Wonder Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Thunder has a history of seizures. When I'm not home, he's in a plastic crate for his protection. Any suggestions how I can determine if he's having them in the crate? I don't have internet so a camera is not an option. I have a plastic cup sitting on top of the crate but unless he's having a horrible grand mal, it doesn't tip over. Thanks Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Our girl would drool excessively when she had a seizure, and her entire neck and chest would be either wet or crunchy with dried drool afterwards. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Yeah, he drools or pees. I do check the crate and he hasn't been peeing. Pretty much every day there is drool on the edge of the crate door but he always rests his head there. He drools on my bed too but that's not seizure related. I think there would be a huge amount of drool if he had a focal in the crate. Today when I went home to check on him- he bounced out of the crate. He's such a happy boy. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaineysMom Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 with Rainey, the neuro told us that if we suspected she had one, she probably did. She would just be "off" when I got home. However, with her, 95% of hers were tonic-clonic (Grand Mal). The drool would be a tell, too -- like Greysmom, she would be wet. Not to belittle bone cancer in any way at all, but going through what we did with Rainey was a million times harder than cancer with Nube. Seizures SUCK. for you and Thunder. Quote Kim and Bruce - with Rick (Rick Roufus 6/30/16) and missing my sweet greyhound Angels Rainey (LG's Rainey 10/4/2000 - 3/8/2011), Anubis (RJ's Saint Nick 12/25/2001 - 9/12/12) and Zeke (Hey Who Whiz It 4/6/2009 - 7/20/2020) and Larry (PTL Laroach 2/24/2007 - 8/2/2020) -- and Chester (Lab) (8/31/1990 - 5/3/2005), Captain (Schipperke) (10/12/1992 - 6/13/2005) and Remy (GSP) (?/?/1998 - 1/6/2005) at the bridge"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." -- Ernest Hemmingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 The only thing that comes to mind is the drool and they get ravenous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Even without internet, you could set up a video camera and watch it later. It would at least confirm if he was having them or not. One other thing, my girl seemed to have them at the same time of day each time - either around 2pm OR 2 AM. Not sure if others do that though. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clawsandpaws Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 What about a pedometer? I don't really know if it would work, but they can be pretty cheap. Put the pedometer on top of the crate or on the door, maybe even the side. Just keep track of the number at the end of each crate session, any great variance may help indicate a seizure has occurred? I know that they will get up turn around maybe knock a few times, but if the average number on the pedometer is 50, and one day you come home and it is 200, it might help you make the determination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 What about a pedometer? I don't really know if it would work, but they can be pretty cheap. Put the pedometer on top of the crate or on the door, maybe even the side. Just keep track of the number at the end of each crate session, any great variance may help indicate a seizure has occurred? I know that they will get up turn around maybe knock a few times, but if the average number on the pedometer is 50, and one day you come home and it is 200, it might help you make the determination That's a great idea. Now just to find my pedometer.... with Rainey, the neuro told us that if we suspected she had one, she probably did. She would just be "off" when I got home. However, with her, 95% of hers were tonic-clonic (Grand Mal). The drool would be a tell, too -- like Greysmom, she would be wet. Not to belittle bone cancer in any way at all, but going through what we did with Rainey was a million times harder than cancer with Nube. Seizures SUCK. for you and Thunder. I have to agree- they both suck and yes bone cancer is horrible but seizures are unpredictable. I have totally changed my life for Thunder. He has to have his drugs around 6:15 am and 6:15 pm so I can never sleep in, can't do out to dinner unless I take him with and I'm always watching him to see if he's twitching (focal seizure). This past weekend, he had 11 seizures. It was horrible and I've never felt so helpless. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitycake Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I have to agree- they both suck and yes bone cancer is horrible but seizures are unpredictable. I have totally changed my life for Thunder. He has to have his drugs around 6:15 am and 6:15 pm so I can never sleep in, can't do out to dinner unless I take him with and I'm always watching him to see if he's twitching (focal seizure). This past weekend, he had 11 seizures. It was horrible and I've never felt so helpless. I'm sorry that Thunder still doesn't have his seizures under control. Are the focal seizures in addition to the tonic-clonic/grand mal ones? That really sucks for both/all of you. I'm sorry I have no suggestions other than looking for wetness, as others have suggested. Monty was also "off" after he'd have his seizures, but his were tonic-clonic/grand mal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) Thursday in the middle of the night- he had 3 focals. He woke me up with them. Then he a grand mal and a focal shortly after (On Friday night)- that happened twice (the 2nd was Sat night). I think he had 3 grand mal over the weekend and the rest were focals. Edited June 18, 2013 by Wonder Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Kari, I’m so sorry to hear about Thunder’s seizures! When Ava was hospitalized for seizures on January 19, 2013, they started her on Keppra (250mg) – she was already on Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. They had us go to a 24 hour Walgreens to get the prescription and bring it back to the hospital. The price was around $250.00 per month, but the pharmacist had us open one of those Drug Saving Plans (it costs $20.00 a year) for Ava and it dropped the price to $89.00. If I recall, the emergency room doctor told us that the Keppra gets in her system right away. Since being on the Keppra, Ava went 134 days without a seizure. (previous longest was 87 days). Ava had another seizure last week – the early morning of June 3. She has a neurologist now and he added in 500mg of Levetiracetam (I think this is the generic for Keppra)…. So now she gets 750mg. From the bill it looks like a month of the generic 500mg costs $80.00 a month, so it’s cheaper than a month of the 250mg Keppra. ____________On a side note…. Anyone ever hear of a hotdog causing a seizure in a dog? The day before Ava’s seizure was Rescued Racers picnic. I went late in the day and took Ava. We walked around and then we each had a hotdog. About 5 minutes after eating we went and were looking at the vendor booths. We stopped at the Treats Unleashed table – where we bought two bags of pre-packaged treats. On the table they had bowls of different kinds of treats that you could mix and match. They even had a plate of