Dog seizures and anemia: What else can I do to help my scared dog?

I'm so sorry about your dog. I know this is a very scary time. There are multiple causes of seizures. I'm not sure how old your dog is, but in dogs under 5 years old who are completely normal in between seizure episodes, epilepsy is the primary cause of seizures. In older dogs it could be inflammation, a brain tumor, and infection or problems with the organs (particularly the liver). I always recommend blood work first to look for any problems there. If the blood work is normal, the next step is to evaluate the brain by doing an MRI. If blood work has not been done, I would highly recommend it. If problems are found in the blood work, then you should treat that. If everything is normal in the blood work, I would recommend starting seizure medication. Some dogs will have seizures very infrequently like your dog started out. Those dogs don't usually need medication. But when they become more frequent and are clustering (multiple in a 24 hours period) then I would definitely recommend medication at this point. There are multiple different seizure medications to choose from, so talk to your veterinarian about that. Many times the seizures will be manageable with medications, but it takes consistent medication multiple times per day and blood rechecks for the drug levels. Honestly, some dogs will be very difficult or impossible to control and will continue to have seizures despite being on multiple medications. So to answer your question, yes, there is something you can do to help your pet and based on the number of seizures he is now having, he needs to be put on medication. I hope this helps!

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

It sounds like Hun is very sick. I am concerned that the seizure means his disease is progressing. Did the vet say what was causing the anemia? The supplements they gave you can support the body, but may not be treating the cause of the illness, such as tick-borne disease, parasitism, or auto-immune disease.

No there is nothing over the counter you can give her. I recommend keeping a diary of the episodes and taking her in for an exam and bloodwork. She could have epilepsy or another problem. If the seizures are more frequent than monthly then they will recommend anti seizure medication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ciquita.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would need to ask a bunch more questions and would be happy to do a consultation if you’d like but let me give you a few ideas. 1) be sure it’s not heart- Fainting spells can look a lot like seizures. Consider a cardiology consult to make sure it’s not that. They’ll do an EKG and ultrasound of the heart to make sure nothing is amiss. 2) weird fungal diseases- I’m from Arizona, land of valley fever - a fungal disease that can - and often does- cause seizures. Other fungi like Blastomycosis and Histoplasmosis can do similar things. If Bella has traveled out of Texas- even for just a day or two- these are considerations. 3) Bella is simply an atypical epileptic and needs more/different medication. Just like in people, it can sometimes take some time to find the right combination of drugs to get the seizures controlled. 4) weird drug interactions- double check especially about any anti-anxiety or behavior modification medications and pain medications. 5) hypothyroidism, tick fever, other weird stuff. If you’ve done an MRI, you may have already consulted with a neurologist. If not? That would be the next step along with the cardiologist visit. Best of luck to you and Bella!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are no herbs or supplements that are known to be helpful for seizures unfortunately. Also, it is not recommended generally to combined supplements with the regular anti-seizure medications as some of these can interact with the medications. Good news is that usually dogs become more and more tolerant of the anti-seizure medications and become less and less groggy on them as the time goes on. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Skittle! You should take her in. I would try to video tape an episode on your phone for the Vet to see. She needs an exam and blood work. I worry they are focal seizures. Common causes of focal seizures in a geriatric Golden are: low blood sugar from a tumor, metabolic conditions like liver or kidney failure or a brain tumor. I wish Skittle the best!