Georgina Ebony

I have an Epilepsy effected 4 year old Border Collie girl. She had her first seizure at 17 months of age. I can certainly sympathize with you. It is terrifying when they have their first seizure. I had never owned a EE dog before nor have I seen a dog seizureing. I though Stella had run into something & broken her spine or been bitten by something. I completely lost it. She was a very severe case though. She looks like she is in a swimming position actually, flat out with her legs stuck out each side of her. She loses control of her bodily functions & vomits as well. Her eyes look terrified but I know she isn't with us. Just horrible really. She was seizureing multiple times a day. Some not as severe as others. Hers are brought on by stress & she is an extremely nervous, anxious dog. You feel so helpless. All you can do is be by their side & clear away anything from around them so as they don't injure themselves.

Touch wood, she hasn't had a severe seizure since being on Phenomav, which is wonderful. Once you get the medication at the right dosage they can live a very close to normal life though. Down side of Phenomav is Stella is always hungry & very thirsty. So you have to keep a close eye on their weight. I carry water everywhere we go as well. She drinks at least 3 times more than my other BC. When she first started taking it she was a little wobbly on her back legs but that does seem to go after their system gets used to it.

A few things I have done & found has helped her. I contacted Michael McDowell who is a Herbalist. Stella has a herbal tonic. A couple of drops a day. Also with Michael's advice I watch Stella's diet very carefully. No corn, wheat, soy or grain. Nothing artificial. Raw diet to include 10% offal. I try to keep her immune system as healthy as I can. Probiotic daily as well. I also have her on Rose Hip Vital as it has VitC. Stella also has Golden Paste twice daily which I cook. (Turmeric, cold press coconut oil & ground black pepper). Turmeric has a lot of healing properties & is a natural anti inflammatory.

Hope you can Ebony sorted with her medication & she can have a comfortable life. Good Luck with her.

Thank you so much for your reply, i find it comforting hearing from people who have also gone through this .... I am sorry to hear that Stella has this, i totally freaked out when this woke me up, i thought she was trying to change positions but the movement didn't feel right, then when i turned the light on she was all stiff and shaking and in a banana like position and her head was shaking. She also had this very blank look about her.... so heartbreaking to see

Yes Ebony is already showing that she is extra hungry and thirsty so will feed her the same as always and have fresh water available. She has been on the BARF raw diet since we got her as that is what the breeder had them on so we kept this up. I had no idea about Turmeric and the Golden Paste, that sounds great. Looking into this the last few days online i can see a lot of people using natural remedies with a mixture of the medicines from the vet so will look into this also.

Being a BC is Stella still really active? Ebony is ball obsessed and still wants to play so much i have been a little scared if we play like we usually do that this she will heat up and have a seizure so our ball session have been shorter the last few days, any thoughts?

Thanks again and all the best with Stella (My first dog growing up was a BC his name was Max, i will never forget him)

I had a Chihuahua with epilepsy years ago.

First seizure at age 3. Recovered by the time I reached the vets I thought it was a spider bite as we were in the garden. Another 6 months or so later.

The vet advised that unless he had them regularly there was no point on putting him on medication & to keep him from hurting himself when having a fit.

He had a seizure about once or twice a year some years, no more often, some years none at all & died at age 16. We managed with him fine so I guess they don't all need medication. Your dog may only ever have one fit a year or maybe not at all again. A dog on permanent medication after having 2 seizures seems a bit premature.

Discuss more thoroughly with your vet about the need for medication if it is not going to be a frequent occurrence.

Thank you for your reply :) I am glad to hear that your Chihuahua lived a full life without any medication, i was really hesitant to put her on them, but the first night she had 2 seizures one after the other and the scond night she had another 2 further time apart, we are going back in 3 weeks so i will speak with the vet on this again and may also look to get a second opinion :) Looking into this on this forum and online i see a lot of people are going to holistic vets for this sort of thing, which is something i am also looking into :) Thanks again!

I have a dog with epilepsy and although it can be challenging to manage at times (especially when starting a new medication or adjusting dose), most dogs will be able to live a relatively normal life with it.

A few suggestions..

Watch her weight. My greyhound has put on 2kgs over almost 3 years of medicating. Phenobarb can make them hungry but also less inclined to exercise. From my experience, potassium bromide is even worse for this issue and when used in combination with PB, also greatly increases risk of pancreatitis.

There are a few other side effects you'll probably notice (rear end may get a bit wobbly, they may get a bit dopey) but usually these things settle over time. Once again, KBr is worse for these issues. Personally, I found PB to be a really good drug and although we do get breakthrough seizures on mono therapy, the side effects are now almost unnoticeable. That said.. some dogs are more sensitive to certain drugs than others so it's just trial and error to see what drug/how much works for them.

