2 grand mal seizures in a row....

[justmeandtheflock]

I have a border collie/coon hound mix who has has seiziuers. I did some online research and switched him to a dog food and biscuits that are BHA/BHT free. I also switched his heart worm meds from Heart Guard to something else. Except for the time he got into something outside and gfot very sick, he has been seizure free since the switch. There can be many things that trigger them but this seems to have worked for us. Border Collies are know for inheriting this problem.

 

[horsejody]

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This last cluster did coincide with a drop in the barometric pressure. I'm starting to think there's a correlation, but how to verify on a limited income (DH got laid off yesterday - 1st time in his life that he's been unemployed)?

Bring it up to your vet. Monitor the barometric pressure twice a day. If you see more correlation, your vet may assume fluid on the brain. Dexamethasone is the steroid that Leo is treated with. Dex is a common steroid for dogs and used for many problems. The vet may have you try it.

And, as another poster wrote, BHA & BHT are big no no's in the dog food.

 

[thebritt]

Will do, Horsejody. Thanks to you and all for your help - much appreciated!
Also - any info as to WHY/HOW BHA & BHT affect epilepsy?

 

[horsejody]

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BHA & BHT are chemicals that are used as preservatives and to help prevent dry foods from absorbing moisture. It is illegal to put them in most human foods, however, they can be found in many brands of instant mashed potatoes. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I read on a website that they are similar to antifreeze. You will find BHT/BHA in many store brand dog and cat foods. It's bad stuff.

ETA: http://www.preciouspets.org/petnblog/?p=145&jal_no_js=true&poll_id=5

http://www.vetinfo.com/dogseizures.html

I buy a very high grade of dog food for Leo. If he accidentally eats another dog's food out camping or if visiting, he gets very sick. He had a seizure one day because he got into the barn cat's food bowl. I checked the label. Sure enough, there was. It had BHT/BHA in it. So now the barn cats get a brand without it. Believe it or not good old Meow Mix doesn't have BHT/BHA.

 

[thebritt]

Horsejody - thanks for the links, I've learned a bit, but I'm always a little skepticle of product-based studies. I did note, however, the one study conducted by a medical hospital that may have some merit. From my experience, most vets prescribe a pill because that's what most people want - an easy fix. And they do work for awhile, but don't do anything to PREVENT the symptoms. So again, thanks for the info!

 

[horsejody]

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FYI on the study done for the vitamin (Dynalode), a local vet was involved with it. My regular vet is a personal friend of his and told me about it. He recommends it to his dog patients because he has seen good results. Leo's neurologist also recommends it because his office has had good results also for seizure patients. I don't think it's for financial gain on their part because they also sell other vitamins in their offices that cost just as much or more. Also, they have seemed to improve Leo's health.

There was no easy fix for Leo. It took quite a while to get the steroid dosage right to completely stop the seizures. It's very common for seizure dogs to have low thyroid function, and that makes the problem worse. I don't know why the 2 things go hand in hand, but they do. You may want your vet to do a complete thyroid panel (not the quick one, but a complete one). First Leo was tested for thyroid. His was low. Thyro tablets lessened the seizures. Then he was put on the vitamins and they lessened again. Then he went to the neurologist. The Neurologist left Leo on the thyro tabs and the vitamins. He added taurine (a liquid nutritional supplement that also helps seizure patients) and dexamethasine. It took close to year to completely get rid of the seizures by watching the barometer and adjusting the dex, but Leo hasn't had a seizure since April. The dex has made him gain weight and thinned his fur a little, but he is happy.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

I feed Purina Naturals which is only about $11 a bag so you don't need to spend a lot to eliminate the chemicals. Also, walmart has a brand of natural biscuits that are reasonable. Inteceptor is the brand of heart worm pills that is reccommended for seizure prone breeds. My vet actually moved away from Heart Guard for all dogs.

 

[Wifezilla]

If eliminating the chemicals works, great. If not, you need to seriously look at the carbohydrates.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

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I agree 100%. Each dog has it's own triggers and it takes trial and error to figure it out. A seizure diary is a good tool to help track it down. Record everything about the exact behaviour time of day, temp, weather, food, meds, etc., etc.

 

[horsejody]

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Yes, it's quite a balancing act. The hard part is trying to find what may be wrong in their physiology. Then you have to fix that. Then you use their diet to fine tune it. Leo can't eat chicken. Yes, I have a dog that can't eat chicken! He gets sick from it. If he eats chicken, he gets pancreatitis and more seizures. He's a chubby little dog too. Trust me, it's very difficult to find a meat based, lite/diet dog food that Mr. Fussypants will eat. The only safe dog foods he will eat are Wellness Holistic Blend (which is fairly low cal) and Natural Balance Venison or Duck (those are way too fattening). If they could invent a safe, spray-on cat poop flavoring I could probably get him to eat anything.