Staffy-Lover

hehhe, megs i have a similar story.

we have cats and keep their food up on a round mushroom table. one night i was in the office and hear a big BANG and ran out to find the table up ended with food everywhere. Thought my fatso cat must have tipped it over as it is not that stable.

cleaned up and put things right.

next minute i hear the noise again, run out to find my 30kg staffy standing ON the table eating the cat food hehehehehehe Caught red handed !

Good to hear that pup is feeling better and looking brighter, as puggles said he is not on that high a dose so hopefully he will come good soon.

Sonni - sorry to hear your sad story BUT it is a good warning to all to have an emergency plan.

Meg, if puppy cluster seizures you need to keep puppies temperature down or his vitals could boil. I use an ice pack on the back and in the pressure spots. I also use a cool towel and a fan if i can get them in ahurry. and ice cream to eat or iceblocks when he comes out of it. If he goes into status (doesn't stop seizing) you need to get him to a VET without hesitation. YOu should discuss an emergency plan with your vet and have it written down so if he is not available and u go to a strange vet you can demand that action. Know your 24 hour vet location. etc

But - remember many dogs live long healthy lives with epilepsy. So don't stress too much.

Update us when you can.

Sheltielover - that is a gorgeous picture hope all is well

hi guys,

yeh it took my pup about 1 wk to be able to walk straight and about 2-3 wks before he was bright and chirpy.

each dog is different though.. but he will come good.

my pup is 30kgs and was started on 100mg

so 25mg for an 11kg dog is fine, infact still low.

keep us updated

meg,

the lethargy comes and goes. Once he is over this initial stage you will see a much brighter dog don't worry. But until you get the meds worked out he will be off his pace.

It is a very emotionally stressful thing to see your pup either seizuring or lethargic from meds, so you do sometimes just need to let out that cry. But over time as you educate yourself on all you can about epilepsy the stress goes a LITTLE bit as you feel more prepared.

Have a big cry, cause it will make you feel better. Just know that we are going through the same thing and are here to talk when you need

hope all is well

i am sorry to hear that Trisven i hope your daughter is better now. And i agree that panadol, nurofen etc should not be available except through a chemist.

NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO

nurofen is not even good for humans. My sister is a nurse and says that nurofen can cause all sorts of problems, the least being stomache ulcers.

I would be asking my vet about this one

hi white shep,

yep i realised that you obviously owned a white shep, but thought you might own more than one dog and that the epi might be something else hehehehhehehehe

beautiful dog by the way, I have never seen one before.

meg, u can expect pup to be wonky and lethargic for a few weeks, so dont worry too much. PB will make pup more thirsty and hungry, so you will see an increase in toilet activity. Regarding the hunger - you have to be careful pup doesn't put on too much weight. Also feed pb with food not by itself to help liver out a bit.

Bradbury (near campbelltown) has a v good vet - my sister uses him. His name is Morris.

Now the M7 is in, u could try my vet over at Rooty Hill - his name is Rob, he is excellent and has contacts with the people at Sydney University who specialise in epilepsy.

Keep in touch, the support helps you go from panic to controlled anxiety heheheheheheheh

hi meg and whiteshep !

wow whiteshep that is a great result. My poor pup is having a much harder time of it, didn't respond at all to the pb have just started kbr.

meg, as whiteshep said the grains might be a bit high. I just use a good quality dog biscuit as a supplement to the fresh foods. you can use pasta and rice but maybe not as much.

I actually have to steam or boil my pups veges. I know this means it is not quite as good but is still good for them. Try cabbage they usually like that.

wondering what type of dog you have? Mine is a staffy. What about you white shepmum?

meg - be ready for the pb to knock pup around a bit. will be off balance and lethargic, but don't panic cause this goes away in a few weeks.

hope you get a good result.... keep us updated

Hi Meg Ed,

sorry to hear your puppy seizured again. My pup has them every two weeks at this stage. NOT good.

we are currently on pb and kbr mix. Only been on kbr for a month, it takes about 4 months to work so fingers crossed it works.

I have also completely changed his diet. Cutting grains to a minimum and feeding raw meat and steamed veges. KBR reacts to changes in salt so am maintaining a very steady diet.

Let us know what meds your doc puts you on, and if you need any help.

where do all you guys live? In sydney? Be nice to have a epi australia support group

all my best

Avocado in moderation is fine for dogs, it is when it is given in large amounts or very regularly, same with garlic.

Corn. is good, but not whole.

