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Anyone on the boards have a dog that has seizures?

PLACECRAFT20

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I woke up at 4:45 this morning to see my 6mo old Austrailian shepherd go into a seizure. Got him calmed down in a hour or so.
He went to sleep and then had another one at 9:00 am. Rushed him to the vet. They are trying to figure out why. No poisoning or health problems. Was playing frisby at 9:00 last night.
I am thinking the epilepsy deal but he sure seems young. Looking for input if you have any.
Thanks
 

DaytonaBabe

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Do you know the pup's genetics when it comes to MDR1 (multi-drug resistance gene), or maybe you've had the pup tested? MDR1 affects herding breeds, including Aussies. Our Aussie is positive for MDR1 so we have to be super careful about any kind of medication that she has. Ivermectin (heartworm med) is one of the most common meds that can cause serious reactions, including seizures. Even Imodium will trigger a potentially deadly reaction. I hope everything works out okay with your pup. Please keep me updated :(

http://www.ashgi.org/home-page/genetics-info/faq/mdr1-faqs

http://vcpl.vetmed.wsu.edu/problem-drugs

I keep this list on my phone and there is a copy in our file at the vet also.
http://busteralert.webnode.com/mdr1-info/
 

boat527

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We have a 3 year old Golden Retriever/Aussie mix.. Was fine until we gave her the flea med drops on the back of her neck... Had ZERO idea of the ramifications...Instant effect to the canine nervous system. Have been having bad seizures every 4 to 6 weeks for the past 2 years..

Its painful.. She has been regressing back to a puppy ever since, but now she is ADD, can remember half the time why we go outside..

Its been a pain,,, Have been told the Cannabis CBD oil helps but we haven't tried it yet.

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Riodog

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My #3 Keeshond started having seizures when he was 2 1/2 years old. He was put on Phenobarbitol (1/2 grain). It stopped the seizures for the most part. He lived to be five years old.
God bless your puppy.
Rio
 

C-2

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We have an Australian Cattle Dog that has them every 2 to 2 1/2 weeks like clockwork. He was fine until we got his shots "updated" to satisfy a fix-it ticket from animal control (for not having current vaccination record). I found this heeler in the middle of the street and he has been with us about 4 years, the seizures started about 1.5 years ago. He is also older, which might be part of the problem, too.

Where to start...

Overall conditions - we have done tons of research, spoken to other dog owners with similar problems, and tried every food/shampoo/diet in general combo known - we even considered if they were due to eating horse hoof trimmings, stinging nettle, tick and flea allergies - none of which stopped the seizures.

Meds - So we started with Phenobabrbital, which is the most common med prescribed. The vet said they don't even try to diagnose the cause of seizures, they simply medicate. The problem with Pheno is it causes uncontrollable appetite, thirst and lethargy in their rear end (hips/legs). Essentially, your dog turns into a food crazed, somewhat "high" dog that looks the same, but is notthe same dog you knew.

Pheno requires twice yearly blood panels and about a $100 month in meds.

Problem is...he kept having seizures; which is also common.

So for the past six months I have been taking him off meds/putting him back on meds to see if there is a difference. Nope, on or off meds he still has "cluster" seizures every two weeks. Takes him about a week to recover from the cluster, he has this blinking, then stumble issue for several days after the seizures. He has one good week until the cycle strts again.

These days I have him on Canna-Pet cannabais tablets after a seizure cluster starts. I'm not sure it helps, but it seems to, and for those few days I would rather have him "high", than acting the food and water crazed zombie he was while on the Pheno.

Each dog is different, but it's not uncommon to see them on Pheno and several other drugs at the same time.

Sadly, I think our boy has some type of underlying tumor causing the seizures. We just enjoy the time we have with him, he really slowed down after thos fucking vaccinations. Now I have to lift him up into the Excursion twice daily to feed our horses.
 