Thank you so much for this post, particulary as you mentioned their rear gets wobbly, i noticed this last night i hope that is going to go away (she has only been on meds so far for 3 days & the vet did say it may take about a week or so for her to adjust, i also noticed already her hunger has increased she is at a good weight now so i really hope this doesn't increase too much, being a lab she already loves her food!

How old was your dog when he/she started having seizures, would you say you only have them a few times a year or more frequently?

All the best with your Greyhound :)

So sorry for you and your girl. Haven't had an epi dog, but the seizures my previous BC boy had after he ate something poisonous, were just awful.

Yes, I would contact her breeder and gently let him/her know what is happening. Good breeders know that epilepsy can crop up occasionally and randomly, but it is certainly important information for a breeder to have. (Good breeders will be pretty upset to think that not so nice things are happening to those precious little pups that they spent so much time raising, and will be upset for the owners too.)

There are several DOLers who have dealt/are dealing with epi dogs, and hopefully they'll be along soon to advise and support. You could try a search on the forums too.

There used to be a really good Yahoo group .. Canine Epilepsy should find it. May have transferred over to a Facebook group now.

Best wishes for you and Ebony.

ETA .. just did a search on epilepsy in this forum .. 138 threads. The search box is on the top right hand side of the page.

Thanks Tassie for your reply and suggested link it is greatly appreciated I will also be contacting the breeder so they have all the information they require

Thanks!

Thanks Tassie for your reply and suggested link it is greatly appreciated :) I will also be contacting the breeder so they have all the information they require

Thanks!

My 4 and a half year old Labrador has just been put on epilepsy medications by our Vet. She had her first ever seizure on the weekend lucky she was sleeping on our bed and her shaking woke us up so we were with her. This was such a sad thing to witness, i called emergency straight away and while i was on the phone with them it passed but 5 mins later she had a second one so we rushed her in and she stayed overnight to be monitored.

The next night at home she had 2 more each one going for a minute and a half 3 hours apart. We took her to our local vet the next day and he ran some blood work, everything came back clear. She is on Phenobarbital and we are going back in 3 weeks with urine sample and further blood work.

Poor Ebony hasn't had the best of luck the last 6 months back in November many of her toenails started splitting and dropping off which was very painful she was diagnosed with Symmetric Lupoid Onychodystrophy which is an auto-immune condition that was attacking her toes. We have been seeing a dermatologist at Animal Referral Hospital and she has been on medication plan to surpress her immune so it can build up again, this treatment has been successful however it is still ongoing and we are going back in three months for another checkup and hopefully all treatment for this can stop. Ebony has been in 'remission' for this over one month now and her toenails have started growing back healthy. I did ask three vets if this treatment could have caused the seizure but they said no as she has been off the cortizone for over a month and is still only on vitamin B3 and antibiotics.

Just when we were getting excited that she was in remission with the auto-immune issue the seizure incident happened. My husband and i are heartbroken to see her go through this and i hate the thought of her being put on more medication, however will do whatever required to assist her. She is the queen of our house and still has a wagging tail no matter what she is going through which breaks my heart even more

Just wanted to get some feedback and advice from others who may have gone through similar situation with seizures, this is new to me and i am so paranoid leaving her to go to work now Ebony was purchased through a breeder found on Dogzonline, should i contact them and let them know about this so they don't continue to breed from her siblings even if this was some years ago?

Your advice is greatly appreciated :)

This might be a silly question as i know all dogs are different just like humans in terms of temperament and personality, however does the fact that she is a female have anything to contribute? She is desexed

I strongly disagree with all the doomsayers here. Dogs also have bad days if it was my dog I would carry on as usual, probably restrict ball play keep her closer and keep an eye on her for a while. I would also have given the poodle owners a serve.

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Really?? How compassionate when it was their dog that was injured.

Agreed. I am also bewildered why assistance wasn't offered with paying a vet bill.

Twodoggies2001 - this man was very angry (as you would be) he was yelling at us picked his dog up quickly and walked off not allowing a chance for a conversation to take place to exchange details etc otherwise i would have definitly offered with the vet bill and contact details to find out if his dog was ok after vet check up

Point taken and I didn't want to appear patronizing. I do hope his little dog is OK. It would always be on my mind regarding the outcome.

No that's ok , it is on my mind since the weekend i hope he is ok also, the whole thing was such a shock and happened so quickly from the incident with my dog to being yelled at by the owner - i am fortunate to have Steve from K9 pro only 40 minutes from where i live to get her assessed and get the correct advise/training plan for her

steve at k9 pro.

don't get someone like barkbusters etc in. go with a recommendation.

