Personal Managing Canine Epilepsy in My Mini Dachshund: My Experience and Tips

[rennea]

Just after Christmas my mini Dachshund was diagnosed with epilepsy. She has had 3 seizures since the beginning of the year. As some of you may know my doggies are my babies. This has been very traumatic for me.

I am wondering if anybody else has had any dogs that have/had epilepsy. How did/do you deal with it? How bad were they and were they on medication? My baby isn't on meds right now, the vet said if she has more then a couple a week then we would look into it.

 

[vwpamperedchef]

We had a cocker spaniel who frequently had seizures. Basically we just held him, comforted him, "Its OK" that kind of thing. After a few mins he was back to his old self again. It was never diagosnosed as such, probably because we never paid for testing.

He lived until the ripe old age of 17.

I hope you are able to deal with it, we did and the dog lived a good life.

 

[Crystal Patton]

My brother had an dog with epilepsy and it was very hard. I feel for and will be praying that you and your dog find peace during this stressful time.

Do you give your love heart worm pills every month? My brother stopped giving those to his dog and the seizures stopped. I'm not a vet but it might be worth a try.

 

[Ginger428]

SO SORRY Rennea, I wish I had some answers for you, but Vanessa sounds like she knows. Have you googled it yet? Maybe there is something you can give or do to help when it happens.....Sometimes my other Beagle (who is no longer here) would pull SO hard on her leash, that she would kind of act like it was, but I think it was just because she was hurting herself. We got her a harness & it never happened again. I go to my vets every few days, my old girl needs fluids because her kidneys are not working perfect & I cannot give it to her, so I'm there 2-3 times a week. I'll try to see if I can find out anything.

 

[rennea]

My brother had an dog with epilepsy and it was very hard. I feel for and will be praying that you and your dog find peace during this stressful time.

Do you give your love heart worm pills every month? My brother stopped giving those to his dog and the seizures stopped. I'm not a vet but it might be worth a try.

We don't need to treat our dogs for heart worms up here. I think that it's to cold here maybe.

She isn't on any meds at all.

 

[rennea]

We had a cocker spaniel who frequently had seizures. Basically we just held him, comforted him, "Its OK" that kind of thing. After a few mins he was back to his old self again. It was never diagosnosed as such, probably because we never paid for testing.

He lived until the ripe old age of 17.

I hope you are able to deal with it, we did and the dog lived a good life.

Good to hear he had a long happy life.

 

[rennea]

SO SORRY Rennea, I wish I had some answers for you, but Vanessa sounds like she knows. Have you googled it yet? Maybe there is something you can give or do to help when it happens.....Sometimes my other Beagle (who is no longer here) would pull SO hard on her leash, that she would kind of act like it was, but I think it was just because she was hurting herself. We got her a harness & it never happened again. I go to my vets every few days, my old girl needs fluids because her kidneys are not working perfect & I cannot give it to her, so I'm there 2-3 times a week. I'll try to see if I can find out anything.

Thanks I knew you would understand Ginger

 

[Ginger428]

Thanks I knew you would understand Ginger

Everyone there is SO Great with Kacy...Hmmmmmmmm maybe because I bring them Pecan Tassies,Chocolate Brownie Truffles,Creamy Caramel Apple Ring.....

 

[rennea]

Everyone there is SO Great with Kacy...Hmmmmmmmm maybe because I bring them Pecan Tassies,Chocolate Brownie Truffles,Creamy Caramel Apple Ring.....

So are you telling me it cuts down on your vet bills?!? LOL

 

[Ginger428]

RUT ROH!!! My secrets out!!

 

[PCJenni]

I am a TOTAL Doxie lover and can only imagine the scare of a seizure. I had to put my beloved Scarlet down 2 1/2 years ago and the only reason I do not have a doxie right now is that we have 2 other dogs (pound puppies) and a 3 year old and I can not take on a puppy right now. My thoughts are with you.

 

[chefann]

A friend of mine had a Huskie with epilepsy. He (the dog) was on several different medications, but he eventually succumbed. I think he was 5 when he had to be put down. Once the vet got his medication levels OK, he was good for several years, but something happened to throw his system out of whack (I don't remember what it was).I hope your dog is OK.

 

[pcsharon1]

Okay, I also have a mini doxy (she is supposed to be mini, she so isn't! She's a tween - not standard but not mini - she's about 22lbs and is 11 years old now) who started having seizures when she was about 8 months old. The first one scared me to death - my dogs were also my babies at the time, well, really she still is. She had one every three or four months for a while and then they started getting more frequent. When they got to be three or four times a month we had her put on meds. She has been on the meds for five years now - the dosage isn't even the recommended dose but it works so I don't see any reason to increase it - and she has only had three of four seizures in that entire time. The last one she had was last Mothers Day and honestly, it was because we had neglected to give her the medication regularly due to losing our other dog and going through some things. I highly recommend the medication if this is something that continues - as much for her, as for you because I know how terrible it feels.

