Shepherd Epilepsy
I have an
imported German Shepherd that I got from North Carolina in June of 1992.
I had him about 1yr. and he began to have what they told me was ,
epilepsy? I have not heard of this in German shepherds , and the VET. put
him on Phenobarbital, 30mg twice a day . Put him at times will still have
a seizure, it can be as many as 4 in a 24 hr period . No body seems to
have a answer to help ! He is in good health from the tests that I have
had done. No liver damage ,no kidney problems so far . The breeder that I
got him from has passed away and I can't get any info . What I would
like to know is . Will this get worse? Will this kill him , by having a
seizure 4 a day some times ? He some times goes months without one at
all. I love my dog and I want to do what I can to keep him . I have a lot
of money tied up him via doctor bills in the past. Please help me if you
can with some info.
Epilepsy can be caused by metabolic diseases, such as liver problems, or from damaged brain cells. A blood panel can be very valuable in determining if the organs other than the dog's brain are normal. Most recurrent seizure conditions in German Shepherds are identified as idiopathic epilepsy. Phenobarbital is a safe and effective medication for reducing the frequency of seizures. Since this medication's primary side effect is sedation, one must balance the dose to obtain the maximum seizure reduction, without over sedating the patient. After the initial blood panel, subsequent blood Phenobarbital levels may be necessary to fine tune the dosage to suit your dog. Although advanced tests, such as MRI and CAT scans are available, they are usually expensive and often non diagnostic in canine epilepsy.
Epilepsy is highly variable in frequency, duration and severity of seizures. Your dog may seizure four times a day for several months, then never seizure again. His condition may progressively worsen, stay the same or spontaneously improve. Your best bet is to keep him on the Phenobarbital, and to log his seizures on a calendar to follow trends.
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