PLACECRAFT20

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Thanks for all the replies guys. This is me second ausie. My first lived to be 14 and had to be put down because of a bad acl. He was still healthy. I did not know this breed was prone to seizures until I read about it today. He of course has had the damn heart worm pills.
He will never get them again. I called the vet and he had another about 1:30. They have him sedated now. They are doing test and more blood work in the am. He showed to have a smaller liver so the are also checking on another birth defect. It's damn scary to deal with. That's my wife's best friend so that makes it twice as hard.
I will keep everyone updated.
 

C-2

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Always keep in mind when dealing with the vet - we can't figure out human seizures and for the most part, cannot stop them either. We can suppress them, but usually they never go away.

Dogs - they have no fawking clue, seriously.

Find something that seems to work or at least learn to deal with them. We took our boy with us to St. George and knew we were in the "zone", and sure as shiat, when we arrived there he started having them. We had taken plastic bath curtains, covered the rear of the car in them, and he had a sezure on our return trip home. It sucked, but was manageable.
 

C-2

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Our boy Hank and his big sister. He's always tired, but seizures or no seizures, he still goes everywhere with us.

Life goes on :)

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C-2

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Do you know the pup's genetics when it comes to MDR1 (multi-drug resistance gene), or maybe you've had the pup tested? MDR1 affects herding breeds, including Aussies. Our Aussie is positive for MDR1 so we have to be super careful about any kind of medication that she has. Ivermectin (heartworm med) is one of the most common meds that can cause serious reactions, including seizures. Even Imodium will trigger a potentially deadly reaction. I hope everything works out okay with your pup. Please keep me updated :(

http://www.ashgi.org/home-page/genetics-info/faq/mdr1-faqs

http://vcpl.vetmed.wsu.edu/problem-drugs

I keep this list on my phone and there is a copy in our file at the vet also.
http://busteralert.webnode.com/mdr1-info/

We have one horse that doesn't respond well to Ivermectin; broke her out in hives. It's a really popular choice for equine and other ranch animals too...I will be using it on our chickens next.
 

DaytonaBabe

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Thanks for all the replies guys. This is me second ausie. My first lived to be 14 and had to be put down because of a bad acl. He was still healthy. I did not know this breed was prone to seizures until I read about it today. He of course has had the damn heart worm pills.
He will never get them again. I called the vet and he had another about 1:30. They have him sedated now. They are doing test and more blood work in the am. He showed to have a smaller liver so the are also checking on another birth defect. It's damn scary to deal with. That's my wife's best friend so that makes it twice as hard.
I will keep everyone updated.

Keep in mind that the heartworm meds for the prevention of heartworm can be safe as long as the proper dosage per pound is administered. Only when a larger dose is given are there problems, such as fighting mange,etc. Our dog is heterozygous (mutant/normal genes) for MDR1. If you got your pup from a breeder, it might be helpful to contact them to see if either of the parents were carriers of the mutant gene. A homozygous (mutant/mutant) dog will have more severe reactions to higher doses than a heterozygous dog.

I hope they are able to figure out what the problem is quickly. I feel awful for you guys :( :(
 

HANDY

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We have a 7 year old yellow lab that used to average about one seizure a month, sometimes more sometimes less, after she had 2 in less than 24 hours we decided to make changes. The first thing we did was throw away the Pedigree dog food and bought good stuff and supplemented that with chicken and vegetables every evening. We now have a happier dog and only 2 seizures in a year and a half, the last one right before Christmas.
 

PLACECRAFT20

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Thanks again for all the response and the webpages Daytona babe. I just got off the phone with the vet, so far no more seizures this afternoon. He is going to 24hr care tonight to be monitored. In the morning he will have the blood test and the MDR1 test. I sure hope he is ok. We will be sick if we caused this. That damn medicine is Trifexis and has a shaky past, and really could be the problem if he has the bad gene. I should have read more about that shit, but trusted the vet.The lady we bought him from is a Vet from in Oklahoma city. We chose him because she is a large animal vet and has a farm. She does not raise them for a living. I did not want a high dollar show dog with a bunch of problems. I talked with her today. None of his siblings or parents or any of her dogs have had this problem. She has 1 litter a year and non of the previous litters have had the either. She has not tested them because it has never shown up.
 

