sex drive of male GSD taking phenobarb

Question
I have a male GSD diagnosed with epilepsy. His seizures are controlled by 130 mg. of phenobarb daily. I also have a female GSD who came into heat before my boy has been neutered...he does not seem to be interested at all in sex.He is 3.5 years old. Is this because of the phenobarb? Should we go ahead and have him neutered anyway? We do plan on breeding our female at some point, but not to our dog who has epilepsy. What do you suggest?

Answer
I would go ahead and get him neutered (but be sure to talk to your vet about safety factors of anesthesia due to his epilepsy. While the drug may be damping his sex drive, some dogs may appear uninterested except for the brief period when the female is actually receptive. Then he might surprise you! Since idiopathic epilepsy usually has a hereditary factor, you sure don't want to risk him breeding. Also he may experience increased stress while she is in season, and stress is a trigger for many epileptic dogs. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com