How To Train A Dog

If your dog starts having seizures it is important to get him in for an evaluation by a veterinarian as soon as possible. If the reason for the seizures is a diagnosis of epilepsy, the following are some of the ways that the seizures can be treated. It is important to understand that epilepsy is not the cause of all dog seizures, however. For example, certain kinds of brain tumors or an injury to the dog’s brain can cause seizures, as can certain toxins in the environment. In such cases, treatment for epilepsy will be completely ineffective.

The purpose of this article is to explore treatment options so that you will have a better understanding of them once your veterinarian has determined that the cause of your dog’s seizures is epilepsy. Generally no treatment is recommended unless the seizures are occurring at least once a month. You should keep in mind that the purpose of treatment is to reduce the frequency and intensity of the seizures, and that in many cases the seizures will continue in spite of the treatment, so don’t give up and don’t get discouraged.

The first line of treatment options with canine epilepsy is usually anti-epileptic drugs (AED’s). Potassium and Phenobarbitol are the most commonly prescribed anti-epileptic drugs, and are used either together or independently of each other. Diazepam, more commonly known as Valium, can be used if the seizures come one after another or last longer than 5 minutes. These types of seizures are called cluster seizures (status epilepticus). One controversial drug that is still a treatment option for epilepsy is Primidone. Primidone shouldn’t be considered as a treatment for canine epilepsy except as a last resort, as this medication has some very serious side effects including lethargy, excessive hunger and thirst as well as an elevation of liver enzymes. Repeated studies have shown that Neurontin (gabapentin) is also effective in the treatment of seizures. Researching these studies is a good idea for anyone considering the use of AED’s. But caution is needed as AED’s elevate enzymes in the liver, so if your dog is using one of these medications, he will need to have regular chemistry panels done to ensure no liver damage is occurring.

Acupuncture or Gold Bead Implants, involve the placement of needles throughout the dog’s body, or placement of gold bead into the acupuncture points. I would try acupuncture before AED’s, but gold bead implants would be a last resort for me, to be considered only if everything else failed.

Diet, Homeopathy and Vitamin Therapy. I believe that diet plays a critical role in the treatment of canine epilepsy, because many commercial dog foods are full of chemical dyes and preservatives. Preservatives have been known to cause seizures in dogs that have a lower seizure threshold, and should be eliminated completely from their diets. I believe that the benefits of feeding fresh, raw food and fresh pulped green leafy veggies actually stopped my dog’s seizures without us ever having to use AED’s. I recommend that you work with a holistic veterinarian to ensure that you are providing the right balance of food, vitamin and if recommended, homeopathic treatments. Serving filtered water may also be helpful, especially in states where the water has fluoride added.

It is also a good idea to get some Rescue Remedy, and even some ice cream. You can pick up ‘Rescue Remedy’ in most health stores, you should add 4 drops of this to your dogs mouth when a seizure starts, it can help lessen the seizure dramatically. Another great idea is to give your dog some preservative free vanilla ice cream once the seizure has finished, dogs are only small and a seizure can be hard on their body, giving them some ice cream afterwards helps bring their blood sugar levels back up. It is also nice for your dog after going through a seizure, with mine it would actually happily go to his bowl waiting for some ice cream after each seizure.

Sandra DeMers is the author of “Cory’s Story,” the story of a yellow Labrador retriever suffering from dog seizures that will absolutely AMAZE you. Cory is alive, happy and healthy at the age of 13 and hasn’t had a seizure in over 5 years. Visit www.corysstory.com to learn Sandra’s secret to good canine health–you’ll be surprised when you learn the truth.