DaytonaBabe

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Woke up thinking about your pup, Placecraft20. I hope he is doing better today...
 

charlyox

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I had a miniature Schnauzer that started to have seizures late in life. It is one of the worst things to witness. You feel so helpless. She is gone now. Good luck with your dog.
 

Echo Lodge

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We have a 14 year old Rat Terrier. She has had seizures her entire life. 3 to 4 a month. We tried the pheno but it did not seem to help. The dog can usually sense when they are going to happen and she will try to find a family member to hold her. Really scarey when they first started to happen. Know its just a part of her existence. Even though someone is usually home with her most of the time. It is sad to think of when she has them and we are not there for her as she flops around pretty good.
 

C-2

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We have a 14 year old Rat Terrier. She has had seizures her entire life. 3 to 4 a month. We tried the pheno but it did not seem to help. The dog can usually sense when they are going to happen and she will try to find a family member to hold her. Really scarey when they first started to happen. Know its just a part of her existence. Even though someone is usually home with her most of the time. It is sad to think of when she has them and we are not there for her as she flops around pretty good.

Aww man, that sucks; but it is encouraging to hear she has lived a long life. Our Basenji started having them towards the end of his life and ultimately, one took him out.

My SIL has a young Bull Mastiff mix, big, powerful dog, and he started randomly having them. They take premium care of him too, no processed dog food, all fresh, brush his teeth etc. They also have a daughter who is epileptic, so they are working diligently to try and figure it out.

I know we are getting used to our dog having them, at first, we freaked out too. Our dog has had up to 4 within a 24-hour period, when he is in a cluster, they always hit at 6 hours. Makes a mess too, dumps the anal glands, pee and sometimes poop.

Poor doggies :(
 

MSum661

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My Akita went through some seizure episodes. It landed up being a Thyroid issue. Med's took care of the problem.
Mixed in a small slice of Hotdog to get it down....otherwise He would spit out the pills.
 

Abc123

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My 9 year old beagle (avatar) has seizures. He's had them since I rescued him (4 years old). I'm not sure if the rescue knew, because it wasn't disclosed. Not that it would have mattered; I would have still taken him in.

Tried meds, made him really lethargic and didn't help with seizures (beagles are already lazy enough). He has them about once every 4-6 weeks. They last anywhere from 2-4 mins. Don't worry about them swallowing their tongue, dogs can't. I've been around people who have seizures my entire life, it's a scary thing, but the more you learn about them, the more comfortable you will feel.

It breaks my heart every time my dog goes into one. It usually takes him about an hour or two to get back to his normal self. They really take a lot out of them.

Diet is very key.
 

C-2

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My 9 year old beagle (avatar) has seizures. He's had them since I rescued him (4 years old). I'm not sure if the rescue knew, because it wasn't disclosed. Not that it would have mattered; I would have still taken him in.

Tried meds, made him really lethargic and didn't help with seizures (beagles are already lazy enough). He has them about once every 4-6 weeks. They last anywhere from 2-4 mins. Don't worry about them swallowing their tongue, dogs can't. I've been around people who have seizures my entire life, it's a scary thing, but the more you learn about them, the more comfortable you will feel.

It breaks my heart every time my dog goes into one. It usually takes him about an hour or two to get back to his normal self. They really take a lot out of them.

Diet is very key.

Did your vet try to diagnose the issue, or straight to meds?

Two vets I went to including our regular vet Dr Butchko said unless you're willing to throw down thousands with the realistic possibility of no answer, they simply medicate. Butchko was uninterested in diet, shampoo, allergens, parasites, the vaccination theory and even a fatty tumor on my dogs head. Said unlikely cause to all of them.

Later I received a second opinion who said the same.

