Table of Contents
Epilepsy Remedies
A dog owner enters into this pet owning relationship knowing full well that there will be times and situations that must be endured that will prove to be some of the most difficult of their entire life. One of those particular events occurs, when a loving dog owner must watch helplessly as their best friend suffers through an epileptic seizure and is forced to accept the fact that they can do nothing to stop it, and can only help by making the animal a bit more comfortable during the whole ordeal.
It is not fully known why epilepsy occurs in a dog, but it is known that hereditary factors can play a part, as there are a number of different breeds who are predisposed to developing the condition. Some of those breeds include, Cocker Spaniel, Basset Hound, Beagle, Collie breeds, Daschund, Setter breeds, Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Greyhound, Keeshond, Labrador Retriever, Poodle breeds, Corgi, Pointer, Pug, Saint Bernard and Vizsla.
Additionally, it is believed that many dogs suffering from seizures have a magnesium deficiency and/or a low thyroid. Talk to your vet about having your pet tested for thyroid problems and the possibility of decreasing seizure medication and adding more Magnesium to the dog's diet.
Doses of magnesium should start off as follows:
Small dogs 10mg
Medium dogs 20mg
Large dogs 50mg
Giant dogs 75mg
If your dog experiences diarrhea or gas, then cut back on the dosages slightly until the problem stops and then slowly increase them again.
ADDITIVE IN DOG FOOD THAT CAUSES SEIZURES
[SIDE EFFECTS] 03/15/2008: krisanne from Birch Run, Michigan writes: "To everyone who has a dog or cat with seizures, I'm sorry for that, it's the worst. I have a seven year old German Shepard that started having them when she turned two. I took her to the vet and they put her on medicine, that "might harm her liver over time" I gave her the pills for three years, with still a few seizures. One day I went into PetSmart and was talking to the salesperson about animals,when it led into my shepard and her problem. She told me that her boxer had them to and that there is an additive in dog food called BHT or BHD that is found to bring on seizures.In amazement and anger I decieded to buy a dog food without this additive in to see if it was true and if it would help. I bought a very expensive bag of food that cost $39.99 a bag, not caring as long as it was true. Long story short, it's true! After that I started searching around for a reasonable priced bag of food because we have a 102lb.not fat just big,Golden Retriever too,and they eat alot! I found a great bag of food at Tractor Supply called Diamond brand food. Just look on the back of your food bag if you see the three letters BHD or BHT,I really can't remember the exact three letters but it starts with a B. If it's in there I would change. Even some of the brands you think would be O.K. are not. Please try this it has been great with her not having seizuers any more. Good Luck I hope it helps."
06/08/2008: Veronica from San Antonio, Texas replies: "Specifically, BHA, short for Butylated Hydroxyanisole, and BHT, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, are both artificial preservatives added to oils to slow down deterioration. BHA and BHT (as well as ethoxyquin) are used in numerous pet food brands, including both "premium-grade" brands like Science Diet (even their prescription diet product line) and lower-grade brands like Alpo and Pedigree, to replace vitamin E, which is removed during oil processing. Studies have shown that BHA and BHT promote liver disease and other medical problems."
06/25/2008: Anja from Nashville, TN replies: "My beagle started seizures in summer of 2007. He was a stray, so I do not know his background. We had a titer done for rabies and he tested negative, so he got ONE rabies shot and that's all he will have. No other booster shots, so that could not have been the trigger for his seizures. Seizures started two years after we brought him home. I cook my own dogfood (brown rice, greens, chicken). Sometimes they get raw, so I don't think food is the trigger. We had an expensive medical blood test done and no underlying medical issue to trigger seizures. His seizures were not severe enough to put him on Phenobarbitol and I would not have wanted it anyway. He had a seizure about once a month. His first two seizures were severe enough. He would fall over the day after. I searched alternative remedies and found Native Remedies Co on the internet. I give him EaseSure. He had two mild seizures after I started him on that and in September his seizures stopped. He had NO seizures for 9 months and he had a mild one again last week. Only a few seconds and shook it righ off. Went to play right after! Ingredients in EaseSure is Passionflower, Skullcap, Hyoscyamus (30C), Belladonna (30C), Cuprum metallicum. He gets 8 drops in the morning and evening. I am happy using the product. Also, when he goes into seizure I give him Rescue Remedy. I also have him on enzymes, vitamins and minerals."
