Hopefull this may be a "one off" or happens very infrequently. I adopted a dog 6yrs ago when he was about 5yrs old in those 6yrs he has had 4 fits probably lasting a couple of mins (although it seems much longer at the time) I have a record of the dates,length of the fit, and what actually happens (urination etc. etc)Until they become very frequent I have no intention on starting him on medication.
Good luck and I hope all goes well for you and your dog

My lurcher x lab is on epiphem and has been since he fitted a few times when he was 7. He had the first few when running and when he comes out he wants to kill everything within range----so when he then had one one night I had to clear the bedroom of all of the rest of us fast! After that one he was medicated.

He doesn't have blood tests and hasn't fitted at all since. When I tried reducing the dosage (90ms twice a day), he became incontinent overnight, I upped it again and he is now clean----very strange!

I am very aware it could happen again and he isn't left unattended with the others but he does sleep next to my bed---I think I would wake if he did it again, bit like waking for a child. I also stopped competing in case he did it in the ring.

So far all is OK, he is 12 and acts 7 still!

Very scary and good to have support, I was devestated to begin with---also don't like phenobarb after teaching a child who was on it but my fears were not justified.

rune

[QUOTE=rune;2223981]

why not?

I am now wondering what to do about Day Care for my dog. If I am going out for more than a few hours, which is not very often, she goes to the dog Pension on a Moshav very close to here - the owner collects her and brings her home.

She is not shut in one of his [large] kennels but runs free with his own four dogs, and really enjoys herself. For various reasons it is the only time she is able to socialise with other dogs.

I am worried whether it would be too risky for her to go there now in case she has another seizure.

[QUOTE=Tupacs2legs;2223995] Because there is no real point---he isn't fitting and trying to reduce it (my idea) didn't work so I am happy to carry on with the 6 mth checks for obvious problems.

I know the long term damage that can be caused but he is 12 and a half and I think doing OK so I am not going to worry too much.

rune

Pereg has had another major seizure. I phoned the Vet but the clinic is closed now for the Sabbath [the phone is transferred to his home] so he will not be able to see her until Sunday, but he said two Grand Mal seizures in eight days indicates that it is epilepsy so he will start her on medication.

Hopefully he will come here as there is no way I can manage to take her to the clinic in a taxi, but there is nothing I or he can do at the moment and I will speak with him again on Sunday morning to see what can be arranged.

She was not making that horrible sound this time, but the seizure was just as strong, although she did manage to get up a bit quicker this time and is now wandering around rather confused and a bit "spaced out".

She was like that last time for about three hours.

I am so frightened about her.

So sad to hear that he had another one Hope he feels better soon! I wouldn't worry too much about the being 'spaced out' afterwards though, that's a perfectly normal side effect and does not necessarily mean another seizure is coming.
My sister (who also has epilepsy, different i know, but in some ways similar) even has this being 'spaced out' too, sometimes for days on end. Her doctor told her it's the brain's way of trying to not do additional damage. He described a grand mal seizure to her as electric wiring short circuiting and everything having to reboot, which made a lot of sense to me...

We used to have a jack russel mix who had epilepsy. He had his first seizure at 7 y/o and the first few years he didn't get any meds because the seizures were quite some time apart (couple of weeks), but as he grew older the frequency started to increase. He was fine with the meds then though, still lived a happy and full live until he died at age 15 of intestinal cancer. But of course I can imagine you're terribly worried, so if you ever want to get things off your chest, we're here for you.

She had yet another seizure yesterday, or rather today as it was at around 1am. The first one and then the one yesterday afternoon started while she was asleep but this last one she was awake when it started.

I do not usually use my computer on the Sabbath but was still frightened frightened from the earlier seizure and being alone and with no-one to help or even talk to, was reading through yet another website about canine epilepsy when she came up to my chair with one of her rope toys, suddenly reared up on her hind legs leaning on my chair, head back, teeth snapping, having another seizure.

It was tricky for me to move my chair [an electric wheelchair] back without her falling or me hurting her but I had to gently get her laying on the floor. She is so heavy for me and when fitting like that it is difficult as she thrashes violently.

Then I had to try and clean the mess and wait until her spaced out restlessness eased so I could go to bed, and she eventually settled but then we were woken about 3.45am by the sirens going off.

Just a couple of hours sleep for me and still another 24 hours before I can phone the Vet as everything is closed down for the Sabbath.

It is a horrible situation to be in.

I managed to find someone to take us to the surgery this morning and Pereg has now officially been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and prescribed phenobarbitone, starting at 25mg x twice a day.

The Vet said that it will take two or three days to have any effect so she might have seizures before then. And then we will have to wait and see whether the dosage needs to be increased - she has to have sufficient to control the epilepsy but not too much otherwise she will be semi-sedated all the time.

Not much fun for such a lively young dog, but hopefully we will get her stabilised as soon as possible.

Incidentally she was weighed and is 17 kilos and the only other time she has been weighed was in September 2009 when she was spayed, and she was 13 kilos then. So she is now an ideal weight for her age and her size.

I just hope the phenobarb starts working soon.

I do feel for you, fingers crossed that the medication will stabilise her and she can enjoy life to the full again.