Dog seizures: Phenobarbital side effects on liver, kidney, heart?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Molly should take phenobarbital to avoid further seizures, which is a priority in this situation. You should continue with the dose she has been prescribed. Many dogs are lethargic after the first few doses of phenobarbital but then are back to normal. Please, get in touch with your vet on Monday to confirm that Molly is on the right dose of phenobarbital. If the lethargy and lack of appetite persists, your vet will likely decrease the dose or change the medication. Molly will probably stay on anti-seizure medication for life.

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!

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.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Keppra is an excellent anti-seizure medication used extensively in human & veterinary medicine. The advantage to keppra over phenobarb, is the keppra is metabolized unchanged by the body, thus the liver does not ever see it.. Therefore, it is an excellent drug when the liver has become compromised by the phenobarb. Not every dog needs to be switched, but when they are, the seizures are very well controlled. Hope this helps.

I'm so sorry that Molly is having these problems. I am attaching a handout below on Phenobarbital which may give you more information on her situation. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=522 Phenobarbital can certainly increase a dog's appetite, so you have to make sure that they are not eating more when they are receiving Phenobarbitial so they don't gain weight. Phenobarbital will also increase liver enzymes on a blood panel. In order to determine liver function, we need to do an additional test called a Bile Acid Profile. If Molly's Bile Acid Profile is abnormal, then her liver is not working properly and decreasing her dose of Phenobarb may be a good idea, but you will need to discuss with your veterinarian how to do that safely and if you need to add another anti-convulsant medication to prevent her from having seizures again. Milk Thistle and Same-E are my 2 favorite liver support supplements, so I think you have her liver well supported with those supplements. I have seen good results in decreasing liver enzymes with those 2 supplements. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is probably the overstimulation of her brain and the nerves that causes the breakthrough seizures. Exercise would not make her burn through the medication faster. It is really best to minimize excitement in any dog that has a history of seizures. That being said, if this is a new thing and it has been longer than 4 months since her last phenobarbital blood test, it would be best to go ahead and have that checked to see if the dosage needs to be adjusted. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I just answered your other question (https://www.petcoach.co/question/?id=814394). I've reiterated here for reference. I understand how frightening it can be when seizures occur. Seizures can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as epilepsy, toxin exposure, portosystemic liver shunts, or brain tumors, among others. While most seizures are treated with medications, the precise treatment is depends on the cause of the seizures. Gardenal (also known by the generic name phenobarbital) is a very common medication used to manage seizures in dogs. When used long term (as is often the case), it can cause elevation in the liver enzymes. It's important to routinely monitor full blood chemistry panels and phenobarbital levels in the blood while using this medication. I am concerned about Chhutki's very low sodium levels. Looking at the low ratio of her sodium and potassium levels, it's possible that she could have Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism). Very low sodium levels can cause neurologic issues, which could also be the cause of her seizures. At this point, a balanced commercial dog food (such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet or Purina ProPlan) is her best dietary option. Yogurt, table foods or over the counter supplements are not going to help with this issue. Chhutki really needs to be further evaluated by her vet to get to the bottom of this issue. Further diagnostic tests, such as an ACTH Stim, bile acid testing and an MRI would be helpful. Your vet may also need to hospitalize her for fluid therapy to slowly increase her sodium level to see if the seizures improve. I hope that she feels better soon!