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1 SIDE EFFECTS
[SIDE EFFECTS] 08/10/2008: Deb from Dallas, TX writes: "Just writing a comment about my Chihuahua-Terrier dog, Julio. Heartworm meds are toxic to our animals. My beloved pet would have periodic seizures. When I stopped the heartworm medication, the seizures stopped. One Vet had him on them, another said why are you giving them to him? Does he have heartworms? He said he would not give them to him. I was grateful that it wasn't about $$$$, but about my pet. If an animal gets heartworms (most indoor door pets are not exposed to mesquito larvae,) which causes heartworms. A small amount of VCO in their diet will provide essential fatty acids, and is a natural cure for parasitic host. During hot summer months, I use 1/2 tsp. of Cloud Nine herbal dip in 16 ounces of water in a sprayer bottle to repel fleas, or mesquitos that would otherwise zoom in on my pet. You have to be diligent. Shake the bottle each time, and apply before taking your pet out.(be sure to apply to their undercoats, and paws too) A good brushing each day, and using the spray will help too. I hope this is a helpful tip for all pet lovers.
Thanks, and God Bless!
Deb"
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AVOID LARGE QUANTITIES OF TOMATOES, GARLIC AND ONIONS
[SIDE EFFECTS] 05/05/2007: MrmDeLuca from Phoenix, USA writes: "When my father was released from the hospital from a possible heart attack, he was put on a strict diet. In keeping with his diet, he would eat baked chicken with heaps of garlic, tomatoes, and onions. My father, hating the food, would always pass it along to his dog. Well this otherwise healthy dog had a seizure one day, for the first time in its life. All three ingredients, consumed in excess, are known to be fatal to dogs. He's never given the dog his chicken again. The dog has never had a seizure since. To my own dog I give only a quarter of a clove every other week with no problems."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/29/2007: Sandra from Gallatin, Missouri writes: "We have a Jack Russell Terrier who is now 5 years old..When she was about a year old she started having severe seizures..They got progressively worse thru the years..I was told to try coconut oil ..So I got a jar and started givig her a tsp. a day..that was back in February and cross my fingers she hasn't had any since then..she had been on medication and it wasn't helping her at all so I just stopped giving it to her and contacted a health store owner and she told me to try the coconut oil..Thank goodness it has helped her ..she was having severe seizures, as many as 12 at a time..I just wanted to share this with others"
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DOG FOOD WITHOUT CORN, OMEGA 3s, OLIVE OIL
[YEA] 11/16/2007: Linda from Littleton, NC writes: "My Dalmatian, soon to be 16, started having violent, lengthy seizures, generally but not always while sleeping, as well as chronic head and facial tics. A friend suggested using a dog food with a lower or no corn. Another, familiar with human epilepsy, suggested magnesium. The magnesium may have helped a little, but did not stop either symptom and I discontinued its use. I have been feeding exclusively Purina One, with the addition of a small amount of fish - salmon, tuna or halibut - and a small amount of olive oil daily for about six' months and the violent seizures seem to have stopped. Occasionally she gets a taste of meat or vegetables. In the last month, I have noticed the head and facial tics gradually diminish and disappear. Thanks for your website. It's a relief to know that others have seen similar conditions and come up with a variety of solutions."
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08/16/2008: Cristina from Bucharest, Romania writes: "I have an eight year old French Bulldog. Last year I took him to the vet for his annual rabies shot and DHPP booster. Over the years I noticed he didn't feel too well the first few days after his shots, but it always passed. Last year, the day of the shot he was completely lethargic, and that night he had his first seizure. I told the vet, and since it started out with my dog crying, and it lasted for one minute at most, the vet said he must have had a nightmare. He kept having a seizure every night for the following month. I knew they were seizures when he couldn't control his bladder during these brief moments. Since he only had a minute long seizure a night, we didn't put him on any medication. After a month the seizures started coming further apart, every 2, 3 nights, and not every single night. After a year they were down to one every 2 months or so. Since his last shot his hind legs have also grown weaker. He used to be able to jump all over and run. He can't even climb stairs any more. And this doesn't seem to be getting any better. I only hope that by not giving him any more shots it won't get any worse. Vets in Romania still insist on giving shots every year. Some even advise pet owners to come in earlier, so the shot's effect does not expire and leave the dog unprotected. Since no laws are being issued to protect pets, I only hope that more dog owners start doing research on their own and start acting in the best interest of their furry friends."
