No More Kbr.

[GreyWrangler]

Well Red is now off the KBr.

 

It took 10 weeks to wean him down. I was lucky my vet found a supplier for the chewable tabs and orders some in for us.

 

I put him on it in addition to his Pb not because of worsening seizures, but due to his liver values being off a bit, I had hopes of weaning him down to a lower dose of the Pb.

 

We did loading doses of the KBr, and then maintained at 1GM per day. He was very ataxic from about day 5 on. He even managed to break his tail in a fall. When we lowered the Pb, his ataxia lessened somewhat, but he was still unsteady and his back end very weak, and it seemed like we were losing him personality wise too. In talking over with our regular vet we started lowering the KBr, slowly, like two weeks at a time then dropping it, go two weeks then lower again, and then brought him Pb back up.

 

I have my Red dog back.

 

I know it works for so many hounds, but not for mine.

 

I am really glad my regular vet understood my concerns and was willing to work with me to take him off the med slowly.

[Guest Energy11]

Well, that IS good news! I am happy for you guys!

 

Also glad you had vet that lisetned and respected your ideas and opinions. THAT is always a HUGE plus!

 

Send a HUGE HUG TO RED FOR US!

[Guest Fasave]

Yeah Red! Glad to hear your feeling better. Hang in there Nancy. 10 weeks is a long time to be so worried about a pup. Don't forget to take care of yourself as well.

[Guest MZH]

In case you need to add something back in, you might want to keep NaBr in the back of your mind. Cullen was very ataxic on KBr (plus phenobarbitol) plus it bothered his GI tract something awful. He did very well on NaBr instead.

[phall]

I'm so glad Red is feeling better and is back to his usual self. What a long ordeal you've been through getting him off the kbr and in monitoring him so closely. I, too, am glad you have a vet that listens to your concerns. No one knows your dog like you do. Hooray for Red - keep us posted on how he's doing.

 

Pat

[4greyhounds]

Great News!!!!

[greypuppyluv]

In case you need to add something back in, you might want to keep NaBr in the back of your mind. Cullen was very ataxic on KBr (plus phenobarbitol) plus it bothered his GI tract something awful. He did very well on NaBr instead.

Phaelin is also on NaBr (sodium bromide) along with the pheno and since we've upped his dosage lately, he's a little more ataxic, which I'm also not too happy about, but I'm in a wait-and-see mode right now. It can sometimes be hard to find a med that helps reduce the seizures but that doesn't cause your dog to live it's life doped up.

 

Phaelin's liver values are a bit high, so we've added milk thistle and Sam-E supplements and we'll be rechecking his values again in a few weeks to see if they go down. Adding these supplements might be something for you to consider if Red's values are still high. The Sam-E isn't cheap (I get it at Costco), but I'm hoping it will help Phaelin.

[Guest MZH]

Cullen also was ataxic no matter what we put him on but the NaBr was a blessing b/c the KBr really upset his GI tract and the other didn't. He was on milk thistle too. That alone dropped his liver values from 1300 to 500 ish. Still too high but it was still helpful. Didn't know about the Sam-E for liver values. Good tip; thanks!

[greypuppyluv]

Cullen also was ataxic no matter what we put him on but the NaBr was a blessing b/c the KBr really upset his GI tract and the other didn't. He was on milk thistle too. That alone dropped his liver values from 1300 to 500 ish. Still too high but it was still helpful. Didn't know about the Sam-E for liver values. Good tip; thanks!

The neurologist recommended it and I've seen it mentioned on the EPIL-K9 list, but haven't seen any info about it on the actual canine epilepsy websites, so I'm not quite sure what it does yet. The information on the box and website is rather vague, although the website does say it helps with liver support.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Sorry to hear that the KBr didn't end up working out for him. Has he had any increase in seizures? Are you considering NaBr or one of the other AED's like Keppra?

 

Sophie's still on KBr and she doesn't have ataxia on this dose, but I don't think we can go any higher.

[GreyWrangler]

No change in his seizure status.

 

He has been on a supplement called Marin for several years:

 

What is Marin for Dogs?

 

 

Benefits:

• Improves your dog’s liver health

• Healthier liver function can improve appetite and activity levels

• Comes in a chewable tablet

• Can be given in your dog’s food

• No known side effects

 

How it works:

Marin for Dogs is specially formulated with vitamin E and silybin which jointly work to support healthy liver function. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps protect the liver. Silybin provides many benefits, including a mechanism for liver cell regeneration and reducing inflammation. Marin for Dogs also includes zinc, an essential trace mineral which participates in protein and carbohydrate metabolism and hormone synthesis.