Why is my dog confused, can't stand, and seizing on phenobarbital?

Based on the history, a toxicity seems less likely and a primary disease of the brain more likely. If the seizures are not well controlled on phenobarbital it may be that she needs a higher dose. You should discuss phenobarbital levels with your veterinarian. If the levels are in therapeutic range, a second anticonvulsant such as levetiracitam should be considered. Furthermore, you may consider following up with a veterinary neurologist to discuss diagnostics including an MRI of the brain.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. In the initial stages of starting Phenobarbital, dogs develop what we call transient symptoms. These include becoming wobbly (ataxia), drooling, disorientation, panting, etc. These symptoms will eventually subside as the dog's body becomes used to the phenobarbital. If Trapper is no longer having seizures, I would call the veterinarian and ask if the dose can be slightly lowered. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

From the treatment your veterinarian has given, I can assume that he/she is suspecting your Lily is suffering from epilepsy. Phenobarbital is usually the treatment for it. On other hand a presentation with imbalance problems is more compatible with a geriatric-idiopathic vestibular syndrome, which has a good prognosis and rapid recovery even without treatment. The weakness Lily is experiencing is probably due to side effect of the drug itself and not to the actual disease. Another check up and physical examination are absolutely needed to have a better idea of underlying cause. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Those are likely side effects from the phenobarbital. For that reason, I would highly recommend that you contact your veterinarian as they may decide to decrease his dose of phenobarbital based on this. Best of luck!

The pacing could be a side effect of the phenobarbital or a side effect of the underlying cause for Frito's seizures. If the pacing continues or he has any decreased appetite, vomiting, or seems excessively sedate then you need to contact your veterinarian to discuss altering the dose potentially.

It could be a very bad side effect of the phenobarbital, it is a strong medication that tends to cause severe side effects, especially if given at a loading dose in the beginning. you should contact your vet immediately in order to discuss possibly changing the dosage.

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.