Epilepsy

You could try a vet specialist.  If you live in or within driving distance of a large city, there are often vet specialists.  Vet schools offer another option.  There are many times when the specialist folk have some leading edge or experimental options the typical GP vets have not yet had the opportunity to learn or many not have the same type diagnostic tools at their disposal.

Hi,
There aren't any specialist in our area. I looked into that. The one at Ohio State left and they have not replaced him yet.

MAry Ann

You might try goggling Dogtor J.  You might even find him in a forum search if you go back a good ways.  I don't know who the guy actually is, or if he is in fact a vet, but there are folks here with epileptic dogs who swear by his diet protocal.  I'm pretty sure that Jennie down in Savannah, follows it totally and has pretty much controlled her girls seizures with diet alone.  It's worth a shot to at least look him up.

Also, don't hesitate to get a consultation from a holistic vet.  One dog at our training center was having multiple seizures, not responding to meds, and the holistic vet used a homeopathic that did help.  (I believe it was belladonna, not sure if it was in combo with other therapies.) Worth a try.   Also, Google "canine epilepsy" and visit some of the Australian Shepherd msg boards - it's common in that breed, and you may find help there.  I would be willing to bet there's a Yahoo group for it, too.

Seems like the vet school at NCSU was looking for dogs that didn't respond to the Peno.  Might want to google for that too. 
 
Here's another link to get you started. 
 
[linkhttp://www.canine-epilepsy.com/index.html]http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/index.html[/link]
 
(d'oh, i see this link has a link for the ncsu study.)

I'm pretty sure that Jennie down in Savannah, follows it totally and has pretty much controlled her girls seizures with diet alone.

Dogtor J is actually a vet, with a full time practice in Birmingham[] I almost loaded Emma up, last year, and drove her to Alabama. Turns out, my lovely peanut butter cookies were triggoring her, and once I stopped making them, she stopped with the baby seizures she was having.

Anyhow, I do follow his diet religiously. No grains, no legumes, very few seeds, no soy, no dairy. I also control Emma's stress. I use valerian root, and Rescue Remedy in stressful situations. Skullcap is also supposed to be helpful. Anyhow, she's gone from daily cluster seizures to seizures about three times a year, with NO DRUGS. Emma cannot have seizure drugs, because she has liver shunts.

I agree with the holistic vet route. Acupuncture has also helped Emma out, quite a bit. We've never been to a specialist (because she has MANY issues, and which specialist would we choose first?), but a really good regular vet, combined with a really good holistic vet has been immensely helpful.

Acupuncture and herbals, used properly, can significantly reduce seizure activity -- try [linkhttp://www.tcvm.com]http://www.tcvm.com[/link] and there is a locator on the left side of the screen - you should find someone pretty near you.
 
If you use other alternative therapies (and Jennie has mentioned some super good ones) you can often reduce the seizures significant enough so that the potassium bromide will be effective, or you may not need as much. 
 
Jennie touched on a super big deal -- STRESS.  Stress triggers seizures very often -- your stress, the dog's stress, weather changes can even be 'stress'.  Learning to calm your dog down and help them THRU a seizure is a big huge deal -- even keeping such a thing as valerian tincture ON HAND (and literally AT hand or in your purse) so you can dose the dog immediately as soon as you see signs of the aura that says a seizure is approaching.
 
You need to talk to someone enough so that you learn to look for those signs that a seizure is approaching -- calm the dog down (some vets will even give you valium in an injectible form so you can calm the dog down in a big way if you need to) in order to avert or minimize a seizure.
 
Once you visit an acupuncturist - you can actually massage the same points with the tip of your finger to help avert the seizure. 
 
There can also be things in your environment that may trigger a seizure -- Jennie mentioned a LOT of diet things can cause seizures.  But even things like cleaning chemicals can actually cause siezures.
 
Keep a seizure diary -- what things happened before the seizure -- did the dog just come in from outside (do you have pine trees?, is there any chance the dog may be getting into or even sniffing chemicals of ANY kind at all -- auto, cleaning, pool, trash ...).  Do you clean with pine cleaners?  Have you tried changing cleaners to something less toxic?  There are a zillion variables but if you look you may find things you can to or not use that may help significantly.

Hi,
I have changed his diet. I am feeding him eagle pack holistic dog food. For snacks he get unsalted rice cakes, carrots and cabbage. We do not give him table scraps . We do give him rescue remedy after he has a seizuse and that seems to calm him down. I do have a couple of questions. There is a stray cat that uses our pine trees for a litter box and he has gone back and eaten the pine needles. We have since put rose branches in the pine needles and have restricted his access to the pine trees. Why did you mention pine needles. Are they toxic? Our vet is a holistic vet and he does practice accupuncture, so we do have that options.I was not sure how well these options worked I do know that when he gets stressed he tends to have a seizure. I do know the signs when they are about to happen. Do you know how much and what kind of valerian rood that you should give?
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!! They are greatly appreciated!!!
 
