Seizures

So Knuckles our BT has had 4 seizures over the past 8 months, his first was in September and then he din't have another one until January, another February and March we are waiting for Aprils as all have been on full moons,
We have been monitoring and recording the details.
Stu just got back from the Vets and now we are waiting for the bloodwork to come back., at this point it is a waiting game.
The don' t think it is his thyroid as they aren't seeing weight gains or other symptoms, we are probably looking at Epilepsy.
As for meds, they aren't recommending anything as the seizures are far apart.
This is frustrating, the not knowing and the waiting.
I have read about others experiecning the seizures surrounding full moons, I guess we have a couple more days until that happens again.
I never really post much on the health issues of the crew but this one has us worried

I had some luck with Betty using Mellatonin drops at night. It held her seizures at bay for about a year. Then, when they became much more frequent (several times a night) I finally put her on Phenobarb, but she was 15 at the time.

You might want to look into the Mellatonin

I've never heard about moon phases causing seizures, but nothing would surprise me. I hope it is, at worst, idiopathic epilepsy and the seizures don't become any more frequent. I'd certainly look into Roxane's advice. Hugs for you and your boy.

Our foster Peaches came to us having seizures and then I found out that she had a history of seizures too. We did blood work and then put her on Pheno. She is 21lbs and gets .5 gr or 32.4 mg 2xday. She also is on a grain free diet. She since has started on the meds and gone completely grain free, she hasn't has a seizure. We also keep liquid valium on hand incase she does have a seizure though.

Pugsavers wrote:
I had some luck with Betty using Mellatonin drops at night. It held her seizures at bay for about a year. Then, when they became much more frequent (several times a night) I finally put her on Phenobarb, but she was 15 at the time.

You might want to look into the Mellatonin

I don't think I've heard of Mellatonin being used in Australia, but I know that Bach Rescue Remedy (always buy the one specifically for pets) is often used overnight in occasional seizure dogs. I imagine it targets pretty much the same brain chemicals, so if the one doesn't work you could try the other.

I've heard of Rescue Remedy being used in epileptic dogs too. Our foster Zoe has seizures regularly (at least once a week) despite being on a high dose of phenobarbitol & also potassium bromide. Our holistic/integrative vet who sees her for acupuncture said that spring & fall are trigger seasons for seizures. Zoe had a really rough time last weekend when it warmed up here so there may be something to that. Here are a couple of great websites to check out:

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com

http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html

Bud & Pugsy both suffered from epilepsy before they passed away too. So, unfortunately, we've got plenty of seizure experience here. If I can answer any specific questions, feel free to ask! Hugs to Knuckles!

Thanks for the articles and good thoughts, we have some reading to do.

Knuckles bloodwork came back normal so at this point it will be a wait and see

Hi,

I am new to pug authority. This weekend my daughter's pug, Missy, had a seizure. She has not been herself for a couple months. We fear she has PDE. Of course it's a holiday weekwend so we can't see our vet til later this week. I hope your pug's condition is treatable. Missy is only going on 4 years and it breaks my heart to think we may not have her for many years to come. Thanks for sharing.

Kate

Hi,

I am new to pug authority. This weekend my daughter's pug, Missy, had a seizure. She has not been herself for a couple months. We fear she has PDE. Of course it's a holiday weekwend so we can't see our vet til later this week. I hope your pug's condition is treatable. Missy is only going on 4 years and it breaks my heart to think we may not have her for many years to come. Thanks for sharing.

Kate

Hi Kate, welcome to PA, I am sorry for the circumstances.

I want to give you a long reply but have to dash out in a minute, so I'll come back later. I know others will jump in with support and advice. In the meantime I would suggest starting another thread so noone misses your post.

A single seizure isn't a death knell. And lots of things can cause them without it being PDE. So don't lose hope. The pug will need a fairly involved work up to eliminate the many things that can bring on a seizure--toxin exposure, vaccine reaction, epilepsy, etc. Do make a note of the seizure--when it happened, how long it lasted, etc--I know that you probably didn't do that for the first one cause who thinks to do that in the midst of the crisis? But watch for the next one (which will hopefully never happen) and make note of the time, duration, etc. did she lose bowel and/or bladder control, etc.

There are some excellent resources for seizures disorders in dogs and many dogs with seizure disorders live long and happy lives.

Welcome to PA>

Kate, can you please tell me what Missy has been doing that you would describe as "not being herself"? Sometimes, if a dog has developed epilepsy, that can have "petit mal" seizures which can be easy to miss or not recognised for what they are. PDE is a horrible disease and sometimes it can be the first port of call when a Pug has a seizure and and it is actually PDE in few cases.

At this stage let's put PDE to the side and have a plan of action to try and see what's up. As Blanche mentioned in her very good advice, make notes of what happens if she has another seizure and try to think of anything that might be an external cause. Most importantly have Missy thoroughly checked out by the vet - full blood panel and neurological work-up. For anything to do with the brain an MRI is a valuable diagnostic tool, but it is expensive and may show nothing. Unless you have deep pockets careful observation is your best option.

Please come back and feel this is a safe and supportive place to help you through this crisis.

Thanks everyone!

Since Missy was about 1 year she has experienced muscle weakness in her legs. She has seen several doctors, had more tests and basically has had more medical care than all of our former and current dogs put together. We call her the million $ pug:) We had been told and told that she gets more exercise than a pug is made for. My daughter, Jessica, rides cross country and plays frisbee golf, and Missy always goes too. However, the last few months, she has started walking into walls and furniture. Jessica says she is restless--pacing and circling. She has episodes like these every day and night. When she is feeling good, her tail is curled. When she exhibits these behaviors, her tail hangs straight down. This past Saturday, she had a seizure that Jessica witnessed. It freaked her out and she started looking online for a condition that has similar symptoms. That's when she came across the info on PDE and everything seemed to fit. We will, of course, visit our vet, but in the meantime we are spoiling her more if that's possible!

Thank you all again for your comments, advice, and time!

Kate and Missy too

A liver shunt can also cause some of the symptoms that Missy is experiencing too. I would have a full blood panel run and also a bile acids test. Here's some good info (warning: gross pics): http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/pss.htm

Good luck & welcome to the forum!

Good call Brenda! Yes, DEFINITELY have her checked for a liver shunt. My youngest dog had one and it was only after a seizure that we found it. Most liver shunts are a relatively easy fix - surgery yes, but the majority of dogs do very well afterwards, never take a step backwards and live long healthy lives.

The circling and walking into things are concerning, but still, look at everything else first. A check of spinal fluid is another way in which PDE can possibly be diagnosed. If indeed it may be heading towards that (hope against all hope IT'S NOT), PM me for the email address of Dr Kimberly Greer, who is at Indiana East University, devoting her career to PDE and can advise you better than anyone.