Brilly Has Had His Second Seizure

[Xan]

Christmas eve, our 10.5 year old guy had his first seizure. It was ... well, if you're reading this, I bet you can imagine. Scary. I thought we were losing him, and we took him to the e-vet as soon as he was clear of it. They sent us home with some valium in case of further seizures. 23 days later, tonight, he had his second. (After some restlessness, he settled down, and rested quietly for the rest of the evening. Knock on wood!) He's getting a little wobbly in the rear, and has unilateral laryngeal paralysis, as well.

 

Also on our table is 7 year old greyhound Pogo, who has bumps, at least one of which (we haven't had every one biopsied) was hemangiosarcoma. Several were removed last spring (and one of the wounds grew quite large before it was able to granulate and heal), and he has a few I'd like off now. Then there's our 16 year old cat, who's suddenly finicky about his food, and losing weight.

 

Which is to say, we have to pace ourselves with the vet bills as much as possible. We're both self-employed, and it's been a tight few years for us, as for so many.

 

So (you still with me??), DH is reluctant to even involve a vet with Brilly's seizures. He had a cat years ago who had seizures every 6 or 7 weeks, and they didn't do anything about it. He was raised Christian Science, and though he doesn't believe in the religion, let's just say the no-doctor thing has left its mark.

 

Help me out. What's been your experience with your seizure dogs? Did you take them to the vet every time? Did you begin medication right away after the first seizure? Did it actually help? What else, if anything, helped?

 

Because I know the rules, here's my blond bombshell, Brilly (with DSD and grandson).

 

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences with us!

 

Edited to get his age right. When did he get so old??

Edited January 17, 2013 by Xan

[JJNg]

Sorry to hear about Brilly's seizures. I know they're scary to witness. In general, you don't need to take the dog to the vet every time they have a seizure. If it's a single, short seizure that's over in a few minutes, the vet won't need to do anything for the seizure itself. Indications for a vet visit are prolonged seizure activity (over 5-10 min) that doesn't stop on it's own, or cluster seizures (multiple seizures within a 12-24 hr period).

 

However, for a 10.5-year-old dog having seizures for the first time, I'd recommend a vet visit for an overall health check, including bloodwork. Unfortunately, seizures that start later in life usually aren't just epilepsy. There's usually an underlying health problem, such as a brain tumor, stroke, or systemic disease.

 

Also, with 2 seizures less than a month apart, I would also start thinking about starting medication. Each seizure he has increases the chances of further seizures.

 

With an older dog with multiple problems, it's a personal decision between you and DH regarding how much you want to do. But he may have a manageable condition, and you won't be able to address it without doing at least some testing. He might just need some medication to reduce the chance of further seizures and extend the quality time you have left together.

[TheFullHouse]

Jennifer said everything I was going to Xan. Good thoughts for your boy.

[galgrey]

I agree with Jennifer. Sending good thoughts for Brilly. Keep us posted.

[MTFSTHNDS]

I have no experience with seizures but wanted to send you, your DH, Brilly, Pogo & the kitty good thoughts.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Sorry to hear about Brilly's seizures. I know they're scary to witness. In general, you don't need to take the dog to the vet every time they have a seizure. If it's a single, short seizure that's over in a few minutes, the vet won't need to do anything for the seizure itself. Indications for a vet visit are prolonged seizure activity (over 5-10 min) that doesn't stop on it's own, or cluster seizures (multiple seizures within a 12-24 hr period).

 

However, for a 10.5-year-old dog having seizures for the first time, I'd recommend a vet visit for an overall health check, including bloodwork. Unfortunately, seizures that start later in life usually aren't just epilepsy. There's usually an underlying health problem, such as a brain tumor, stroke, or systemic disease.

 

Also, with 2 seizures less than a month apart, I would also start thinking about starting medication. Each seizure he has increases the chances of further seizures.

 

With an older dog with multiple problems, it's a personal decision between you and DH regarding how much you want to do. But he may have a manageable condition, and you won't be able to address it without doing at least some testing. He might just need some medication to reduce the chance of further seizures and extend the quality time you have left together.

 

 

As always greyt Advice

Edited January 17, 2013 by IrskasMom

[Remolacha]

I understand about being :vet-poor", but as has been said, if it is a manageable you would want to know that!

[Xan]

Thanks, folks. JJNg/Jennifer, we haven't "met", really, but I've seen some of your posts. You seem to speak with authority. You're a vet? Thanks so much for your input.