Mary Ann 

I have changed his diet. I am feeding him eagle pack holistic dog food. For snacks he get unsalted rice cakes, carrots and cabbage.

Change it again[] If you want to stick to a dog food, try Natural Balance sweet potato and fish or potato and duck, or IVD Simple Diets, or one of the high protein grain free diets. Something without grains. No more rice cakes. Read on dogtorj.net about WHY that is. I work part time at a health food store. My boss is a human nutritionist, and the same is true for humans with epilepsy.

Taurine supplements can help, too. I just feed raw hearts, for taurine.

Give the Rescue Remedy when you see a seizure coming on, and it may stop the seizure. I give my 17 pound dog 1 dropper full of valerian. Your dog might be bigger....

Hi Jennie,
I am using one of the dog foods that dogtorj said to use. Eagle pack holistic Duck and Oatmeal is on his list of dog foods to use. My dog is 30 lbs how did you find out how much to give on the valerian?
Thanks
Mary Ann

[linkhttp://dogtorj.net/id31.html]http://dogtorj.net/id31.html[/link]

"Wheat, barley, and oats are highest (in glutamate and aspartate). Corn and rice are lower than the previous three but higher than potatoes."

[linkhttp://dogtorj.net/id39.html]http://dogtorj.net/id39.html[/link]

It's one of his "clean" foods, but NOT one of the foods he reccomends for elipileptic dogs. "Keep in mind that for epileptic dogs, the potato-based diets are still the best as they are the lowest in glutamate. The grain alternatives (including rice) are considerably higher in this non-essential, neurostimulating amino acid that we are limiting to help seizures and pain in pets....."

Hi Jennie,
Thanks for the explaining this. I will try changing his food to one of the potato based foods.At this point, I am willing to try just about anything to controll his seizures. I know they will not go away, but I need to get them down to where they are manageable!

Thanks again!
Mary Ann

Hi Everyone,
 
I came across this thread while doing my monthly search for "dogtorj", checking for people linking my Website to theirs.
 
It's great to hear about those of you who have done the diet and seen results. The response to the elimination diet (the GARD) has been astounding, in both pets and people. I have a testimonial section on my site and also one on a Labrador forum ( [linkhttp://lab-retriever.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=13]http://lab-retriever.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=13[/link] - the Sticky at the top) that acts as a storehouse for some of the best Emails I have received. As you see, it is getting a lot of reading.
 
And yes, I am truly a veterinarian....have been one for 28 years. Although I did start out doing my Internet consulations anonymously, I have long since divulged my true identity and it can all be found on my Website.
 
I have been studying this topic for seven years now. I now understand exactly why the diet works (and why it occassionally fails to halt seizures). It is no mystery and can be understood by anyone without a medical degree unless science totally turns them off.
 
I have lost track of the number of dogs and people that have responded. I stopped counting after the first few years and focused on explaining why it worked and getting the word out, which is MUCH harder than one would think, especially when the neurologists in your profession tell everyone that diet has nothing to with epilepsy. Most human neurologists say the same thing despite the fact that responses to the ketogenic and now "modified Atkins" diets are well-known in the human realm and are being studied thoroughly at Johns Hopkins and The Mayo Clinics. Getting information into the hands of health professionals is tough...much harder than I could have ever imagined. But that's a whole 'nother topic. []
 
In the last year, I have presented this information at conferences of both veterinarians and MDs, with the latest being last month at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando. The reps in my area (Florida and Alabama) from IVD/Royal Canin are also helping by spreading the word. I have shared this on numerous Internet pet forums and human medical forums  and on podcasts (Google "dogtorj" and "Dogtor J" you'll get a feel for where I've been).
 
BUT, I am about to send a letter to the Deans and heads of the Neurology and Internal Medicine departments of EVERY veterinary school and institution (including my alma mater, Angell Memorial in Boston) in the USA explaining the work I have done in the past 7 years, with epilepsy being the highlight. That should really get the ball rolling. []
 
As always, if you have any questions about the epilepsy diet after reading my Website, please Email me. My address is in my contact section.
 
I hope this helps,
John

BUT, I am about to send a letter to the Deans and heads of the Neurology and Internal Medicine departments of EVERY veterinary school and institution (including my alma mater, Angell Memorial in Boston) in the USA explaining the work I have done in the past 7 years, with epilepsy being the highlight. That should really get the ball rolling.

That's pretty awesome. I'll be soooo happy to see mainstream vets sending epileptic dogs home with bags of IVD.