Starting Maddie on anti-seizure medication
As I've written here http://mycorgi.com/forum/topics/maddie-had-a-grand-mal-seizure-tonight
Madison had two seizures about 30 days apart.
I talked to the vet today and she wants her to start on phenobarbital. It will be 2x a day, with a blood check in 30 days and then about every 6 months thereafter.
Initial side effects can include grogginess and unsteadiness, but that should subside in a short time. My online research says that long-term, it can cause an increase in appetite. Goodness! For a Corgi? Like her normal appetite is not enough. She will think she is starving to death!
So here's hoping this helps. Looking online, the most common cause of new onset of seizures in older dogs is the much-feared brain tumor. I asked the vet if there were any other tests we can do, but apparently an MRI is about $1500 to $2000. I asked if it would change treatment and she said "Not unless you plan on doing brain surgery on your dog." That is, frankly, out of the question (though it can be done) so I figure there is no point in knowing if we can't do anything about it anyway.
My poor girl. :-( Hopefully she will do well with her meds. Time to invest in a baby-gate for the stairs; she'll be kept in the kitchen while we're asleep or out til she adjusts to the medication.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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I knew a Golden who took the phenobarb for seizures and she did very well. Hopefully she will adjust to the meds quickly and be her own sweet self for a long time come.
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Beth...that is good to hear! I hope she continues to well and gets her balance back to normal. Poor Jack....gotta watch these uninhibited females.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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I had two dogs on this. Neither showed any affects at all....my Husky mix did die of probable liver cancer at age 12 though which is a possibility from the meds. They told me when she first started seizing she would never make it to 6 years of age--and she lived to be 12. It's a very safe drug....
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Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on
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I'm sorry to hear about Maddie! I hope the medication works for her.
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Permalink Reply by Amy & Corky on
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I just adopted Corky 2 months ago (he's 3) and he had his first seizure 2 weeks after that. His prior medical records, which I received, were clean. Long story short, he had 6 seizures in 6 weeks and went on phenobarb 2 weeks ago. Hasn't had a seizure since!
I too was worried about the side effects, but I didn't notice anything different. My vet, who is in her 60's, said she's never seen the drug cause liver damage, so that made me feel better. His drinking and eating is normal, no lethargy or anything else. Internet research, although we'll all continue to do it, can make things seem scarier than they are.
I hope Madison does well. I'm thankful this drug and treatment are relatively inexpensive, especially considering how scary it is to watch those first seizures and feel like the sky is falling! Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Amy, what a stressful surprise with a new dog! I'm glad Corky is doing well with the meds. I'm honestly more concerned with the "increased appetite" possible side effect than the liver effects, strange as that sounds; Maddie is not as young as she once was, and there is a very good chance that she would meet the end of her natural lifespan long before the drug would have time to damage her liver.
I hope we have good outcomes from the drug, and here's hoping Corky continues to do well too! The seizures sure are scary to see.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Beth....I know you are very good at adjusting diets so I'm sure a few more green beans or such will help her starve off the hunger...at least as much as any corgi...
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Maddie is having some mild/moderate hind end ataxia yesterday and today, poor thing. I take it this is common early on, but usually resolves. I hope it gets better soon; it's tough having one dog begging to play and another who falls over if she tries to turn too fast!!
The upside is, she's a little spacier than normal with the drug (and she's a pretty spacey dog on a good day!) so it doesn't seem to really bother HER at all. We just took the world's longest walk with the two of them--- half the normal distance in the same amount of time, with her just jigging along in slow motion with a silly grin on her face.
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