Is my dog's seizure medication causing her staggering and distress?

So sorry about your dog. Your vet could try to increase the medications but it is possible that the anti-seizure medications will not control the seizure, especially if the brain cancer has progressed. I would definitely give it a try and see what happens and hopefully it will control the seizures and give him some more time.

Thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that Ruby has been having seizures. These episodes can be very frightening. When I see a patient for seizures under the age of four, I suspect they are due to epilepsy. However, when I see an older patient that begins having seizures, I am more concerned with a brain tumor, toxin, or diseases that create electrolyte imbalances. I would start with bloodwork to make sure there is no sign of any other problem. There are medications that can be given to control the seizures and make Ruby more comfortable, but I suspect the seizures will become more frequent over time. I wish I had better answers for you and Ruby.

Is there a chance Chloe received more than one dose of her seizure medication by accident? Shivering can be associated with a fever, with pain, or it could be focal motor seizures and not really shivering. A normal rectal temperature is about 101 to 102. If she is not improving I would recommend she be seen by a veterinarian. I hope Chloe improves soon !

This could indeed be caused by seizures, i would recommend taking her to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked, the vet will likely provide you medications to control the seizures after making a blood test done.

She really does need some investigation into what is going on. If toxins can be ruled out and there hasn't been a traumatic injury to the head it is most likely going to be a central nervous system lesion. Unfortunately this is normally a brain tumour or similar. Epilepsy is still a possibility but rarely occurs in older dogs. I would recommend seeing your vet as soon as possible so they can start with some blood tests and take their investigations from there. Fingers crossed for you.

It's possible that the seizures are due to a brain tumor, which is very likely due to his age. this means his condition will deteriorate regardless of the treatment, sometimes the deterioration takes several months and sometimes it's a matter of days.

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.