Are my dog's seizures linked to low thyroid, not just phenobarbital?

Hello. Yes, I would definitely put Kayo on thyroid replacement medication first. As her thyroid levels normalize, her skin should improve & the need for allergy testing will no longer be necessary. New allergies in a 10 year old dog is unusual, so my guess her low thyroid levels are more responsible for her symptoms than anything else. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor guy. The treatment is ok; however, if we suspect any kind of liver involvement there are safer anti-seizure medications to consider here such as Zonisamide or Keppra. Although we would suspect the ALT to be elevated over the ALP in most liver problem dogs. You should certainly discuss these concerns with your vet. This may be why the liver supplement was prescribed, in case there is liver involvement. I would also consider getting an abdominal ultrasound done on him to evaluate his liver and adrenal glands. Both these organs can cause the elevated ALP, so we need to check if this is the underlying problem for sure or not. And ultimately seizures should be evaluted via MRI/CT scan; however, the cost of this limits most pet owners from having this done. Here is more information on seizures --> https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951440 I hope that Milo's seizures stabilize and that he does well moving forward. Take care.

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.

It is doubtful that it would be the primary cause of her weight gain. As they age, their metabolism will slow down and usually the amount of food that they need is less. I would try to decrease the amount of food you are feeding her and increase her activity. If she is still gaining weight, I would have your vet check her thyroid to ensure it isn't low as this is also a common cause of weight gain. I hope this helps !

Hi and thanks for your request. The aim of the phenobarbital administration is to reduce effectively seizure frequency and severity. In my experience a frequency of once a month is fair and acceptable. Ideally Phenobarbital concentration should be checked 3 and 6 months after starting the treatment to monitor liver parameters and make sure the concentration of the drug in the blood is within therapeutic ranges. Dose could be even increased, but to be able to give you specific advices about it I would need to know Shadow's weight. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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.

The only way to know if this is related is to have the thyroid level checked again. I recommend to call your veterinarian and let them know what you are seeing. They will advise on how much medication to give and when to test. The only way to know if Glanni truly has thyroid disease is to stop all medication for at least 2 weeks. Then test a thyroid panel that includes the Total T4, the Free T4 by equilibrium dialysis and the Thyroid stimulating Hormone. This will give you a complete and accurate idea of his thyroid function. I do not advise to make any changes to the medication with out first speaking with your regular veterinarian. Also keep in mind that the behavior could be coincidental and related to something else entirely. Best of luck.