6 minute seizure!

I have read that if the dog has seizures that last longer than a couple of minutes or have two in a day, then you have to take them to the emergency clinic or vet if they are open at the time of the events in order to stop the seizure. It can cause permanent brain damage, I think, if it is not stoped right away.

My vets say not, for Emma, BUT she is a special case. She cannot be given valium (which is the typical seizure stopper) to stop her from seizuring, because of her liver. If I took her to the e vet, they'd inject her, without asking, apparently. My vets agree that I should try to get valerian tincture down her, and keep her as quiet as possible. Of course, that is specifically for Emma, and NOT necessarily what's best for every dog.

Definitely get in touch with a holistic vet (or a few!). Acupuncture, herbs, bach flower remedies, and homeopathy are amazing. The more I learn, the more I want to know. It's absolutely fascinating. It *does* work. It's powerful medicine. It sounds crazy, especially at first, but this stuff is amazing. Emma has had a seizure that lasted twenty minutes, before. If alternative methods can help her, they can help anybody.

BTW, she's incontinent, and very prone to UTIs. Have you ever tried D Mannose for Flea?

Hi, we used to have an ACD  mix who had idiopathic epilepsy as well. We put her down[] she had a very hard time controlling her back legs and would sometimes even drag her paws, this I  was a side efect of the phenobarbital and she became incontitent. When we put her down in the last couple of days she was having 2 or 3 seizures everyday so my grandpa decided it was time for her to go to the rainbow bridge.She had started on the potassium bromide but it has to be in the dogs system for a while to take effect so we didn't start it in time. I belive there was many things we could have done to help but my g-pa only wanted to listen to the vet despite all the articles I'd found on the internet, that stated things like a grain free diet and what not he didn't try any of them. If I were you I'd definitlly(sp?) seek the advice a qualified holistic vet. (also she had grand mal seizures not petit)

This is just a thought, but are there oak trees around your yard. I've heard of acorns causing problems with dogs.

I don't know about oak trees, but my vet said walnut hulls are toxic and would cause severe tremors (which is what she thought was wrong with my boy based on my particular description of his reaction - which was different from op's dog's reaction).

Two summers ago Dr. Cheryl Crissman (head of the neurology department at University of FL) did her seminar topic at the Dog Owners and Breeders Symposium on canine epilepsy -- her very first statement?
 
"If you have a dog who seizes once a month or less then please try first to control the seizures with alternative methods like herbals, acupuncture and even diet -- IT WORKS.  And if your dog is seizing more than that you will likely need to use some pharmaceuticals BUT you can effectively keep them minimal with altnerative methods.  Please try it!"
 
I had dinner with her this summer and told her how often I'd quoted her (it was at another seminar -- this is just a lady I respect highly -- we aren't bosom buddies or anything).  She has since joined the faculty of the Chi Institute as well.  I can't emphasize enough - two of the members of the Chi Institute (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine [linkhttp://www.tcvm.com]http://www.tcvm.com[/link]) Dr. Crissman and Dr. Clemmons are both neurologists at UF.  Dr. Clemmons is the one often quoted on here -- he's an international authority on stuff like DM in dogs.
 
What Jennie is saying above isn't 'weird stuff' -- it's good medicine.  The brain is mostly electrical and all acupuncture does is help re-establish the flree flow of electrical energy thru the body. 
 
The suggestions above about environmental stuff are SOOOO on target.  You would be astounded at the things that can cause seizures -- from Pine Sol to acorns, to neon lights flashing and beyond.
 
But also -- learning how to deal with your dog's seizures -- how to put them at ease, having a stockpile of things IN YOUR HOME to relax the dog a.s.a.p. will help a dog thru a seizure. A 6 minute seizure is very dangerous -- but there ARE things you can keep right in your medicine cabinet or purse that will lessen the severity of a seizure. 
 
I ahve a friend who does epi dog rescue -- and if you want to email me I'd be happy to put you in touch with Rita.  She's awesome.

I can identify with the lights causing seizures.  I had an old cat once that could not be in the same room with a TV.  Just the scene changes got him going.  Fortunately for us, he didn't seize as long as there were no flashing lights, and lived to the ripe old age of just a tad under 19.

Hey guys! Can't thank you enough for all the amazing info - I am going to look into the diet thing. My only catch 22 is this...she is on prescrip food to control her UTI's which works amazingly - so, I am hesitant to switch her diet. I tried once, and she got another UTI. Suggestions?

She has been on a .3 ml twice a day dose of potassium bromide since Friday, pm. And seems to be doing just fine. The side effects, if any are supposed to include lethargy, but I actually think it might be makng her more hyper. She is a mellow dog, so it's kind of obvious. Tonight, not long after I gave her the meds, she ran around all hyper, playing with my other dog (and toys - which she never plays with).

Any other suggestions for administering the liquid dose? I CAN put it in her food and she'll eat it, but I'd rather not, as I have another chihuahua and they like to switch bowls after they've each eaten and lick them clean ("What'd YOU have? Same thing as last night - what YOU have?"). I am just afraid that there is a margin for error here, in forgetting to pick up the bowl. The last few times, I've given her the dose on a small piece of bread which works fantastic because she gobbles it down. BUT - with all this reading about the anti-wheat diet - now, I'm afraid to do even that! Ideas? What's a good absorbant food to sneak the dose in?

One more thing - Calliecritturs - would love the contact info for your friend. My e-mail address is: turdbot@hotmail.com
(yes, that reads 'turd'. Yes, I am immature. )

Thanks again everyone!

We used to add it to the food but I understand your concern with your Chi sharing bowls. How about giving a teaspoon of canned and the KBr and then feeding the rest of the food after the med is consumed?
Also it can be administered with an oral syringe into the side of the mouth.
It tastes like salty water, and it's only weakly salty not like sea water (yes, I tasted it) []

I tried once, and she got another UTI. Suggestions?

cranberry, vitamin c, and d-mannose

I asked the vet about a food-related possibility. He said - it's possible, yet unlikely. And referred to her recent blood tests which did not show anything unusual related to sodium or magnesium (lacking in epileptic dogs who may be on a sub-standard diet).

 
I don't have anything really to add other than it irks me when vets say things like this.  I understand where he is coming from, and he is just going on what he learned in vet school.  BUT, perhaps diet doesn't directly have anything to do with the seizure activity as far as a deficiency goes, but diet has a whole lot to do with the funciton of the immune system.
 
Diet is not a cure-all for anything and everything, but is does play a major role in the well being of our pets (and ourselves, might I add).  Just my [sm=2cents.gif]

BUT, perhaps diet doesn't directly have anything to do with the seizure activity as far as a deficiency goes,

Which reminds me.....

Seizure activity has been related to taurine levels, so I (and many epi dog owners) feed supplemental taurine. My dogs LOVE raw beef heart. A meal of hearts, once a week (they get four meals a day, so it's not much) is enough to make a significant difference, for my dog.

There's lots of fascinating things regarding epilepsy and diet that most vets aren't taught. For instance, estrogen is a convulsant. If your dog is unspayed, she will seizure more near her cycles. Soy is a phytoestrogen, and often triggors seizures. Some herbs are phytoestrogens, too. Human doctors manage to miss this stuff, too, but it's well known in the world of alternative health care providers, and it does work. It worked for hundreds of years before there was KBr, and it still works today.