Seizure Update - Mixed News

Unfortunately, after two excellent weeks, Loki had the most horrendous cluster of seizures on Easter Sunday, it was the worst ever and I thought he was never going to come out of it or would have a heart attack. We had to give rectal diazepam (not pleasant for him or us) and get the vet out. He didn't do anything as the worst was over by the time he arrived, but poor Loki was in a world of his own - he couldn't get up, he seemed blind and barely responsive.

By 2 am he would turn his ears in the direction of my voice but that was about it. I was having to squirt water into his mouth with a water pistol to get fluids into him. At around 4 am I rushed downstairs when I heard him move into a different room and he was able to eat something, which was a relief.

I was scared to go downstairs by the morning, I thought I'd find him dead. But amazingly my little trooper greeted me with his ears back and his little face all smiley . He was weak and tired but he got up too, God bless him, to make a fuss of me. He managed a walk over the fields but was very whiny during the afternoon and had another seizure that evening. This one was over very quickly though and the after effects weren't bad, although we did give more diazepam as this was part of the original cluster.

We've tried everything we can think of and have had to get him on drugs. We're not going down the phenobarbital (PB) route as he just couldn't tolerate them the last time, so we asked to try potassium bromide (KBr) on its own. I've read up on it and this is usually used if the dog can't tolerate the PB or in addition to PB in order to reduce the levels of PB used if the liver has been adversely affected. KBr has very good write-ups being used alone too, with a better side-effect profile and is more manageable. So far he has just been excessively hungry, but not climbing the walls like the PB. Mind you, he's probably still feeling the sedative effects of the diazepam, so we'll have to wait and see.

So fingers crossed this will help him. I am still going to continue with supplements and diet, as an adjunct and to keep his body as healthy as possible. The vet also suggested trying oral diazepam while the therapeutic level is being reached, so we might give this a go, with the rectal diazepam for emergencies. Poor lad is sick to death of having his bum meddled with.

It breaks my heart when he comes out of the seizure and his eyes get life back into them and he tilts back his head to put his nose to my face as if to say, "I'm glad you're with me".

We really do wish you all the best with everything. Lots of love to you and Loki xxx

aww i am sorry to hear that loki has had more seizures poor babe he dosent deserve this in his life and bless you for having to witness them again i cant imagine what you must be feeling or going through i really do hope that these seizures are curbed for loki sending you both big hugs from me and the boys

Poor lad ... do you give Rescue Remedy?

Make sure to stick exactly to the prescribed dose of Kbr - I hope it works very wel for him.

Oh no Poor Loki and you guys Lets hope the different medication will get control of these fits and in the mean time give Loki lots of hugs from us

Very scary for you and bewildering for Loki

I am sure you are aware of this but if seizures are a possibility never leave him alone with another dog. Even dogs that have lived together in harmony for years may attack the dog that is having a fit And, of course, be sure that his surroundings are very safe - no stairs that he could fall down, no pools that he could fall into, etc.

I do hope that the new medication will control the problem.

Hi Lucky Star, it makes me so sad reading about Loki, you must be exhausted by it all. I do hope you can him stabilised soon .

I am so sorry to hear this! I hope that the KBr is as good as it's cracked up to be - American epilepsy boards are full of praises for it; fortunately, I have never had to put it to the test.

S/B makes a very valid point about other dogs being aggressive towards the epileptic - I have seen my Kali try to attack Snorri during a recovery period, regardless of the fact that they are brothers and have lived together for 8 years! And, of course, the safety of the surroundings.

LS, I can imagine exactly how you must feel! As for the first part of a recovery, I always feel relieved to see the life come back into Snorri's eyes, because it is exactly that - life. Personally, I think that quiet reassuring talk and a gentle stroking helps him on the way to recovery.

When we were at the start of this, we had had no idea of when to start medicating: you could say that the first cluster was Nature's way of saying "Now!" It was both horrifying and terrifying to witness.

I think that we have been very lucky (if the word "lucky" can be fitted into the situation at all) with Snorri-dog: his clusters were never very long, his recoveries were relatively quick and the Pb has worked for him without side-effects. Plus, of course, we have been able to reduce the dosage by 50%.

So, LS, please accept my very sincere sympathy, and my best wishes for an improvement in your control of Loki's malady. Please let us know how things go with the KBr - I, for one, will be very interested in progress.

Snorri

What a harrowing experience that must have been , I hope the change in medication helps, we're into our 2nd week with the KBr now & will keep our fingers crossed for Loki.

Oh Linda I'm so sorry to hear this.

Have no advice, just wanted to give you hugs and to say I hope the medicine will help poor Loki.