My dog has cardiomyopathy, coughing, seizures. Can I give lorazepam?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dayzee. I'm sorry to hear about the change she has experienced today. I agree that you need to contact your veterinarian first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, I would not recommend giving her an Ativan tablet. It is in a class of drugs that is occasionally used in dogs. However, that particular medication is not approved for use in dogs. At her age, she could have underlying organ dysfunction and may not metabolize the drug well. In addition, the effects on a dog are not always predictable. Do your best to keep her calm tonight and contact your veterinarian tomorrow. I hope this information helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Camilla! Disorientation, anxiety, panting and not acting normal are normal post seizure. This period can last up to 24 hours. Sometimes the recovery period can be different after each seizure. We can not prescribe medications with out examining Camila. If your Vet has prescribed valium for Camila then I would follow the instructions they provided. There is no interaction with valium, phenobarbital and potassium bromide. If they didn't you will have to get the dosing from them. As long as she isn't having any more seizures I would hold off on any additional medications right now and let her recover. If she has 2-3 seizures in a 24 hour period she needs to be seen by a Vet. I wish you the best!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Scooby Doo. You should have him evaluated by your veterinarian. Seizures have many causes and without knowing more, this question is very difficult to answer. Idiopathic or unknown causes of seizures often called epilepsy, is treatable in many cases. The goal of treatment is to reduce the frequency of the seizures. Other causes include infection, internal organ disease, heart disease, toxin exposure, among others. It's important to screen dogs who are having seizures for a cause. This is often done with detailed history taking and a physical examination. Then a minimum database is performed which could include fecal/blood/urine tests and maybe some x-rays. Once a problem is identified, it can be addressed but most seizure cases end up being epilepsy. 2 seizures one month apart are frequent enough to start anti-convulsant drug treatment. You should also ask your veterinarian about using MCT Oil (from coconuts). This has been found to help some dogs with their seizures. One concern with this oil though is stressing the pancreas and causing pancreatitis, so caution must be used. Good luck

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. All medications have side effects and possible adverse reactions. Anti-anxiety medication, depending on which one, can be hard on the liver, depending on the medication, dose and frequency it is being used. Most anti-anxiety medications will depress the brain so tend to not cause seizures, but they do affect the brain so some animals can respond with seizures, but this is unlikely. Most of these medications will cause sedation, and the equivalent to 'drowsiness' that a human might feel. If you are seeing seizures or lethargy/weakness with the medications I recommend having your dog seen by a vet and checking blood levels. Also, I notice you have your dog listed as unneutered. If your dog is having anxiety, getting him neutered can help reduce stress and anxiety and would be recommended as part of an anti-anxiety treatment plan. Discuss this with your vet. Best of luck with Bruno.

It is really hard to tell exactly what you are asking. Did Bruno swallow one pill of 0.5mg Lonazep (lorazepam)? If so, one tablet will not harm him. This is a benzodiazepine drug and dogs often take medications in this class of drug for anxiety and sedative effects. It can also be given for seizure activity. Dogs however, take a much higher dose than a person so that low dose will not harm him. The only thing you may notice is a bit of sleepiness but I doubt it. If that is not what you are asking please post again and try to be as clear as possible with your question. Thanks and I hope this helps.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this with little Chili. Neurologic disease in elderly pets can be difficult to treat, understand, and very hard to watch, just like with people. It sounds like her seizures are well-controlled with the Keppra, but she is displaying additional neurological symptoms: pacing, circling, confusion. I am not entirely convinced these are all due to anxiety though. Usually neurologic disease in elderly dogs is due to only a few things: metabolic disease (liver, kidney, or diabetic issues), vascular events (strokes), or a brain tumor. If you have ruled out metabolic disease, which I'm sure your vet has, the other two diagnoses carry a very guarded prognosis. My concern is that the symptoms you are seeing are likely the result of progressive disease due to one of those two possible causes. While anxiety medication might help some, I fear that it's not going to give you or Chili the results for which you're hoping. In this case, it's important to think about quality of life for Chili: what's fair to her? If adding in an anti-anxiety medication helps her resume normal activities where she goes back to being Chili and doing the things that make her "Chili," fantastic. If not, it may be time to make some difficult decisions about what's best for her. If you do decide to pursue an anti-anxiety medication, your vet might consider Selegiline (specifically for cognitive dysfunction in people, not a lot of reported success in animals), Clonazepam (in the valium and Xanax family, but slightly different), or Clonidine (a blood pressure medication, also used to treat anxiety) in combination with an anti-depressant, such as Prozac. All of these would require careful monitoring and consideration in combination with the Keppra. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and Chili!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would contact the veterinarian again and ask if they can provide you with a sedative / anti-anxiety medication prior to coming in and then have you muzzle her prior to bringing her in. Medications such as Trazodone and amitriptyline together can help with the anxiety. She really needs to be seen by a veterinarian and have her blood tested to see if there are any abnormal systemic changes that could be causing the symptoms you are describing. With her age, I am concerned about something systemic that could be abnormal or cancer. 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.