least to see if that helps.

[Kelliem]

Lots of luck I know? It's so distressing when they have a fit.
we only give ours food that we can see the ingredients now and they appear to have subsided. Dog isn't overly impressed tho!

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

We had a working cocker that used to have fits. He would shake about but emit the most godawful howling screaming. Would last for a minute or so and then he'd go quiet, get himself up, have a shake and be fine. The vet never did get to the bottom of it. He said it wasn't epilepsy as that usually happens in their sleep. Someone was doing a study into gun dogs collapsing on shoots and having these fits but I don't know what came of that. We stopped working him full days and he never had another one so there might have been something in him working too hard or getting overexcited.

[WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo]

MsAdorabelle that's interesting about only happening in their sleep. Our vet has mentioned nothing like that. The first two were mid-morning just pootling about the garden but his third was during the night. Obviously we have no idea what he was up to beforehand.

He is quite a nervy type, jumping at loud noises. He'd be rubbish on a shoot! I really hope that he never has one when we're out and about - god knows what I'd do.

Anyway, the vet is ringing for a chat during the week so I'm trying to compile a list of questions to ask. Wish me luck

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Good luck. Ask him about fits happening in their sleep. I'm going back about ten or twelve years so the thinking might have changed since then. Our vet said to try and get him straight to the vets as soon as it had happened to try and get a blood test at the time. He recommended giving him sugary drinks and chocolate in case it was low blood sugars but it didn't make any difference. It only stopped when we stopped working him full days so it might have been some sort of overexcitement. It never happened at home, only out on shoots, or one memorable day when he was just pootling round the farm with my Fil and he keeled over. Put the wind up Fil. He was a pedigree with a long bloodline so I don't think it was in his breeding, although that's not a guarantee obviously. Hope you get some answers.

[ChestyNut]

How did he get on OP?

Our lovely boy has been epileptic on meds since he was 2 for around 10 years now.

It's been a bumpy stressful road but he seems to be well controlled now.

PM me if your around and want to ask anything