Epilepsy - up the meds again?

It doesnt rain but pours, my lab boy was diag with epilepsy 2 half years ago - low meds given. as he hadnt had a fit for a year vet said to lower his dose of phenobarbitone to 60mg halved over the day - early today he had a fit - had not had one in excess of 1 yr. Thanks Vet!
So should I put him back on to one tab a day as he was before.
only made the change at xmas time but obviously had an effect.
i thought once diag with it they have to be on the tabs for life.

The dose may well have to vary, its best to check with your Vet. Is he unconscious, does he pee himself etc.. when fitting?

Phenobarbitone has a relatively short half life so clears from the body quite quickly. The reduced dose could have been why your dog had a fit but it could be that he was building up to one anyway. Was it just the one fit or has he had a cluster? Does he have a history of clusters or are his fits single events?

After a year of no fits, I can see why the vet wanted to reduce the dose but did he do any blood tests before reducing the dose? Phenobarbitone can cause problems in higher doses - and tolerance is possible over time resulting in the need for higher doses - so it's preferable to keep the maintenance dose as low as possible, while controlling the epilepsy.

If I were you, I would give the vet a call, tell him what has happened and ask his advice about raising the dose again.

Hi
Yes he was sick and does wet himself.
He is ok now, (10.40am) - had fit at 4.30am. He is very clingy after he comes round. I cant leave him, like an anxious child.

Yes Im a little tired.... and was up before that with daughter!

Spoke to vet, she has said that put him back to 60mg in morning and again at evening.

He was doing so well, no fits for 18 months.
I did ask her if a change of diet would attribute (Euk to Orijen - she said extremely unlikely). Might put him back to Euk.... better the devil etc.

My dog suffers from severe clusters - we're medicating with bromide alone and rectal diazepam for use during the clusters.

I stopped using any grains or dairy and now only give him meat, fish, eggs, bones, some fruit and veg and a little potato. I use potato flour instead of wheat flour when I make his sardine treats.

The clusters have reduced in severity and number of fits since I became really strict with the diet. Although I couldn't state with absolute certainty that this has made the difference, I wouldn't change the diet now, just in case ...

You might want to be wary of the preservatives Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT present in some dog foods:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/overview.html

Sorry no advice here but all the best for your boy xxxx

There are many things that you can do to reduce the occurrence of epilepsy.

This article explains epilepsy and possible causes very well so you could first try changing any of the things that might apply:-

http://www.purelypets.com/articles/epilepsyarticle.htm