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Sezuires???????


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What could be causeing the sezuires that my boy Apollo has been haveing allmost daily now!!! Took him to the vet this morning, showed absolutely nothing in blood work, CT, anything??? It's worrying me to death, they started monday, and have been getting worse as the week's gone bye. He's eating fine, acting fine, then he just falls over, and starts twitching. I don't want to lose my boy. I just want to know the answers, and this is costing me a forutne I don't really have, but I have to know what's wrong with him. I don't think I could put him to sleep if he's not suffering, giveing him to rescue would break my heart, but if I don't find some money, I don't know what to do. :( :cry: :oops: :( :cry: :oops:

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Seizures can be caused by many conditions:

Congenital defects
Blood glucose levels that are too high (e.g.; diabetes mellitus) or too low (hypoglycemia)
Low oxygen levels in the blood that could be caused by anemia, heart problems, or difficulties with breathing
Kidney disorders
Liver disorders
Infections such as canine distemper
Tumors
Toxins, like antifreeze, lead, or chocolate
Fevers and hyperthermia
Brain damage resulting from trauma or poor blood flow to the brain
Certain medications
Low calcium in females that are nursing young (eclampsia)
Primary or idiopathic epilepsy
Types of seizures

Partial seizures affect only a small part or one side of the body. These are often caused by a brain lesion.


In order to identify the problem; first, a detailed history is needed. A physical and neurologic exam are performed by your veterinarian, a panel of laboratory tests are run, and sometimes x-rays (radiographs) are taken. If a cause of the seizure can not be identified, the condition is diagnosed as idiopathic or primary epilepsy. There is no test to diagnose epilepsy per se, tests simply rule out other causes of seizures.


It is helpful if you, the owner, can give your veterinarian answers to the following questions:

What does your pet look like when he is having seizures?
What is the duration of each seizure and how often do they occur?
Are there signs that only appear on one side of your pet (is one side worse than the other)?
Has your pet had a high fever?
Has your pet been exposed to any toxins?
Has your pet experienced any trauma recently or years ago?
Is your pet current on vaccinations?
Has your pet been recently boarded or with other dogs?
Has your pet had any other signs of illness?
Has your pet been running loose in the last several weeks?
What and when does your pet eat?
Has your pet had any behavior changes?
Do the seizures occur in a pattern related to exercise, eating, sleeping, or certain activities?
Does your pet show different signs right before or right after the seizures?

If it is epilepsy, epilepsy generally starts in animals 6 months to 5 years of age, usually at 2-3 years.

Epilepsy occurs in all breeds, including mixed breeds. Epilepsy can be a genetic trait. It can even be familial where the epileptic disorder can pass down through generations within one family. Beagles, German Shepherds, Irish Setters, Poodles, Saint Bernards, Springers, Malamutes and Huskies, Cockers, Collies, Dachshunds, and Golden and Labrador Retrievers are some of the breeds which have a higher tendency to develop epilepsy.

Treatment for epilepsy is usually not begun until a seizure is severe or multiple seizures have occurred and a pattern is observed. It is very important to know the pattern of seizures in your pet so your veterinarian can determine if the treatment is helping.

TREATMENT IS NEVER CURATIVE.The goal is to decrease the frequency, severity, and duration of the seizures.

Medications used to treat epilepsy are given orally. Each animal reacts differently to the medications. Your veterinarian may need to try different types or combinations to find what will be right for your pet. Many pets will become sleepy when they first start medication, but this soon wears off after several weeks.

The drug most commonly used to control epilepsy is Phenobarbital. Dilantin and Primidone are other drugs used in veterinary medicine. All are phenobarbital-related drugs. These medications must be given every day. These medications are classified as sedatives in which case the objective is to sedate the neurons of the brain, but not to the point where the patient becomes obviously sedated or "dopey." In the normal patient receiving these drugs, you can seldom detect that the dog is on any medication. These are the same medications used in humans with epilepsy and the goal of treatment is the same. Other medications, such as potassium bromide (KBr), clorazepate, phenytoin and clonazepam, dimethylglycine, and felbamate may be used alone or in combination with phenobarbital, if phenobarbital alone is not effective. Once medication has started it is IMPORTANT to NOT suddenly discontinue or 'skip' a dose of medication. Severe seizures could result.

If a patient experiences prolonged seizures referred to as Status, injectable drugs such as valium are administered intravenous for rapid effect.

Phenobarbitol and related anti-epileptic drugs can have side effects on the liver, especially if high dosages are required. We usually suggest liver function tests before we adjust dosages upward. Although this is a good practice, it is very rare to see liver damage even at high levels.

It is common for one dosage level of medication to work for a period of time, then have the seizures increase in length or frequency. In these cases, the drug dosages may be adjusted. If the treated patient goes months with no seizures, then we may try a lower dosage, which may still control the seizures. We might add here that we have all of our clients keep a calendar or log of the seizures, recording the date and length of time they lasted. This makes it easier for us to determine if adjustments are necessary. Obviously, the owner may miss some episodes, since they can not watch their dog every minute, but the calendar is beneficial.

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Guest Anonymous

You know what SPG? I bet you anything if worse comes to worse, and you feel you can't afford whatever treatment he needs, I'm SURE everyone on dogo would be willing to chip in a few bucks. Just even like 5 bucks from each of us would probably go a long way!! :o

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[quote name='HazelNutMeg']You know what SPG? I bet you anything if worse comes to worse, and you feel you can't afford whatever treatment he needs, I'm SURE everyone on dogo would be willing to chip in a few bucks. Just even like 5 bucks from each of us would probably go a long way!! :o[/quote]

Thanks for the offer Sharra, but I wouldn't take it. I'm not the kind to take money from people without paying it back. Thank you for your kindness Sharra. He's my boy, and I'm worried about him. He'll be okay hopefully, if the vet would tell me what's up, but that's another thread.

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