The main thing with her seizures were that they lasted a really long time. I called the vet the first time and they said - time it, it should last 60-90 seconds. It lasted more than 8 minutes. I think it's really a length issue.

On another note - we were told that pure bred doxies are prone to eye trouble, teeth trouble, problems with the nails and their spines, and they gain weight and have thyroid issues (mine is also on thyroid medication) and are prone to seizures. So there you have it. Sounds like all bad news right. Wrong, they live longer than most dogs. I think the average is something like 18 years!

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any concerns about the meds.

 

[Reba Gowin]

I had a Shih Tzu that had something similar to seizures, or maybe it was seizures, she was never diagnosed. Anyway, she would tend to have them when she was under more stress (going to the groomers for haircut or to the vet - she hated those places), but stopped having them after we had her spayed. Is your baby spayed? I have 2 dogs myself and they are my babies. I wish you the best of luck and wish I had more info or advise. Good luck!

 

[pampered Ruth]

We had a lab mix that started having siezures at about 8 months old. It was absolutely horrible. He had clusters of them lasting 2-5 minutes and several in one day. After he had them he was blind for a few minutes. We eventually had to put him on medicine which cost about $30 a month (that was the cheap one). A bad side effect of the medicine made him think he was ravenously hungry and he would wake up in the middle of the night and whine for food. We had to put him to sleep before he was a year old. Very stressful and difficult. A year later we adopted a lab mix, 1 year old, and she is incontinent and is on a medicine that costs $30 every month. Oh well, that's life. Most dogs do fine with siezures once you get them on medicine and they get the proper dosage. Good Luck!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Just after Christmas my mini Dachshund was diagnosed with epilepsy. She has had 3 seizures since the beginning of the year. As some of you may know my doggies are my babies. This has been very traumatic for me.

I am wondering if anybody else has had any dogs that have/had epilepsy. How did/do you deal with it? How bad were they and were they on medication? My baby isn't on meds right now, the vet said if she has more then a couple a week then we would look into it.

My Aunt had a doberman named Wrigley that had seizures. He had them bad. So bad that he'd poop and vomit during the seizures. He was on medication, and long walks every day helped a little bit. After about 3 solid years of watching their poor dog be miserable, they agreed to have him put to sleep. I don't think they had him for more than 4 years.

Some cases are more severe than others, and I know that my Aunt said that the vet mentioned Rigley's case was the worst he'd seen.

Look into the medicine, and see if Janey has any homeopathic remedies that might help. Look into a special diet, and for sure exercise your little guy, too.

I'll pray for you and the pooch!

 

[janetupnorth]

As with people seizures, pet seizures are hard to watch and are caused by many possibilities.(Yes, amongst my other activities, I teach Pet First Aid...so I'm not an expert but have some knowledge.)Your vet paused before prescribing mediation at the start because you don't want to put anyone on an anti-seizure med without needing it because it does have effects on the liver...for people and humans.Rather than me typing it all out, read Epilepsy: A Cause of Seizures in DogsIn pets, the most common anti-seizure med is phenobarbital. It used to be used on humans, but no longer due to the effects on humans. Since pets have different systems and shorter lifespans, years vs. decades, it is effective for them. There are many, many meds that are this way in the pet world.It may take awhile to find the cause but after awhile you will be able to tell when your pet is about to have one...same time of day or same activity before like chasing a tail or scratching funny or walking funny...different pets do different things.Although hard to watch at first, you will get more used to seeing on later on.Just clear the area so the dog doesn't hit anything and let the seizure ride out...note duration and anything unusual to report to your vet.

 

[rennea]

OMG Sharon that's one chubby wiener!!! LOL, my little Sassy weighs 7lbs

We have been watching her and Janet your right you can tell when she is going to have one. They last about 3-5 minutes. Her bladder lets go and that really upsets her. She runs for me before they happen, it's so sad to think that she may have one when I'm not home to comfort her. I just wrap her in a blanket and take her into another room were it's quite and hold her until she is "aware" again. She is a real Mommy's girl

I really am hoping not to have to put her on meds, the vet said it does alter their personality. The vet also said they can give me Valium. Of course I asked the vet if it was for her or me. LOL

 

[NooraK]

Rennea, I'm sorry to hear you have to deal with something like this. I can't be of much help, except to understand how you may be feeling. Our first dog had to be put to sleep at seven because of epilectic seizures. He was a month younger than me, and we'd had him since he was a puppy. I can still remember that day. My dogs have always been my babies too, even now when I have a real baby, though they don't get quite as much attention as they'd like