brain damaged Wheaten terrier

Question
We rescued a 21 month old Wheaten terrier who experienced seizures at 10 weeks and six months without further follow up nor medication.  He is easily excitable to a high level where he zones out and can become aggressive with anything in site:  other dogs, humans, objects, etc.  He also has episodes where his eyes track back and forth rapidly and seems to be in distress during these episodes.  We tried Clomicalm with initial success but it wasn't sustained.  Our vet just yesterday suggested we try Phenobarbital to deal with what's happening in his brain.  Any thoughts on this course of action or if there are other things we can try?

Answer
Phenobarbital is a drug widely used in dogs to control seizures.  Petit mal seizures or temporal lobe disorders (both of which might be what your dog suffers from, given your description) are difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat; however, it can't harm your dog to try a course of treatment using Phenobarbital.  Clomicalm is designed to treat anxiety related behavior problems and has no known effect on neurological problems, the two are totally separate.  Clomipramine (Anafranil), the human constituent of Clomicalm, should not be used in the presence of seizure disorders; the partial result you saw may have been serendipitous or caused by other side effects, such as dizziness and drowsiness.

Here are two sites that deal with seizure related disorders in dogs:

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/OtherMeds.htm
http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/seizures/seizures.htm

If your dog appears disoriented or his eyes are tracking, as you describe, put a leash on him.  Restraint often helps a dog to calm down, as it is experienced by the dog as a psychological control, not simply a physical control.  You might have him wear a 'house tab', lightweight nylon leash, when indoors (to avoid the excitement putting a leash on his collar might provoke) and simply pick up the handle and keep him close to you during these episodes.