As many of you who read this blog know, little Harley had a really difficult night last week. He endured 4 seizures in a 12 hour period. It was so frightening to see your beloved pet violently seize...it broke my heart in pieces. After having another round of testing done the vet does in fact believe that he may have Epilepsy. He has been put on Phenobarbitol, the most common drug for epileptic dogs. However, it does have pretty severe side effects, including liver failure, so I am doing all the research that I can to find alternatives to this medication. Right now it looks like Potassium Bromide might be a valid alternative...but it takes a bit of time for the body to get the levels high enough that he can slowly come of the Pheno. He is back to the vet on Friday to have a follow-up and we will talk about the short and long term treatment plans for him.
In the meantime, I have changed his diet which includes taking away the Science Diet and putting him back on the Blue Buffalo food. I have also decided to home cook some of his meals as well....I already made him a batch of "Healthy Adult Diet" which he devours in under a minute! I always used to joke that Harley was one of the most spoiled dogs in the neighborhood...but now with the home cooking, there is no doubt in my mind!
Also, upon the diagnosis, Harley's grandma and grandpa have ordered him this bed. This way we can keep an eye on him at night and know immediately when he has a seizure.
3 comments:
Oh poor Harley. You are such a good dog mom. :)
:( I'm so sorry to hear about Harley's diagnosis. A family friend used to have an epileptic dog... and I'm happy ot say she lived a long and healthy life. But the seizures are scary to witness, and there's nothing to do but wait until it passes, which is I think is the hardest thing. Good luck with the alternative treatment, and yay for home cooked doggy meals!
Oh, I am sad to hear that. I hope the medication and nice food help.
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