Help with 8 year dog

[barbace]

(We have got a vet appointment but they don't seem too worried so he's not being seen until the end of the week)

Our 8 year old very large rescue has been having fits on a monthly basis for around 6 months or so now. Regular vet appointments, they say it's normal in his breed and at this age and we have been prescribed diazepam for him for when he's mid fit. He comes around very quickly and is back to tail wagging within a minute or two once he's found his feet again.

However more recently he's going through some periods of seeming quite vacant, doesn't seem to hear us when we call him or wag his tail as often. He's also started to just walk around while randomly peeing and 'spaced out' which he hasn't had a problem with before. I've called the vet a few times since this has started happening and they just tell me it's fairly normal, hence the wait for an appointment.

Has anyone else ever had experience with this please? He's a Spanish Mastin if that helps but mixed with about 100 different breeds!

I'm so sorry to read this about your dog.

We had a Pyrenean with epilepsy, so another giant Livestock Guarding breed. He started with fits at two years old. After the second fit he was put on daily medication and initially it helped but after a few months they started to become more frequent and we began to notice the same things you mention.

I'm sorry to say that once epilepsy starts to worsen, it does damage their brain. Our boy got to the point where he was completely blanking after a bad fit and having to re-learn things. Sometimes he seemed not to recognise us. He became a different dog and much of the time he was like a zombie, just zoned out and confused. It is such a cruel condition and very hard to live with.

The vets wanted to continue with medication but it was having no effect. In the end the decision was taken out of our hands when he went into Status Epilepticus.

I'm not a vet, there are some vets on here and they may well contradict what I'm saying, but you know your own dog and can see these changes.

For your boy I hope it is a different outcome than it was for ours and that you do see an improvement, obviously every case is different, but once you begin to see brain damage it is hard to come back from that.

I am so very sorry for what you're going through and I wish you well.

Could it be vestibular disease?

Thank you ever so much and I'm really sorry to hear about your dog. It's the absolute worst part of having them isn't it, just heartbreaking.

I just had a look and the symptoms don't fully align but perhaps? Thank you for taking the time to answer.