Medication for dogs with epilepsy

This is a record of what medicines we have used with Elvis. It is not veterinary advice and is only intended to give you an idea of what is available. Of course every dog is different and requires different meds.

The most common medication to control epileptic seizures in dogs is Phenobarbitone or Potassium Bromide which is usually given as Potassium Bromide syrup, Epilease capsules or Libromide capsules). These are different to the drugs used during and immediately after seizures.

Regular blood tests are required to check the level of the medication so it can be adjusted if necessary

REGULAR MEDS

When we first adopted Elvis he was taking regular doses of Keppra which is acutally medication used to stop fits, so when he had his first fits with us, it was a problem because his body was too used to Keppra and it did not work for him. He fitted for 3 days and nights every 2 to three hours. It was a nightmare.

Now his regular medication is Libromide and phenobarbital.

TO STOP A SEIZURE

During a seizure (that appears not to be stopping on its own) we have rectal Diazepam.

As soon as is it is possible for him to safely swallow we give him Keppra every 6 hours for 48 hours following the last seizure

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES

When we first adopted Elvis he was also taking three homeopathic medications; Kalium phosphoricum, Silicea and Magnesium. We stopped these for a while and saw no difference. After some more seizures, we started them again but they seems to have no affect and we did not want to have any conflict with the medication our vet had prescribed. I believe there to be some good reasons to give him Magnesium as it helps the muscle spasms.

There are various diet foods recommended for dogs with epilepsy; coconut oil and honey seem to have some good responses. Some people recommend a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. We have also tried various"grain-free" kibble but grain-free doesn´t actually mean low carbs, it just means different carbs to the usual ones substituting legumes for corn and rice. What I do think is important is that you feed your dog good quality food such as Royal Canin or Advance.

Following the fits, we give Elvis some honey in warm water to help bring his blood sugar up again.

Others recommend CBD Oil which we have yet to try.