Eyes Of A Dog With Epilepsy

[Guest EmilyAnne]

Henry is home everyone!!! Unfortunately I am really sick today with tummy flu so I am not going to bring ya'll up to date much yet. Things have gone very well so far and he is such an incredible sweetheart and seems extremely intelligent and observant. I just want to ask a quick question about the eyes. Henry's pupils are big and take up pretty much the whole eye. Is this common in greys? Do some greys just have really dark eyes so you cant tell so much where the iris ends? Does this have anything to do with epilepsy?

[Trudy]

I don't think it has anything to do with seizures or epilepsy specially.

 

I've had 2 seizure dogs (both epileptic) and neither had abnormally large pupils.

 

[silverfish]

Could the meds he's on be doing that?

 

Normally, no, a dog's eyes will not have permanently dilated pupils. One common reason for it, unfortunately, would be that the dog is blind. I hope that's not the case for Henry...

 

I'd talk to your vet about it next time you see him/her.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

He is definately not blind. My Alfalfa was blind so I know it is not that. I dont know if his vision is perect, but it's certainly decent. I am thinking he has just has real dark eyes so we cant see well where the iris ends. I'll definately ask the vet.

 

By the way, he was not fully weaned of the Phenobarb yet. But they have reduced his dose. They reduced it from 2 pills to 1 pill, then after 5 seizures, they put him on 1 1/2 pills. He is also on 2 1/2 mls Potassium Bromide. He has not had a seizure since Monday, so tomorrow will be one full week of no seizures.

 

Henry is doing very well. I managed to finally feel well enough last night to take the boys (dogs) for a nice walk last night. Henry walks extremely well!!! He is laying on his bed next to me with his arms crossed, head resting on them and ears cocked as he listend to his Daddy in the kitchen.

Edited October 28, 2007 by EmilyAnne

[silverfish]

That's good news!

 

Try shining a bright flashlight in his eyes. Even if you use an angle so it's not pointing straight into his eyes, you should be able to see if it's just dark pigmented iris, or if it really is pupil.

 

I meant to add, I hope you feel better soon. Tummy flu, not fun.

[Guest SusanP]

Neurological problems can cause both seizures and pupil abnormalities. Has a vet ever checked any of this out?

[Cynthia]

Sometimes dogs are diagnosed with 'epilepsy' based on siezures, but other conditions can cause seizures. Dilated pupils that are not as responsive as they should be could indicate a bacterial infection that inteferes with transmission of information through the nerves, or a brain tumor. Either of these conditions can put pressure on the nerves and slow the pupils reaction to light as well as cause seizures. If this is a new dog for you, you may want to have your vet do a little testing to confirm the diagnosis you have been given. Everything you notice is valuable, so keep a list and share what you see with your vet.

Edited October 28, 2007 by Cynthia

[Trudy]

As others have mentioned, seizures does not automatically mean epilepsy. That diagnosis is made only when you've ruled out everything else that could cause the seizures.

 

If you don't know what testing he's had while he's been waiting for a home, start fresh with your vet. There is a huge range of things out there that can cause seizures that can be easily treated.

I'd make an apt with your vet and go over what you know has been done for this dog already and figure out where to go next. Are there any blood tests to show the levels of pb or KBr in his blood (though if he just started KBr, it isn't worth the blood test just yet to determine that level).