How long has he been off of meds?
 

Abc123

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Did your vet try to diagnose the issue, or straight to meds?

Two vets I went to including our regular vet Dr Butchko said unless you're willing to throw down thousands with the realistic possibility of no answer, they simply medicate. Butchko was uninterested in diet, shampoo, allergens, parasites, the vaccination theory and even a fatty tumor on my dogs head. Said unlikely cause to all of them.

Later I received a second opinion who said the same.

How long has he been off of meds?

A friend is a vet. She told me the same. I took him to a local vet and was again told the same, So I went ahead with a medication to try it and see. I can't recall the name of the med I tried him on, I have the bottle at home. He was on it for two weeks and had a seizure on day 4 and 13. This was about 4 years ago. I think the meds were only going to create other problems, so I took him off.
 

C-2

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A friend is a vet. She told me the same. I took him to a local vet and was again told the same, So I went ahead with a medication to try it and see. I can't recall the name of the med I tried him on, I have the bottle at home. He was on it for two weeks and had a seizure on day 4 and 13. This was about 4 years ago. I think the meds were only going to create other problems, so I took him off.

Gotcha, thanks.

The Pheno is hard on their liver and can cause secondary problems. Pisses me off because the twice yearly blood panels were only to determine the level of meds in bloodstream - but nothing else (at $250 pop). I would think they would look at the liver, too.

I know some people who swear by Potassium Bromide, but I've never tried it.

These days I give my dog the cannabais pills to take the edge off after he has a seizure, but not before. He looks pretty stoned after taking them, lol.

Thanks for the info. :)
 

GMD

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I hope you figure it out. I'm sure you are like the rest of us, our animals are family.

I'm glad you shared what's going on. I did not know about a lot of the testing available now days. We had a mini Dachshund that started to have seizures years ago and I'm thinking it may have been from the flea control drops that we used.
 

Abc123

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Gotcha, thanks.

The Pheno is hard on their liver and can cause secondary problems. Pisses me off because the twice yearly blood panels were only to determine the level of meds in bloodstream - but nothing else (at $250 pop). I would think they would look at the liver, too.

I know some people who swear by Potassium Bromide, but I've never tried it.

These days I give my dog the cannabais pills to take the edge off after he has a seizure, but not before. He looks pretty stoned after taking them, lol.

Thanks for the info. :)

You're welcome.

That's it! Phenobarbital was what I gave him. My dog always has red eyes and looks stoned! Haha! Haven't tried him on the cannabis yet. A business associate uses it on his dog. He said it has worked well. What is the name of the cannabis pill you use?
 

C-2

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You're welcome.

That's it! Phenobarbital was what I gave him. My dog always has red eyes and looks stoned! Haha! Haven't tried him on the cannabis yet. A business associate uses it on his dog. He said it has worked well. What is the name of the cannabis pill you use?

Canna-pet, it costs the same as Pheno but does not impact the liver, no blood panels. My dog would wail at the top of his lungs when it came time for the blood draw, it created a lost of anxiety in the waiting room. :yikes

https://canna-pet.com/
 

Gelcoater

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Did your vet try to diagnose the issue, or straight to meds?

Two vets I went to including our regular vet Dr Butchko said unless you're willing to throw down thousands with the realistic possibility of no answer, they simply medicate. Butchko was uninterested in diet, shampoo, allergens, parasites, the vaccination theory and even a fatty tumor on my dogs head. Said unlikely cause to all of them.

Later I received a second opinion who said the same.

How long has he been off of meds?

