Seizures in dogs

As a new member, are there any owners in the Bracknell/Wokingham area whose otherwise healthy dogs have suddenly started to have unexplained seizure?

Many thanks

Jane

Hi there

I don't live in your area but if your dog has had a seizure, have you consulted a vet at all?

Hi
Not in your area but two of my bitches were in kennels in May and had fits - never happened before. There is an EU notice on contaminated dog food from a Belgian manufacturer - I won't give full details here but you can pm.
In a nutshell the food is a Lamb and Rice kibble and when the kennels took my girls off this food they were then fine.

Hope your dog is OK

Cheers
Sgurr

HI
I dont live in your area, but my springer started having seizures after previously being very healthy, it was a scary time but she is now fine, i took her to the vets and he put her on anti-convulsants, which he said she will have to be on for life now, but as i say she has had none since, she is pregnant and i asked if it could be linked to her pregancy and was told there is no proven link with pregnancy and epilepsy, she is due to have her pups in the next few days so hopefully they are all fine! Hope this is helpful

Was your bitch already diagnosed with epilepsy before she was mated?

That particular dog food was withdrawn in May as soon as the possible contamination was known.

No she didnt have epilepsy before this happenned, they started whilst she was pregnant.

I have some experience with an epileptic Siberian Husky. She was having severe seizures every couple months or so until the owners switched her to a raw, natural diet. Since then the seizures have been decreasing and now happen only about once a year.

I believe that epilepsy is caused by injury to the brain, either by traumatic force or by toxic substances in food, medicines or vaccines. If caused by the latter, it has been known to happen that seizures can be triggered even as a dog is being transitioned to natural food, and for awhile thereafter, because the substances that caused the damage may be liberated back into the bloodstream on their way out of the body. However, the seizures should decrease over time, depending on the severity of the original damage to the brain. Seizures can sometimes be permanently resolved if the dog is properly fed. I would certainly recommend trying this before putting a dog on life-long medications, as these will cause additional problems and do nothing to resolve the underlying cause.

Best wishes,
Nora

Sorry Nora, but idiopathic epilepsy is just that. Idiopathic. In other words there is no known trigger for it.

Denying an epileptic dog of medication is most unwise.

Yes, medication can cause problems, but so can un-medicated and uncontrolled epileptic seizures.

I know what I prefer for my epileptic dog, and the saying "better a dopy doggy than a dead doggy" rings oh so true.

You believe that epilepsy "is caused by injury to the brain, either by traumatic force or by toxic substances in food, medicines or vaccines."

I just wish it was as simple as that. Because there is no known cause, as yet, for idiopathic epilepsy.

Veterinary medicine does not concern itself with causes of any sort, so it's not surprising they would declare the cause of epilepsy to be "unknown" or even "unknowable" (and true to form, they give it a foreign sounding name -- "idiopathic" -- so everyone will think they know what they're talking about). It serves their industry to perpetuate the idea that disease is random and indiscriminate. Even if that's true, it doesn't mean we have to take the most harmful approach, by not even attempting to remove possible causes and creating even more damage in the process. If a dog is in danger of harming himself or others with seizures, then they may need to be controlled medically. Even in those situations, dietary improvement holds a great deal of promise and should be a priority. In any event, worst case scenarios like the one you suggest are often used to create fear so that owners will get their dogs on drugs rather than trying more conservative approaches. With few exceptions, vets are not even acquainted with these approaches, and the ones that are have done the research on their own, because the veterinary educational system does not teach them.

I can't hope to convince medical believers that there are better ways than drugs, and that's not why I'm here. I'm here because there are others like me who recognize that disease has causes and want to explore removal of cause before resigning themselves to symptom control.

Best wishes,
Nora