My epileptic dog is weak and drooling on phenobarbital. Is it normal?

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.

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!

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.

Phenobarbital therapy in dogs is begun at 2 to 4 mg/kg twice daily. So for a 33kg dog that would mean 66 to 132 mg twice a day. We always try to start low and increase if needed but he was essentially really underdosed in the beginning with taking 30mg twice a day. He is now on a more appropriate dose. Sedation is normal when therapy is initiated but once the dog's body gets used to the drug (after about 2 weeks) he should become more like himself. If you are really worried, you can ask the vet to run a phenobarbital level blood test to see if his dosing is too high and it can be adjusted accordingly. Please be aware that dogs will never be completely seizure free even while on anti-seizure medication. Breakthrough seizures are common but they should be pretty infrequent. If he continues to seizure or does not do well on the phenobarbital there are other medication options so please work closely with your vet.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is very normal in the first 2 weeks of starting phenobarbital. The dogs experience lethargy and the hind legs are wobbly and they appear to walk drunk. This will resolve in 2-4 weeks. The dogs do remain thirsty and have increased hunger on the medication. I wish Ceasar the best!

Phenobarbital is within a group of drugs known as barbiturates. The most common side effects in dogs, by far, are sedation, increased drinking, increased urination, and increased appetite. If the drugs were the cause of the behaviors you are witnessing, this would have to be classified as some sort of paradoxical reaction to the medication. In other words, it would be causing symptoms that are opposite to the purpose of the drug itself. Though I have not personally witnessed this, there are reports in rare instances of dogs becoming hyperactive and agitated after use of phenobarbital. While I can not say with certainty that this is the cause of the behaviors, It is definitely curious that they began at the same time as medication was started. You may want to speak with your vet about these observations and possibly choose a different medication.

While toxins could cause vomiting there are many more common causes ranging from a bowel obstruction to intestinal parasites. An overdose of phenobarbital would not cause vomiting: I would expect to see sedation or difficulty vomiting. If she had a seizure that is atypical for her, or if her vomiting continues I would recommend taking her to the veterinarian later today. I would recommend withholding food until you can see the vet. A little water should be okay but don't let her gulp an entire bowl.