I have just gotten off the phone with K9 pro their website reads really well and Steve's bio looks great, i will be making a booking very soon to meet with him, thanks :)

I strongly disagree with all the doomsayers here. Dogs also have bad days if it was my dog I would carry on as usual, probably restrict ball play keep her closer and keep an eye on her for a while. I would also have given the poodle owners a serve.

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Really?? How compassionate when it was their dog that was injured.

Agreed. I am also bewildered why assistance wasn't offered with paying a vet bill.

Twodoggies2001 - this man was very angry (as you would be) he was yelling at us picked his dog up quickly and walked off not allowing a chance for a conversation to take place to exchange details etc otherwise i would have definitly offered with the vet bill and contact details to find out if his dog was ok after vet check up

thanks everyone,

Mixeduppup - i am located in Sydney West area, am at work at the moment currently looking online for a good behaviourist but any recommendation would be great! :)

i will also be looking into a behaviorist/trainer on this issue to make sure i am reading signs correctly by someone qualified :)

Thanks everyone! :) Just came back from our night walk with my girl it was relaxing and enjoyable...

Haredown Whippets - i agree with you that this is unlikely to reoccur and our walks on lead have always been enjoyable and relaxing for both myself and her. We will not be attending dog parks to avoid this happening again.

She always heals/walks next to me and sits automatically at every kerb before we continue walking across the road this is something we have been doing from a very young age, if she pulls a little or goes to sniff too long at something i say 'leave it' and she always does and continues walking.

Thanks again, have a wonderful night ahead

Regards

Georgina

Thanks everyone for your advice and notes it is greatly appreciated. I personally am wrapped with guilt that a small dog had to experience such a traumatic thing and i pray that the man took it to the vet and nothing serious occurred internally. I really feel for him as my other dog is so small only 4.5kgs and i know how fragile they are and how strong my lab and her jaws are and the damage they can do.

This has been a very big eye opener for me and a learning experience and will only continue to walk on lead and play ball at home (lucky i have a decent size back yard for this). I won't act like she is a ticking time bomb however will be super careful and alert when out walking on the lead.

Tdierikx - that is some serious damage your poor rottie/pittie i feel very sorry she had to go through that pain. This situation does make me think how my lab really does feel at the dog park, maybe not as comfortable as i thought she has always shown more interest, and happiness around humans and would just ignore other dogs, sniff them and walk off but never close to what happened recently.

This experience would never put me off dogs i have a great love for them all and want to do the right thing by my dogs and other people dogs. I do realise that all dogs have different personalities and love my girl to death, just so upset that this happened at all.

Anyway thanks all again for your comments it has been a great help

Cheers

Georgina

Thanks everyone for your advice and notes it is greatly appreciated. I personally am wrapped with guilt that a small dog had to experience such a traumatic thing and i pray that the man took it to the vet and nothing serious occurred internally. I really feel for him as my other dog is so small only 4.5kgs and i know how fragile they are and how strong my lab and her jaws are and the damage they can do.

This has been a very big eye opener for me and a learning experience and will only continue to walk on lead and play ball at home (lucky i have a decent size back yard for this). I won't act like she is a ticking time bomb however will be super careful and alert when out walking on the lead.

Tdierikx - that is some serious damage your poor rottie/pittie i feel very sorry she had to go through that pain. This situation does make me think how my lab really does feel at the dog park, maybe not as comfortable as i thought she has always shown more interest, and happiness around humans and would just ignore other dogs, sniff them and walk off but never close to what happened recently.

This experience would never put me off dogs i have a great love for them all and want to do the right thing by my dogs and other people dogs. I do realise that all dogs have different personalities and love my girl to death, just so upset that this happened at all.

Anyway thanks all again for your comments it has been a great help

Cheers

Georgina

Thanks everyone for your advice and notes it is greatly appreciated. I personally am wrapped with guilt that a small dog had to experience such a traumatic thing and i pray that the man took it to the vet and nothing serious occurred internally. I really feel for him as my other dog is so small only 4.5kgs and i know how fragile they are and how strong my lab and her jaws are and the damage they can do.

This has been a very big eye opener for me and a learning experience and will only continue to walk on lead and play ball at home (lucky i have a decent size back yard for this). I won't act like she is a ticking time bomb however will be super careful and alert when out walking on the lead.

Tdierikx - that is some serious damage your poor rottie/pittie i feel very sorry she had to go through that pain. This situation does make me think how my lab really does feel at the dog park, maybe not as comfortable as i thought she has always shown more interest, and happiness around humans and would just ignore other dogs, sniff them and walk off but never close to what happened recently.

