Rocky's "Cluster" Seizures

C

Chasin Ponies

Forums Regular
Had a terrible time last week when my 9 year old Rocky started having multiple seizures out of the blue. He started have multiple seizures at 3:00am, managed to get him into the vet's at 10:00am and the last seizure ended up being at 5:00pm. I think he had something like 12 seizures in that space of time. The vet did a CBC (completed blood count) which was fine and then gave me phenobarbitol (sp?) he has to take twice a day.

She also gave me a prescription for Keppra which is actually a human seizure med and has to be filled at the drug store. (It's also outrageously expensive) The Keppra was supposed to be an option but
I ended up running to the drugstore to get it filled when the seizures wouldn't stop.

He didn't have any more seizures after I gave him the 1st Keppra tablet. The Keppra fortunately, is a temporary med; it breaks the cycle of "cluster seizures" as my vet called them & gives the phenobarbitol a chance to start working. He had to go back to the vet for a major blood test for liver failure. According to her, liver damage can actually be the cause of seizures in dogs. That test came back just fine.

He was not at all the same dog for quite a few days-more like a zombie,
didn't seem to recognize me, couldn't walk a straight line and slept most
of the time. The vet said that the phenobarbital causes that, not the Keppra and that he should normalize with time.

I am truly hoping we have made it over the hump, when the Keppra is gone, he will be on phenobarbitol the rest of his life and as the levels go up in his bloodstream it should help prevent any more seizures. I'm praying that it will.

My daughter teaches disabled children who have seizures all day long and tries to reassure me that they don't feel any pain or even know what's happening but seeing my sweet Rocky that way was a true nightmare.

Happy to say that each day he becomes more & more the dog I always knew-today he brought his ball in from the yard for me to throw for him and is back running the fence barking at the neighbor's dog.
 
That's a scary situation. Poor guy. Must have been a bit worried at what was going on. That's great that he's starting to get back to his old self! He's a tough little trooper!
 
I too have seizures and they are not painful, but they are exhausting and confusing. You can get banged up a little if you don't know it's coming and fall or bump your head. I have auras so i know to get on something soft and low...Praying the meds control them for Rocky. Hopefully he will get aclamated to the phenobarb and not be such a zombi.
 
Thanks everybody-

Thanks for the good wishes! Happy to say the Rocky hasn't had a seizure since his first Keppra tablet. Hopefully, once he goes off the Keppra ,(soon) the phenobarbital will take over. Will have another blood test in 2 weeks to check the level in his blood.
I had to laugh when this vet said he was a little overweight-told her:
just wait till you meet chubby Ashley!! The first vet I took them to two years ago told me that Rocky was just right & that Ashley "winters well"! :wink2:
 
Continuous prayers going out for your Mr. Rocky.

So happy to hear that he is better!

ps In 2007, after brain surgery, Don was given Keppra and it helped him to recover.
 
Hunter also gets seizures but not like this. Is this commom in Shelties? I was told it was but am not sure. Hunter will go for months and not have a seizure and then will get a couple in just a few days. I hope the meds. help for Rocky. When Hunter first got seizures, I would panic but, it does help them to keep clam and comfort them. Good luck!
 
Rocky

Thanks Denise! Keppra seems to be a wonderful drug but is really, really expensive-even the generic!
-Rocky did have a history of seizures but until the "cluster" seizures started he had only had 5 in 3 years. I had heard of seizure in Shelties
for years but thankfully I don't think it's super common. The problem with "cluster" seizures (many that don't stop) is that you have to break
the cycle as soon as possible. The vet said that if Rocky went into a seizure lasting more than about 20 min he would probably go into a coma from brain damage & have to be put down. Hopefully Hunter will only have an occasional seizure but if he starts having cluster seizures get him
to the vet hopefully the same day.
 
So glad you were able to find something that works!

Rascal has seizures. First one was in June of last year. He's about 8 (was a stray) and is a Sheltie/Pomeranian mix. He has them about once a month now. He gets no meds yet. Doc said if they get to be a lot closer together and a lot longer (they only seem to last a minute or so), then we'll look into meds for him.
 
Seizure

I am glad I found this forum about seizures as my 4 year old Sheltie has had a couple of them now in the last few months. The first time it happened I didn't know what was going on. They get so excited whenever we come home from work & he met me at the door crouching, trembling & then getting wobbly. His eyes did not seem to focus & then poof, he was fine. I thought maybe he hit his head or something. A few months passed & it happened again when I came home from work. He was crouching, trembling, and managed to make his way over to the dog pillow. I sat beside him, trying to be calm while his front leg starting paddling & he got wobbly. His eyes were looking up and around like he couldn't see. I waved my hand in front of his face & he did see it. It lasted about a minute and then he was fine. We were able to get him in to see the vet the same day & she said it sounded like epilepsy. She said it is quite common in dogs in general & unless they get more serious or frequent, no meds are required.
I see that being calm while comforting him in a safe place is probably all I can do?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top