The Day I Found Out My Dog Has Epilepsy

If you ever witnessed your pet have a seizure, you hope it will be a one-time thing. As mentioned in my blog post “Minute of Fear: Seeing My Dogs First Seizure” some dogs can have a seizure one or two times in their life and never have them again. On the other hand, some dogs can have them consistently because of epilepsy. Finding out that your pet has epilepsy can be an emotional experience. Here is the story of how I found out one of my dogs has epilepsy.

The morning started like any other. I got up, took my dogs outside, fed them, and started my school work. As I was sitting there, I started to hear a very familiar heaving sound coming from Hades. At this point, both Hades and Zeus have had seizures before, so I knew what was about to happen. I walked over to Hades and laid next to him as he was having his episode. Zeus also came over and laid next to him. As his body was convulsing, I put my arm around his stomach and kept telling him “Mommy’s right here.” Once he had stopped, I checked to make sure he was doing okay, as I always did after a seizure. After a few minutes, Hades went back to his normal hyper self and seemed completely fine.

 About 5 hours later, Hades had another seizure. This was the first time he had 2 in one day, so I was a little worried. I remembered when I talked to the vet from my first seizure incident not to worry about it unless they have more than 3 in a day. So, I decided to wait a couple more hours and see what would happen.

At around 1 AM the next morning, I woke up to Hades having another seizure. At this point, I was pretty worried. I looked up what time each vet clinic in my area opened so I could rush him in as soon as possible. Once I found one, I decided to stay up with Hades to make sure he would be okay until I could bring him in. 

After another few hours at about 6:30 am, Hades had another seizure. At this point, I was extremely stressed and getting impatient waiting for the vet to open. Right at 7 am when the veterinary office opened, I called and explained what had happened. They told me to take him in right away to get some testing done. While Hades was in the vet getting his tests done, I was an emotional wreck. All I could think about is why this is happening to him, and I am not ready to lose him. Once they finished the tests, I was told to take him home, and they would call with his results. After 30 minutes of being home, Hades had another seizure. I immediately called the vet, and they told me to bring him back in for some medication. Once I got there, I found out he has epilepsy and that he will need to stay on this medication. They went over with me his medication effects and when to give it to him. After that, I was able to bring Hades home and keep an eye on him for the rest of the day.

It has been a little over 7 months since I found out Hades has epilepsy. Since then, he has only had 1 seizure. His medication does have some side effects on him, such as extreme hunger and thirst. But, it is still better than constant seizures. Although he has epilepsy, he is still such a loving and playful dog. 

Hades and Zeus

Pet Seizures: Prescription Drugs Vs. CBD 

Deciding on what to give your pet for seizures can be a tricky one. Prescription drugs work great but what are the long term effects? Does CBD even work for pets? Or does your pet rarely ever have seizures that they might not need medication.

Prescription Drugs

There are a few different prescription drugs that are given to pets for seizures such as Phenobarbital, levetiracetam, and diazepam. They might all work great against the seizures but for how long, will they still have seizures, and with what

Dog Seizure Medication

side effects? The American Kennel Club says that these drugs can negatively affect the liver which is the worst side effect. Since liver damage/failure is such a high risk with these medications your pet will need to get their blood tested every 6 months.  It can also increase appetite, anxiety, anemia, and thirst. In my own experience with this medication, it does not stop the seizures completely. However, having 1 seizure every few months is better than having 6 in 24 hours like with one of my dogs. 

CBD

CBD Dog Treats

Using CBD for dogs seizures is a relatively new thing so there aren’t many known facts of long term effects from it. Some people have said that using CBD for their pets has helped the seizures more than other medications. Many people haven’t tried it simply because there isn’t enough testing and information about it. However, since CBD is natural and comes from a plant, it is healthier compared to other medications. CBD might be the better option if it works for your pet.

Before making a decision you should always talk to your vet first. The overall choice is yours, but they might have some helpful advice. As pet parents, these decisions can be tricky but we always do whatever we can for them to have a long, healthy, and happy life.

My dogs Zeus and Hades!

Sources

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/cbd-oil-for-dog-seizures/

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/phenobarbital-for-dogs-with-seizures/

As a dog mom, my dogs mean the world to me. I know most pet parents will do anything and everything in their power to keep them safe and happy. Seeing your pet having a seizure and not being able to do anything for them is hard. You wish it could be you instead of them and hope there is something you can do to stop. I hope by telling my story of my dog’s first seizure you can know you aren’t alone if you have had to go through something similar. Here is the story of the longest minute of my life.

It started as a typical morning for me. Waking up to Hades my black and white freckled face husky  jumping on the bed. While Zeus my fluffy red and white huskie’s face was staring at me letting me know it’s time to get up and go outside. I got up and opened the bedroom door to let my dogs out of the room. As I was shutting the door I started to hear a heaving sound coming from Zeus and Hades barking at him. I ran over to him to make sure he was okay and that is when his body dropped.

 He started convulsing as a white foam started to emerge from his mouth. All 4 legs were kicking in the air while he lost his bodily fluids. His tongue was turning white and his eyes looked dilated. At this moment, tears rolled down my face as I thought my dog was dying and there was nothing I could do about it. I had no clue what was going on since it was the first time I have seen an animal or even human have a seizure. All I could think in my head was 2 years is not enough time with him and this cannot be happening right now.

A little under a  minute had passed since Zeus dropped and he had finally stopped and got up. He had such a confused look on his face as did I. I could tell he knew I was just as scared as he was so he came up to me and started licking the tears off my face. Once my mind was able to comprehend what had happened I immediately called the vet. After explaining what had just happened to Zeus they told me not to worry about it and that it is common for dogs to have 1 or 2 seizures in their life and never have any again. Once I got off the phone with them I felt a little better but still stressed. I remembered hearing about other huskies on a Facebook group I am in called Husky Huddle and Malamute Mingle talk about their dogs having seizures as well. I decided to look up some of the posts on that page and felt better knowing I wasn’t the only one who had gone thru this. The rest of the day Zeus went back to his normal self and acted like nothing had even happened.

 If only I knew this was just the beginning of my journey with seizures.