This experience would never put me off dogs i have a great love for them all and want to do the right thing by my dogs and other people dogs. I do realise that all dogs have different personalities and love my girl to death, just so upset that this happened at all.

Anyway thanks all again for your comments it has been a great help

Cheers

Georgina

thanks so much persephone for the advise much appreciated, yes she is walked on lead every day which i will continue, also noted on the above

Thanks again

Thanks so much Christina, she doesn't usually guard her ball actually other dogs at the park steal it off her all the time and she lets them, she had a recent vet check two weeks ago for her yearly injections and all was ok, i think i will take her back for another check up to make sure everything is ok.

She has been fine with my other dog but will keep an eye on them, i agree with you i don't feel comfortable for her sake and other dogs sake off the lead any more it's definitly not worth the risk

Thanks again for the advice.

Cheers

Georgina

I have reposted this into the General Dog discussion section, thanks again :)

Hi There,

I have a 3 and a half year old black lab (pedigree with papers that we purchased from a breederfound on Dogzonline) she is adorable!,wants nothing more than belly scratches, absolutely loves people and is totally ball obsessed. I also have a two year old Shih Tzu x Pekingnese (male)and they get a long well, play and sleep together

My Lab is quite a dominant femaale and the breeder informed us that her mother was the same, e.g. if a male tries to mount her she will sit and growl and they will leave her alone she is also a great guard dog at home.

She has been to puppy training and further training to work on her manners e.g. walk without pulling, no jumping etc which has been a huge help. She has also been going to an off the leash dog park since she received all her puppy vaccinations so is used to being around all sorts of people and dogs over the years.

The other day we went to this same dog park and we were throwing the ball she was bringing it back nothing out of the ordinary just minding her business, when on her way back a poodle mix (much small than her) came running very fast at her then the next think i know my lab has grabbed it by the neck and was shaking it and the poor thing was squealing, i ran as quickly as i could as soon as i grabed her she let go of the dog and it ran off - i didnt see any puncture wounds or blood but the poor little thing was so scared and the owner was very angry with us (as you would be) saying its an off the leash area how can we allow a vicious dog off the lead etc. I was trying to explain that she has never acted like this otherwise i definitly wouldn't have her off lead, i didn't see if this dog nipped her first for her to act this way.

She has experienced a lot of small dogs running up to her and either barking or nipping at her feet but she would either just walk off or growl and keep on walking never acting like she did with this dog.

I am so upset that she would act this way towards another dog and am trying to understand what could have made her behaive this way as she has never been treated badly by anyone, did she just get fed up with smalls dogs having a go at her? This small dog didn't seem aggressive at all. Needless to say we won't be going back to this park

Advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

G

Thanks Teela, do you know how i could do this?

Hi There,

I have a 3 and a half year old black lab (pedigree with papers that we purchased from a breederfound on Dogzonline) she is adorable!,wants nothing more than belly scratches, absolutely loves people and is totally ball obsessed. I also have a two year old Shih Tzu x Pekingnese (male)and they get a long well, play and sleep together

My Lab is quite a dominant femaale and the breeder informed us that her mother was the same, e.g. if a male tries to mount her she will sit and growl and they will leave her alone she is also a great guard dog at home.

She has been to puppy training and further training to work on her manners e.g. walk without pulling, no jumping etc which has been a huge help. She has also been going to an off the leash dog park since she received all her puppy vaccinations so is used to being around all sorts of people and dogs over the years.

The other day we went to this same dog park and we were throwing the ball she was bringing it back nothing out of the ordinary just minding her business, when on her way back a poodle mix (much small than her) came running very fast at her then the next think i know my lab has grabbed it by the neck and was shaking it and the poor thing was squealing, i ran as quickly as i could as soon as i grabed her she let go of the dog and it ran off - i didnt see any puncture wounds or blood but the poor little thing was so scared and the owner was very angry with us (as you would be) saying its an off the leash area how can we allow a vicious dog off the lead etc. I was trying to explain that she has never acted like this otherwise i definitly wouldn't have her off lead, i didn't see if this dog nipped her first for her to act this way.

She has experienced a lot of small dogs running up to her and either barking or nipping at her feet but she would either just walk off or growl and keep on walking never acting like she did with this dog.

I am so upset that she would act this way towards another dog and am trying to understand what could have made her behaive this way as she has never been treated badly by anyone, did she just get fed up with smalls dogs having a go at her? This small dog didn't seem aggressive at all. Needless to say we won't be going back to this park

Advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

G