Butchco:thumbsup
 

PLACECRAFT20

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Thanks again for all of you trying to help me.
Today's up date: vet called about 8:00 am, said he picked him up from 24hr care and he looked great, acted normal and was having a ball at the office {he really likes it there}.
He had every damn test that I wanted and a hell of a lot more I did not know about. Then he got to eat and had a few more. Mid morning he went out to go potty, finished up and had another seizure. The got him under control and we're going to give a shot to prevent them and he had another. They got the shot in him and he has been resting all day.
The HDR1 test will not come back until next Friday. That is the DNA test that looks for the problem gene.
All the rest will be here tomorrow. They will keep him relaxed until we have a answer.
Thanks again. This has been a bitch.
If you have any kind of shepherd, any herding dog, full or mix breed and several others they can have a problem with some meds. Get them checked, it only cost 60 bucks and could save their life.
Vcpl.vetmed.wsu.com
 

PLACECRAFT20

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I forgot to say if you have a herding dog there is wealth of info at the Austrailian shepherd genetic institute web site. It is just for these breeds. I wish I would have seen it earlier.
On a bright note. I have had tickets to Ted Nugent for a couple of weeks so we are being positive and going to hear some cat scratch fever tonight!
 

Abc123

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Thanks again for all of you trying to help me.
Today's up date: vet called about 8:00 am, said he picked him up from 24hr care and he looked great, acted normal and was having a ball at the office {he really likes it there}.
He had every damn test that I wanted and a hell of a lot more I did not know about. Then he got to eat and had a few more. Mid morning he went out to go potty, finished up and had another seizure. The got him under control and we're going to give a shot to prevent them and he had another. They got the shot in him and he has been resting all day.
The HDR1 test will not come back until next Friday. That is the DNA test that looks for the problem gene.
All the rest will be here tomorrow. They will keep him relaxed until we have a answer.
Thanks again. This has been a bitch.
If you have any kind of shepherd, any herding dog, full or mix breed and several others they can have a problem with some meds. Get them checked, it only cost 60 bucks and could save their life.
Vcpl.vetmed.wsu.com

I hope everything works out for your dog. He's lucky to have owners who love and care. :thumbsup
 

DaytonaBabe

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Hope things are looking better today Placecraft :thumbsup
 

PLACECRAFT20

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I got the call this morning. Test where normal. looks perfectly healthy. He has been on the epilepsy medicine for about 24hrs and has done well. Its either a nurlogical problem or epilepsy. We will watch him all day, make sure he is fine and he can come home this afternoon. Regretfully when the call came it was not good. The seizures had returned and we can't control it with medicine. The doctor had taken to the neurologist, his opinion was some type of problem in the brain. In A Ausie, and he had seen a bunch of them, it is probably. His honest opinion was he probably can't fix it.
Regretfully, I had to make the decision with 3 doctors opinions that We had to let our baby go to a better place.

We where blessed to have a great animal for 6 months. He is now in piece!

Thanks for all the support.
 

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Wow, not the ending I was expecting to hear. Sorry to hear about your loss :(

Godspeed little Aussie
 

DaytonaBabe

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My goodness.... I am so very, very sad to read this. So sorry :(
 

PLACECRAFT20

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A update to a broken heart. By Friday of last week, Holly and I decided we where going to start the long process of looking for a dog. We love each other but JJ had brought new life to our house. We had such a list of what we wanted in test that I figured it would take a long time. She looks at site that had working Aussies. We looked at this before JJ but they always have at least a year waiting list. One of the families that breeds the dogs as well as works them, had a ad for one single dog. He was not taken at the last minute due to health problems in the family that was adopting him. He had more credentials than I even new existed, with a complete family tree of champion heading dogs and agility awards. The family health records along with eye test, dna test and bone and hip records where complete.
With tears in our eyes I called. The lady and her husband where ranchers and her daughter is a veterinarian in a large university that teaches and studies the problems that we just encountered with the breed. We made a fast decision to take him and pick him up that afternoon.
This week has been bitter sweet for us. We received a great new edition to our family. He is awesome but still reminds us of JJ. We now can smile and laugh again with pain in our hearts. This time I hope we can enjoy him for many years to come without the health worries. Thanks for all the comments and help.

I can now introduce 3 month old red tri Aussie Boudreaux! Hard to get a good picture yet!

God speed JJ, we will always hold you in our hearts.
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