Canine Epilepsy

Hi there, hopefully some of you will remember me - I will post on the 'introduction' section as well. My family adopted Denzil (Diesel/Marcus) from fdr on August 29th 2011 and he's gradually developed into a sociable, friendly (except to strangers visiting the house!) and delightful dog. But we have a problem - about 3 or 4 months ago Denzil had a type of fit - frothing at the mouth, urinated, 'running' paws, confusion etc which lasted for about a minute, then it took him about 15 minutes or so to return to his old self, if a little quiet. At the time, I convinced myself that it was due to his constant attempts to eat a plant at our local woods, which I discovered was something called 'Dog's Mercury' - irrestible to some dogs and highly toxic. Thought no more of it really until 23rd December, when following an overnight visit by some friends, Denzil had another fit, just the same as the previous one.

So, a trip to the vet when it opened on the 27th. In the meantime I had - of course - been researching on the internet and had decided it could unfortunately be canine epilepsy; apparently German Shepherds are one of the breeds which can be prone to it and especially males. The vet agreed that epilepsy was sadly the most likely diagnosis and at present we are just at the monitoring stage as the medication also has side effects and can affect the liver function. So I am feeling very sad at the moment that my handsome, happy, seemingly bouncing with health boy is most likely epileptic and I would be very grateful if anyone using the forum could help with any advice - perhaps somebody has lived with an epileptic dog or has knowledge of the condition. Thanks in anticipation, Sandy.

Hi Sandy,

So very sorry to hear about Denzil. I remember him from kennels, and he's a total stunner (for those that don't know him, see https://rescue-dog-support.forumotion.com/t112-denzil-german-shepherd-dog-1-year). It's just tragic when our pets have such a diagnosis, but hopefully it can regulated and controlled well with medication. I have no experience of it myself, but know a person who has (as they say!!) so have put a call out to her, and I'm sure she'll come on here when she gets my message.

Give Denzil a big hug from all who remember him.

I'm very sorry to hear about Denzil's illness. I know nothing about epilepsy, but I did find this website: http://www.canineepilepsy.co.uk/owners/Owners_about_epil.htm. Not sure if it's useful, but perhaps you could make contact with someone that has an epileptic dog through the website. As you have mentioned that epilepsy affects male GSDs in particular, perhaps you could contact a breed specific rescue to see if they could help?

Hi Sandy,
I have had several epleptic dogs and at the moment I have a gorgeous Rottweiler with epilepsy...so the first thing is...DON'T PANIC! it's not the end and many dogs live to a grand old age with their epilepsy managed.
While the process for finding the right level of drugs is going on it's a scary time because you feel as if you are just waiting for the next seizure. Drugs for epilepsy have come on a little but the basic epiphen is the start point. If your vet has'nt suggested Libromide ,ask him about that too. The addition of this bromide based drug means that less epiphen is required and thats' good news for the liver!
Keep a seizure diary and make sure you accurately record the time of fit, how long it lasted and how long recovery took.
Usually seizures in dogs will happen when they are relaxed , pretty much the opposite of humans. A petit mal can happen quickly, sometimes it's just as if the dog is wondering what to have for tea, he's "absent". With some dogs this is a good indication that a grand Mal or full seizure is likely to happen when the dog then relaxes.
Drugs will make changes in your dog for sure, but it doesn't mean you will have a Zombie on a lead. Once the correct level of medication is achieved just give him a little time to adjust to the new regime. If you use lots of air fresheners or defusers just make sure you avoid Rosemary as this is one pungent herb that can trigger a seizure, doesn't mean your house can't smell nice, just don't overdo it!
Hope this helps...you don't need luck, you just need information and a sense of purpose x

Hi again

Just wanted to say many thanks to Ria and Jackie for your support - Jackie, many thanks I'd found the canine epilepsy site you mentioned and it does have some useful info and a good idea about contacting a breed-specific rescue website.

Ria - I've given Denzil a big hug and I'm presuming 'WetNose' is the person you know, so thanks again as I'm about to send her my thanks too

'WetNose' - thank you SO much for your comments and calming advice, I had half frightened myself to death by reading some horror stories on the internet and your comments were just what I needed. As I said, we are just at the stage of keeping a diary of times, recovery period, etc. at the moment. When I next visit our vet, I will be sure to mention Libromide and see what he thinks - he seems quite knowledgeable and is also very calm and reassuring. It's not that I'm out of touch with reality or anything, I know what is involved, but your advice was exactly whatI was looking for, from someone with first-hand experience, so thanks again Hopefully it will be OK for me to contact you again if I need any further advice or just the benefit of your experience.

I'm here...so glad a few words helped
You'll be amazed at how "in tune" you and Denzel will become, those moments in the wee small hours ...take them as an opportunity xx
I'm happy to help , eveni f the question sounds nuts...the best queries often are!

Oh Sandy I am so sorry to hear your news & poor Denzil .
I have no experience of an epileptic dog, but a good friend from club has a collie who suddenly became one & as you say she too found it upsetting & frightening, however Kai has now been on medication for some time & as he is an agility dog we wondered if he would be able to continue...the answer, yes he can & at the same level as before, I will not see Del until training starts again, but when I do I will give her the link to the forum & I am sure she too would be only to pleased to answer any questions or worries you have, In the meantime fingers xed that Denzil's medication will be sorted quickly & you can resume normal life, so glad that the boy was rehomed to your family, he is one lucky boy. big hugs from Jess & me.

Hi 'Jesse's mum'

Thanks for your comments - as always supportive and helpful Denzil's doing fine and sends woofs and licks to you and Jess! We're at the 'waiting' stage now really - the vet (Jeremy from Severn Edge - lovely chap, don't know if you know him - I think they used to use Severn Edge vets up at fdr?) is reluctant to put Denzil on medication as yet and wants us to monitor when, where and for how long at the moment. We just have a rectal syringe thingy to administer if a fit carries on for more than 3 minutes as then you're apparently in the danger zone and need to stop the fit asap. Hopefully we won't have to use it any time soon, as the 2 fits he's had so far have only lasted for about a minute. In the meantime, a healthier-looking, happier, more bouncing with life dog than Denzil I've yet to see! So, we'll carry on with life as normal and see what the future brings.

It would be great if you could ask your friend from the training class to get in touch, perhaps just with a few details of her experiences. Any information I can find out about this condition and how to deal with it can only help, I'm sure. Again, many thanks, Sandy.