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07/15/2008: Cathy from Wyckoff, NJ, USA writes: "My Pug, Peanut, developed grand mal seizures after taking Interceptor heartworm medication. I took her off the medication immediately. She had one small seizure 2 months after coming off Interceptor. She is completely seizure free after being off the medication for the last 3 years. I do not give my dogs any heartworm medication as they are mostly indoor dogs. They have all tested heartworm negative even though I do not use heartworm medications.
In addition, after the seizure scare, I do not update my dogs' vaccinations. The dosages are too toxic. However, my dogs are mostly indoor dogs."
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08/27/2007: Kristiina (Mikeslittlepriss@aol.com) from Toms River, NJ writes: "Hello. I have a five year old chihuahua.He started to have seizures 2 years ago. He didn't have many and at the time we really didn't think much of it. The strangest thing happens. He is fine for a while could be months and then all of the sudden when he eats, he'll throw up and seizure. He eats very very fast so I have tried giving him food a little at a time. At times I thought that worked however for the past few days, that food comes up and he seizures. Last night I gave him a little food he thrw up and then an hour later I fed him again and he was fine.. Just a week ago he was eating treats throughout the day, his food etc and now he is in a cycle again. When this 1st started happening we thought it was due to dry dog food. I give him the beneficial it literally looks like stew that humans could eat. Please keep in mind he is only "just two pounds so I am scared giving him herbs etc due to dosage. I cant afford all of the testing that the vet wants to do. They want to run all kinds of tests b4 trying meds.. he's a loving animal and is in great spirits after the seizure.. Any suggestions? It seems like they occur when he east or gets very excited and like I mentioned above he eats very very fast its insane! Thank you in advace for any input.. With Much appreciation,"
06/09/2008: Chris (cdimezza@ctdi.com) from Media, PA replies: "I also have a seizuring Chihuahua. I hope that yours is still a live as I am writing this. I am going to enter a URL that may save your Chi's life. http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id2.html I have switched Punkee's diet completely. He has no Glutten, wheat, soy, etc.. in his diet. He is being fed Dick Van Patten's Sweet Potatoe and Duck dry food. Best of luck. Chris"
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08/20/2007: Sonia writes: "Hi my name is Sonia i have a Rat Terrier and Minature Pincher Mix. He is 3months old and i just took him to the vet for his distemper, parovovirus, rabies, and bordetella shots on friday. and he has already had two seizures in the past two days im scared and am taking him back to the vet today. its was the saddest think to see my puppy go thru and know that was nothing i could of done. i will NEVER give my dog another shot. if anyone could give me any advise about what i can give him for thh seizures to stop. Thank You. sdcruz82/@/yahoo.com and is it ok not to give my puppy anymore shot after this?"
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08/19/2007: Rita (anayare@yahoo.com) from chicago, illinois writes: "I noticed that my border collie mix started with seizures at the age of two years old. It was the hardest experience of my life. He was my baby. I noticed that the phenobarbs were not working as well. He gain much weight and the seizures came in clusters. He spent most of the day in the basement with my other dog. I came after school and spent the rest of the day with them and slept with them myself. some people say, basements are bad for dogs, some people say foods additives and i know for fact it can also be genetic. Whatever the reason is, it is very overwhelming to see your pet suffer. It is painfull and depressing. I had to put my baby to sleep because I was too cowardly to watch him suffer. I now regret it after reading all the data available. I ask myself if I did the right thing?"
05/07/2008: Tonya from Houston, TX replies: "It's not necessary to put an animal to sleep if they have seizures. The seizures are hard to watch, but the animal doesn't know what's just happened, and the animal can take Phenobarbatol, Keppra and Valium for clustering or severe gran mals. Seizures are not a death sentence for people or animals. Search Yahoo and the Internet for message board forums where other people meet to share tips and support regarding their seizure cats or dogs. "
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06/17/2007: Veronica from Greer, SC writes: "It's me again.The one with the husky/lab mix pups.They just turned 18 mo on Sat.We lost our male this past Mon.He hadn't had any seizures since April 23.Sun.he was having cluster seizures;about every 2-3 hrs.He was howling,barking,and whining after coming out of each one.That is the worst thing my family has ever gone through. My female will NEVER get another booster shot.When I took our male to the vet he said-ironically-this is the age when "epilepsy" shows its ugly head. Duh, this is when people give their dogs their boosters, because you tell us to.I've let everyone I know not to give boosters to their dogs.There is no sense that this wonderful young dog should have died or had to go through this.I truly feel for everyone who has lost a dog so soon after booster vaccinations.It's time to get mad and take action!"