As for carrots and some greens, which the dogs don't digest properly, you need to steam them a bit for the dogs to get nutrition from them. EG, if you give a raw carrot to your dog you will notice it pretty much comes out the other end untouched.

I feed my dog a mainly fresh although slightly steamed diet... greens are the best vegetables to give. I give boc choy, brocolli, cabbage, beans, plus i give whole egg once a month, sweet potato they love but you have to give it sparingly cause it has lots of carbs so will block the dog up if too much,, maybe two three times a week max. Yoghurt is good in moderation.

NOTE - peanut butter could cause a problem if puppy has allergies. And like people i wouldn't give too many nutty products to pup, maybe in moderation as a treat though????

Goldy, my staffy gets the same thing, red saws with a head on his toes. i too thought it was grass seeds, but the vet checked and nope it isn't. We have quartazone (sp?) cream if it gets too bad and this seems to clear it up eventually.

when my staffy gets other itches on his body i use the aloe vera plant, just put it in the fridge to make it nice and cool and then cut it open and wipe on. much cheaper than gels and creams. and works well on his tummy rash that he gets from the grass, but you have to wipe the rash down first with cool water. dry it off then add the alo.

i am going to give the vinegar thingy a go.

thanks guys.

Thanks everyone for their info, i will research all these brands.

A BIG THANKYOU

Thanks for the info guys.

ps. do u know who makes Innova? I just like to check out that the company doesn't do animal testing etc on their other products before i buy

thanks

Hi,

One of my staffs is epileptic and so i am seeking a good quality dry food that has no colours, preservatives, etc.

I give mainly fresh diet so this is just as a supplement.

Was wondering who uses what?

Hi Pixel.

my staffy boy gets ear infections aswell. unfortunately the humid weather that we've been having can contribute to this. Also my fatso is black so i have to leave his shell pool out alot and he is almost always in it, the vet said because of the floppy over ears that staffs have and because of this water and the humidity and the skin allergy thing that staffies get, that this all contributes to the ear thing.

He has given me "TOPIGEN" which is an ear liquid, to take home and use when i see him scratching at it.... or more usually when my staffy girl won't stop licking fatso's ear sure sign of infection. Definately worked for us.

Perhaps you could ask for some to take home..... hope u find a solution

A lovely lady in germany gave me this one and my dogs LOVE them.

Pure up chicken or "other" liver

add brocolli and any other vegetable you want ie mushrooms

add one egg

half cup of wholemeal flour

bake - with windown open cause liver stinks hehehe

but my dogs LOVE them, and they are healthy

I have a similar vet... makes such a difference when you feel as though the vet actually cares about your pet, rather than just doing a job.

my vet spends so much extra time keeping up to date with the latest research, and He calls me on sunday to give me the results of bloodtests cause he says he knows how much i worry,,,, he is really unbelievable..

Sonny.

sorry to hear that you have just discovered epilepsy in your pup. It is a very frightening thing, but can honestly say that once you educate yourself on what to expect it becomes a little easier. Still scary, but the panic subsides.

i have posted above to sheltielover a list for epi dog owners, you should join, they have a wealth of knowledge that they can provide on what to expect, also, it is sometimes just good to be able to talk to someone who knows how you feel.

keep us updated on your puppy's progress

all my best

Hi Sheltie Lover,

Gabapentin has just been trialled in Australia by Sydney University and they got a good result. it is used in conjunction with other drugs not by itself.

it is used alot in the us - you should join the epil-k9 list, it is a list of people with epi dogs around the world. many from the us use gabapentin

[email protected]

my puppy uses pb and kbr at present, with an extremely strict diet, it has only been a week so not sure if it is going to work but fingers crossed it does.

hope you find a solution that works for you soon

let me know how the gabapentin goes if you end up using it

I m not saying that i agree or disagree with the statement about pharmaceutical companies having a cure that they don't provide , ,,, as i don't know either way.

However, pharmaceutical companies are definately only in it for the money.

Look at South Africa where the pharmaceutical companies and the Government have contracts tied up that mean that even though a cheaper medicine is available to treat the terrible epidemic of aids in the country, they are not allowed to use it. They have to buy the expensive one, which means half the population can't afford a solution.

aaaaaahhhh this world is a shocker sometimes.

As for rescue remedy and homopathic remedies, well i certainly can say that rescue remedy provides relief for many epi dogs

All my best

Hi Oren,

I have a dog with epilepsy , many people with epi dogs use it and it works wonders for them.

As you know staffs are prone to them.

u could try aloe vera plant

there is also a good tea tree cream that u can get at a petstore

note - don't over wash your pup

good luck