I have a seizure dog too -- Ms. Kee Shu (the peke below). The problem is the meds (phenobarbitol and potassium bromide) are pretty darned hard on the body -- and often it takes more and more of the drug to control it as they age.
If at all possible, please try acupuncture **FIRST**. Often between acupuncture and Chinese herbs you can avoid the drugs all together.
This isn't weird stuff -- A lot of vet schools are now teaching acupuncture. The U of Fl at Gainesville teaches acupuncture and Chinese herbology in their vet school program. I've heard several of their vets speaking in seminars and they say "Don't put a dog on drugs if the dog if seizing less than 4 or so times a month."
Seizures are scarey things. The biggest deal is that you have to stay calm. By remaining calm you can then talk the dog thru the seizure. You can help them ride it out and not be scared.
They are scared after a seizure and often very hungry and very tired. There are several of us on here who have seizure dogs. We try to be suppport for each other.
One of the things you CAN do is make a list of anything you can think of over the past several weeks that exposed this dog to **ANY** kind of chemical.
In your list include time, date, specifics about "place" where the dog had the seizure (right down to what corner of the room they were in, if there were any windows or lights or sounds you could see or hear).
One friend of mine has a dog she bathed in a Hartz shampoo -- the dog seized about 20 minutes later. Sometimes they can seize again later from the same trigger event.
ANY chemical is suspect. Anything from a shampoo, conditioner, flea preparation, heartworm medicine, anything you put in the food or water or on them. It can be something you've used on this dog many times -- but include it in your list because sometimes it can be a minor variation in a formula or simply that *this* time it was a problem.
Look also at chemicals in your home/apartment. Did your yard or apartment get treated for bugs? Did the city fog for mosquitos, did your neighbor fertilize their lawn (ASK). The dog doesn't have to walk on it or touch it -- just scent alone that travels on the air can do it.
Have you recently sprayed air freshener or used a plug in freshener or used anything in the air or on the floors to clean or make things smell night. How about your own cologne? What did YOU do just prior to the seizure.
IN particular do you clean with anything with pine in it? Is there pine near your home/apartment? (pine can be a trigger)
It's hard to even think of such a list -- but write down what comes to mind and then add to it as you think of other things.
When was the last time the dog went to the vet? Had vaccines or anything there?
What's blooming around your home or apartment? Anything new?
If you write down anything you can think of any time the dog seizes it can help you determine the trigger.
But honestly? The biggest thing that can trigger seizures is stress. Anything going on in your life? A breakup? Job trauma? anything that has you particularly upset or stressed?
Your stress can translate to the dog in such a huge way.
When the dog comes up to you (often they are very clingy or act fearful or nervous before a seizure) set what you're doing aside and sit down and just reassure the dog that you're there and it's all O ... K ....!!!! Smile -- don't act nervous or worried. I often sing (no I'm not good -- but I have songs for each of my dogs with their name in them -- just any kiddie song that I can put their name in) and that's something I routinely use to calm them.
You might pick up some valerian tincture at a health store -- preferably one that's non-alcohol (mostly because it's sweeter and tastes better than the alcohol one). But that works fast and can sometimes help to calm them and avert a seizure.
IF the dog begins a seizure you can actually even rub some valerian tincture on the gums. It will actually help.
If you can get to a health store that sells Newton Homeopathics they have a good formula:
https://www.newtonlabs.net/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=875
It's for fear and nervousness -- again, you can give it if you even *think* the dog may be headed for a seizure, or you can pull up the lip and just squirt it on their gums DURING a seizure. It will help.
Another that might be easier to find is Chamomillia -- another homeophatic. It's in the little blue Boiron tubes (30C-- that's a measurement of 'strength' in a homeopathic) -- and for a dog like this I would tell you to dump the entire tube into a plastic ziplock bag and crush all the tiny pellets with the edge of something hard. Put the 'dust' in something airtight and if she begins to seize literally just put a tiny tiny tiny amount (like no more than would have made 3-4 of those tiny pellets) in between her gum and teeth (you probably won't get IN her mouth).
Those little blue dispensers are a pain -- they are made for a human to hold in their teeth and tip your head back and "twist" so the pellets fall into your mouth under your tongue. Nice for a human, but tough to give to a dog. But homeopathics work great -- won'd react badly with ANY drugs.
Mostly, I'm going to tell you to find a vet who does TCVM -- traditional Chinese veterinary medicine -- that's acupuncture and herbs. Chinese herbs are strong -- they will do pretty much exactly what pheno will do but without the side effects.
http://www.tcvm.com is the website of the Chi Institute. They are a qualifying agency for TCVM and on the left hand side there is a "locator" that will help you find a vet who does TCVM in your area.
If you want email me and I can answer any questions you might have. (my vet actually teaches for the Chi Institute so I'm fortunate that I know a lot of these vets and I've had awesomely good experience with them). Honestly it's not as expensive as you might think given the testing that a neuro vet will likely do. But he quality of life can be so much better without the drugs.
Don't get me wrong -- if you *have* to do pheno or potassium bromide (kBr) it's very very successful with many dogs. It's not something that is fatal -- you just learn to deal with them.
Unfortunately in this life bad things happen to good people and good dogs. But we just learn to deal with these things and let them make us stronger. Out of my four dogs THREE have had major problems. And they do fine.
Good luck, but don't be afraid, ok?