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04/12/2007: chris (chrisjo@msn.com) from Escondido, California writes: "I have a five month old puppy. Her name is Starbuck. She is now having seizures. Funny but when we first got her she was a jewel, smart, calm and everyday we were amazed at how wonderful a dog she was. As good dog owners we took her to get her shots. Everything started happening AFTER she started her shot series. First she was vaccinated against Parvo. One week after getting the shot, she contracted Parvo, we almost lost her not to mention the 2000,00 we paid to put her in the hospital. She was house bound to decrease the chances of getting Parvo. How she contracted is debatable i suspect it was the vaccines. She survived and of course we were thrilled. We bonded, trained her to do amazing tricks and welcomed her as a part of our family. She was house bound still at this point. All was well and to continue being the responsible dog owners we are, continued with her shots.. one week after receiving her third set of vaccinations, she began having seizures.
Now our sweet dog is having seizures on a weekly basis. I will not elaborate on how stressful and heart breaking as well as expensive this is but I completely understand all the emotions other dog owners are having when their pet goes through this.
We are now on the usual drugs which are not really working. She cant go out to play or anything that causes excitement. If she has too much fun she suffers from seizures when she goes to sleep. The seizures have become clusters mainly on the weekends.
They have not told us that because they happen in her sleep, that may be "significant". Translation: Now we have to go to a specialist. We cannot afford this and if the is what the vet tells us, we will have to make the decision to either give her away or have her put to sleep. THis is heart breaking to say the least.
I believe that these problems are caused by vaccinations. I am not a veterinarian, i am just looking at cause and effect.
Another reason I believe that vaccinations are the culprit is the experience i had with my ferret Duke. Duke was a healthy, fun loving house bound ferret, and being the responsible pet owners we are we took Duke to the vet to get his first series of shots. He had an immediate reaction to the shot and suffered an allergic reaction. One to two weeks after receiving his shots he began to get sick, no one could tell us why. I tried to save him, staying up nights, forcing food and everything else I could do to help him, but he just wasted away and after losing so much weight and suffering a seizure we had him put to sleep. They never determined the cause and we spent 3,000 on tests.
Shots are a necessary evil I understand but I also believe that they kill our animals, cause family members all sorts of heartbreak and drain our bank accounts. My only hope is that if we ever decide to bring another animal into our house we pray that they will survive the vaccinations."
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03/08/2007: Lorie from Charlotte, NC writes: "I definitely believe that the booster shots cause seizures in dogs. I had a Samoyed who received a rabies shot. She had gotten loose and was picked up by the dog warden. When I went to pick her up, they asked me if she had had her rabies vaccination. I said it had just expired about a month prior. They would not let me get her out unless she got her rabies shot, so I said ok. I had not gotten them their shots, because I had heard of the controversy of vaccinations and so I had held off so that I could do some research. But instead I had to let them administer it to her in order to get her out of the dog pound. About 2-3 weeks later she had her first seizure. I was scared to death because I had never seen anything like it. I started trying to figure out what could have caused it, and thinking over the recent events to try and come up with a reason for her to have had a seizure. The only thing I could figure is that she had just had the rabies shot. Since I am in the medical field, I went into work and looked up the rabies vaccination in the Physicians Desk Reference. Low and behold, right there in the "side effects" it states that it CAN CAUSE SEIZURES. After doing some research on the internet, I found other cases where dogs had had rabies shots and had started having seizures as well. Now, I know that in the US, dog owners are required by law to have rabies shots every year or two. So for those of you who don't know this, you can have what is called a "titer" drawn. It is a blood test to determine if your pet is still immune or not. If they are, they do not need the shot and you can use that for proof, if you ever have the authorities question you. When an animal is already immune to rabies, and they are given another shot, it overloads their nervous system, and that is what causes the seizures. I unfortunately had to learn this the hard way. My Samoyed has been dead now for 3 years. I still cry to this day over her. She was like one of my children and she should still be alive today. So I hope this helps others to prevent this from happening to their dearly loved pets."
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02/21/2007: Deb from Watertown, MN writes: "There is some evidence that epilepsy in dogs can be caused by all the unnecessary booster vaccinations. Dogs usually start having seizures at 2 years old after their booster shots are given. Most vaccinations given puppies should last their lifetime. Check the internet for more detailed information on this subject.This I know is not a remedy but possibly a preventative."
