My dog's phenobarbital has side effects. Can I use CBD for seizures?

Hello there and thank you for using Pet Coach! There are multiple anti-seizure drugs available and some with less side effects than others. If Bailey is on Phenobarbital, Keppra may be a good option for him as this particular drug has fewer side effects and I find that it is less harsh on the liver. Switching to a different drug with less side effects will certainly help. You can also talk to your vet about prescription liver diets in addition to the Denmarin. Hepagen-C is a veterinary product that is over the counter, which we use at our clinic in conjunction with Denamarin or Denosyl. Your vet can also perform a Bile Acids test to determine how much function of the liver has been lost. A scan would certainly be recommended and there are sedative combinations and drugs that we can use that will not trigger seizures, as they are anti-seizure drugs that we use to control seizures. I would still recommend an ultrasound, but talk to your vet about the different drugs that can be used to prevent seizures while sedated. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have. I am also available via phone or text consultation if needed. Please remember to rate this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. CBD treatment in veterinary medicine is still fairly new so there really is not a lot of research right now on dosing and it's effects for various conditions. These products are now becoming more widely accepted as an alternative approach to managing chronic pain in animals. There have been some suggestions that they help reduce seizures. Products labelled for veterinary use seem to be safe so if you were to try a CBD product, there should be no I'll effects. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Yes there is no required tapering of this drug to get pets off of it. However keep in mind that once you take your pet off it takes 10 weeks for the effects of the drug to disappear. If you are looking for other anti-seizure medication options and would like to discuss these I am also available for further discussion if you wish.

Poor guy. The treatment is ok; however, if we suspect any kind of liver involvement there are safer anti-seizure medications to consider here such as Zonisamide or Keppra. Although we would suspect the ALT to be elevated over the ALP in most liver problem dogs. You should certainly discuss these concerns with your vet. This may be why the liver supplement was prescribed, in case there is liver involvement. I would also consider getting an abdominal ultrasound done on him to evaluate his liver and adrenal glands. Both these organs can cause the elevated ALP, so we need to check if this is the underlying problem for sure or not. And ultimately seizures should be evaluted via MRI/CT scan; however, the cost of this limits most pet owners from having this done. Here is more information on seizures --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951440 I hope that Milo's seizures stabilize and that he does well moving forward. Take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend contacting his veterinarian. He will likely need to start another medication to control his seizures. Phenobarbital, potassium bromide and zonisamide are common choices. However, your veterinarian will know his medical history and which would be the best choice. Being able to have his seizures better controlled will improve his quality of life. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I assume Chhutki was prescribed phenobarbital for seizures. This medication can produce transient elevation of liver enzymes, increased thirst, increased appetite, lethargy and weight gain. It does not affect kidney or heart function and does not cause gallstones formation. If you don't use any anti-epileptic medications for your dog, she will likely have more seizures, which can be longer/more severe than her first seizure.

The good response to phenobarb makes a tumour less likely - these tend to respond very poorly and continue to have increasing seizures despite medication. His age also makes epilepsy likely so I would continue with the treatment as prescribed for 3-6months and possibly taper down carefully after this if no seizures occurring, or maintain as is if stable and limited side effects