icing decorated racing greyhound cookies as well as jewelry, stationary, decals, etc. With no warning I saw Ava leap through the air out of the corner of my eye, even tucked her feet up like a Gilley Greyhound where she landed on top of the table in a standing position. I was so stunned, I threw my bags down and picked her up and set her on the ground. I remember the side of her mouth facing me had a lot of drool coming out of it, but it didn’t sink it at the time that she was probably having some kind of seizure activity. I kept apologizing to the poor Treats Unleashed lady, as she was trying to straighten up her table and picking cookies off the ground. L I was still shaking so we left within minutes after that. Ava seemed fine that evening, but had her seizures 14 hours later. I looked online and found that “Nitroso compounds in hotdogs can cause many neurological problems including seizures. To me it’s too coincidental since her episode was within 5 or so minutes after eating. My conclusion is the hotdog caused her seizures – no one at the hospital seems to share my view though. Humph. BIG Hugs to you and Thunder, I’ll keep checking back for updates. I hope the Keppra does the trick! If it’s too expensive, check into the generic. Kim p.s. Having gone through osteo and amputation and now seizures - I think they both SUCK! I'd rather Callie had seizures instead of osteo and glad Ava doesn't have osteo. (Now if the seizures couldn't be controlled and happened VERY often, that's another story) (sorry if this comes out jumbly...I'm trying to type this quickly at work) Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 What was the weather like when you were at the event? If it was warm, I wonder if that had something to do with causing the seizure. The thing that sucks (for me), I can't think of anything that is causing Thunder's seizures. Nothing had changed this past weekend except it got hot. I've read not to use air freashner- I have an airwick that shoots off every 9 mins. But I've had that the entire time I've had Thunder. They also say heartworm medication can cause a seizure 1-2 weeks after giving it which is the time frame for his this last weekend. But he hasn't had any the previous months after HW pill. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 What was the weather like when you were at the event? If it was warm, I wonder if that had something to do with causing the seizure. The thing that sucks (for me), I can't think of anything that is causing Thunder's seizures. Nothing had changed this past weekend except it got hot. The weather was great, normally it's very hot, but I was actually chilly. I don't think I would use the air fresheners. I hope the Keppra gives you some relief. I had planned to try and wean Ava off Keppra because of the price and the inconvenience of having to take it every 8 hours, but now I don't want to stop what seems to be working. Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Can you ask to switch to the extended release keppra? Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Can you ask to switch to the extended release keppra? Never heard of it! How often do you give it? Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Never heard of it! How often do you give it? Every 12 hours. Costco has it not sure about Sam's. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Every 12 hours. Costco has it not sure about Sam's. Awesome, we have a Costco membership! I just reordered her 250mg from Walgreens, but will check with her neurologist about seeing if we can get one prescription for everything when she's close to running out of the 500mg. By chance do you have a cost for a month for the 750mg from Costco? Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Awesome, we have a Costco membership! I just reordered her 250mg from Walgreens, but will check with her neurologist about seeing if we can get one prescription for everything when she's close to running out of the 500mg. By chance do you have a cost for a month for the 750mg from Costco? I think it's around $60. I will know tomorrow when I pick it up. I guess there's a discount with a Costco membership. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Duh, Cora sent me link to your Keppra thread and I'm on my phone wondering why my replies are missing! I didn't know there were two threads. Off to read the Keppra thread! Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Sorry, I had 2 questions but both threads are getting all mixed in Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Sorry, I had 2 questions but both threads are getting all mixed in Oh no worries, greyt information in both. I was just confused and hoping I didn't get suspended and all my posts were deleted! Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) Henry's behavior is always very "off" for a ling time after he has a seizure. The vet explained to me once that after a seizure, it feels like you just ran a marathon. It's apparently very exhausting. So when he's acting mopey or excessively tired (or if there's pee or vomit on the floor) I know he's probably had one that day. Also, like you, I really wanted to be able to narrow the seizures down to some concrete reason- weather, food, Heartgard, cleaning products, etc. It drove me crazy, and eventually I stopped searching for those kinds of answers. The neurologist compared seizures to walking into a forest. The first time, you have to slice down a bunch of brush and weeds, but each time after that it gets easier and easier. Same with the brain. Seizures tend to gradually increase in frequency as it becomes easier for the brain's neurons to revisit particular pathways. Sometimes seizures can be attributed to concrete causes (environmental factors, brain tumors, thyroid problems, other illnesses). But the majority are idiopathic, and there's really no explanation. Edited June 18, 2013 by a_daerr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Anyone using Frontline Plus with their seizure dog? I just ordered sentinel for Thunder after checking with my vet last night that it was ok to give him. Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brindlebaby Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Anyone using Frontline Plus with their seizure dog? I do, should I not be? Quote Kim, (Herman), Pixie (NK Mary Ann), Kitten, Sammie, Darcy and Scout Callie (Callie Walker), Ava (Lass Dance), July, Peanut, Kodi, Bailey, Kony, PJ, Scampie, Carlo & Casey waiting for us at the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I looked online and found that “Nitroso compounds in hotdogs can cause many neurological problems including seizures. To me it’s too coincidental since her episode was within 5 or so minutes after eating. My conclusion is the hotdog caused her seizures – no one at the hospital seems to share my view though. Humph. I'm doing some research and just came across this: Sharing human food containing MSG or cured products like hot dogs and luncheon meats is also not recommended. http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_5/features/Epileptic-Dogs_5634-1.html I do, should I not be? I think it's ok, just checking to see if anyone is using it or should I use something else? Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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