 

Brilly is off to the vet this morning, after a quiet night. We'll see where we go from here. I have a lot of studying to do, eh?

[Xan]

Out here on the west coast, and the NORTH west coast, greyhound savvy vets are a rare commodity. My vet office has TWO!

 

Today's vet said, basically, that it could well be a "growth" causing the seizures, as his bloodwork all looks fine. We're going to start on the bottom floor, with a over the counter non-drowsy Dramamine. He says that calms the seizure area of the brain, and might be all we need, at least for awhile. Gave me a prescription for pheno, and expects that will be the next phase of treatment. He didn't seem at all inclined to push high-tech imaging (not locally available), opting to treat the seizures. As I would not likely choose to have brain surgery done, that seems reasonable to me at this point.

 

So, that's where we're at as of this moment. I'm still going to do a lot of reading. Think about dietary modifications, supplements ........

 

Thanks again for your input!

[TheFullHouse]

Thanks for the update Xan. It was pretty much what I expected. Good thoughts for Brilly.

[Xan]

Thanks for checking in, Judy.

 

The vet called back yesterday and said Brilly's thyroid (regular ol' tests) were still waaay low, so we agreed to up his dosage. Wouldn't it be nice if it were that simple? We wait. We watch ...

[TheFullHouse]

Oh I hope so. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Brilly!

[Guest Karen57]

We adopted bear at age 8 Last july. He was found with his "sister" on a highway. No medical history for 5 years. Two grand mal seizures in October, and the vet also said unlikely primary epilepsy. But after the second seizure we started phenobarbital and no seizures since. We also started wheatgrass per recommendations on various great sites. His sister, age 9, also on wheatgrass had a growth that the vet thought was a malignancy, but by the time we got surgery scheduled the tumor completely disappeared. Her cataracts also seemed to clear. My advice start wheatgrass and pheno and have some Valium suppositories on hand for a new seizure. Don't run to the vet, but since your guys sz may be do to hypothyroidism, treat that and watch him for another sz

[Xan]

Wow. Wheatgrass, eh? Haven't come across that, yet. Hm! Thanks, Karen57! Congrats on a good track record with your two. That's pretty cool!

[Jiffer]

Watch what chemicals you use around your puppers too. angel Icarus was very sensitive to PineSol (caused a seizure in him every time).

If I was in this situation again, I'd eliminate anything but all natural stuff.. ie: vinegar for cleaning and disinfecting, and sensitive or allergy formula for his washables.

 

Sending white light to Brilly.

[Xan]

Jiffer, good thoughts. We're pretty much there already, so that's good. In fact, I went over that in my head after the first one: what could he have been exposed to? Something new? Something toxic that's just built up for him? It may be something that wouldn't occur to me, something oddball, and we'll find out eventually, so I appreciate the reminder to keep environmental stuff under the microscope.

[a_daerr]

I would try to get the thyroid issue worked out before starting on an anti-seizure med like Pb. You may find that once the thyroid is under control, the seizures stop. I also really recommend a consult with a neurologist to talk more about meds if/when you get there. Pb is usually the first-line treatment for epilepsy, but it's not always appropriate for every dog. Some anti-convulsant meds have acute side effects that can be worse than the seizures themselves. Unless your guy is regularly having 3-4 weeks apart or having clusters, medication may not even be necessary.

[Xan]

I would try to get the thyroid issue worked out before starting on an anti-seizure med like Pb. You may find that once the thyroid is under control, the seizures stop. I also really recommend a consult with a neurologist to talk more about meds if/when you get there. Pb is usually the first-line treatment for epilepsy, but it's not always appropriate for every dog. Some anti-convulsant meds have acute side effects that can be worse than the seizures themselves. Unless your guy is regularly having 3-4 weeks apart or having clusters, medication may not even be necessary.

This kind of conservative approach suits us very well.

 

We haven't started Pb, and aren't in any hurry to do so. We did adjust his thyroid meds up, and in just a few days, he's MUCH perkier, so it's definitely having an effect. No more seizures, yet.

 

It may sound odd, but the seizures themselves don't scare us (yet!) We just want to make sure his life isn't threatened or shortened unnecessarily, and that he has good quality of life. That's a global goal. If the seizures stay intermittent, and aren't in themselves a problem, then it's just part of the new normal. We will take measures to minimize and manage though, like adjusting his thyroid, and right now we're on a short term course with the meclizine: so far, so good.