EC: Read more about Vaccination Side Effects here.
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FILTERED WATER, NO BACON STRIP DOG TREATS
[YEA] 08/03/2006: Carolyn from Dalton, GA writes: "I have a 7 year old yorkie named Bogie. He was having seizures and I quit feeding him hotdogs of any kind or brand. He has been seizure free for the last 6 months."
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[YEA] 05/11/2006: Evelina from Livonia, MI writes: "I have an 11 year old dog that we found when she was about five months old. She started seizuring around the age of two. About once a week, occasionally more often. We installed an R.O. water filter system for ourselves and realized within a couple of months that our dog had stopped her seizures. The only difference was the water! She now seizures only about six times a year. We did notice that she started seizuring after eating "bacon strip" dog treats, and other treats with food colorings, etc. We went back to plain dog biscuits and she's fine. She must be chemically sensitive. I shared this info with her vet who said she would pass this info along."
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10/26/2007: Lisa from Rancho Cucamonga, Ca writes: "Many dogs who suffer from seizures benefit from a grain free dog food. This also helps with some types of cancers as the grain and carbs seem to feed the tumors."
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KARO OIL, PANCAKE SYRUP OR HONEY TO STOP SEIZURE
[YEA] 04/29/2007: Michelle (chellrocious@hotmail.com) from Las Vegas, Nevada writes: "dip the tip of your finger in karo oil, pancake syrup, or honey given orally will bring any person, as well as dogs and cats, out of a diabetic and an epileptic seizure immediately."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 03/05/2008: catroina from astoria,ny writes: "to :anonymous in Mississippi--around the time the "next ?" rabies booster is due, have the vet draw the titres and take it from there.
IF the titre proves coverage...contact your board of health or whomever handles rabies vaccinations and let them know you want an exemption, have proof etc.
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for those with epileptic dogs,we have found,thank God that going by your dog's weight,melatonin(natural supplement)WORKS esp. IF your pet is prone to night time,early AM seizures--there is a website out here but unfortunately I can't remember their name,had a forum for epople to post questions/responses/their stories etc--what works..
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one thing finally dawned on us here--we had 2 wonderful dobies that lived healthy lives till 14-16 years---a VERY loooong lifespan for this breed. They were NOT vaccinated for all these diseases and only received a rabies the year nyc mandated it.
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investigate
www.watercure2.org
for testimonies both human and pet.
Also,try to purchase the BEST natural /holistic food u can as it definitely makes a differencein your pets' lives....or prepare your own."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/02/2007: debby (debbycima@aol.com) from miami, fl writes: "hi i know how horrible seizures could be , i have tried several natural remedies and would like to reccommend them . very important is to evaporate alcohol from herbal and homeo remedies because as it occured with my chi , his liver was hurt from alcohol in the tonics . But what has worked fairly well is Dr. Cynthia Foster's Composure formula, Frankincense oil diluted in jajoba oil and the healthy dog diet homemade recepie from Dr.Dodds , google these persons and you should find out , he still has seizures but i am controlling it better without the use of pheno , although his have been pretty mild . any further info email me . Also his thyroid was low, dr dodds has a cheap and great service for checking this out google her you'll see , way cheaper than vets prices. God bless, deb"
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NO FOOD WITH COPPER, TRY CUPRUM MET 3X
[YEA] 04/10/2007: Deb from Sherman Oaks, CA writes: "A Homeopath I know feels that sometimes copper can cause seizures in animals. She said to try to find foods without copper (you have to look hard) and giving Homepathis Cuprum Met 3x for awhile has worked for many of the cases she has treated. I don't know if this is true I'm just passing it along. If you've tried everything else with no success this might be worth a try."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/02/2007: Barbara (beeburr3828@sbcglobal.net) from Dayton, NEVADA writes: "Re Canine Seizures: When our 4 yo Brittany had his first seizure we weren't even sure what had happened to him. When he had a second two months later, I started to look for answers on the internet. Someone suggested giving him ground raw,unsalted sunflower seeds. This seemed like a doable thing so I got some from the health food store. He responded well and only had a seizure about once every 8-10 weeks. At 35 pounds we feed him 1 Tbls a day and we have learned to grind them fresh every day as they lose freshness very quickly. We also tried sunflower seed oil but that didn't work as well."
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