Labrador and Epilepsy

Question
Thanks for your quick reply.  I'm certainly very interested in what you had to say.  His growling sounds like it very well may be seizure behavior, especially since it is so out of context.  He was neutured when he was about 6 months old well before all of this happened, however when I was doing some research on the topic I found an article about the thyroid issue you brought up.  Unfortunately I live in Panama City Beach Florida and there is no local university.  I am from the DC area and was fortunate to have sorts of resources.  I will definately take him in and have him checked up and maybe ask around and see who might be an expert on the subject.  I have his pedigree charts from the breeders and if you give me a fax number I would be more than happy to fax them to you.  I am going to try and track down the breeder.  He was out in Fresno, California and last time I tried to contact him he had moved.  One thing that always concerned me was his mother was 8 y.o. and his father was 2 y.o. which I know are the ages at the extreme ends of appropriate breeding age, at least what I have been told.  I'm also going to try and get copies of the neurologist's reports from when he was seen before.  Again, I really appreciate your help and plan to check out that site.  Please let me know if there is anything else I should do.  Thanks!!
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Followup To
Question -
I have a four year old chocolate American Field lab.  As a puppy and young adult he had the sweetest temperament and was your typical happy lab, however at about age 2 he had several seizures.  These were not the typical full blown seizures you read about and it was limited to his head shaking.  I took him in and had him tested and seen by a neurologist who ruled out everything except epilepsy.  I was not able to contact the breeder where I got him so I don't know about a genetic link.  The seizures stopped soon after they began so I decided against putting him on a medication he would have to take for life.  However not too long after he began acting aggressively toward other dogs.  I have two other labs and he has attacked both of them a few times without provocation.  He doesn't act aggressively toward humans but will growl at strange times.  I have noticed his eyes dialate at times, but other than that there is no other indication of a seizure.  I worry that the seizures caused some permanant neurological damage, but don't have any solid proof.  My other two dogs are well behaved and have great temperaments and I'd like to think I'm not causing his aggressive behavior:)  No vet has really been able to give me a good answer or advice on what I should do.  What training techniques/medication should I look into or is this not related to his seizures at all?  I don't know what else to do and of course I love my dog and just want to do what I can for him.  Please help:)  Thanks
Answer -
Hi Lindsey.
I'm sorry about your boy.  I, too, have a dog who is epileptic.  Her seizures are controlled by Phenobarbitol and is doing just fine now.
First, let me explain a bit about seizures.  Dogs have various kinds of seizures and we sometimes do not know that their activity is actually seizures and not just some "thing" that the animal is doing.  Seizures can be:  "fly-biting", snapping, growling, circling, staring, "sleeping", and, of course, the "fits", or thrashing/shaking we commonly associate with seizures.  My first thought is that when your dog is growling, he is actually have a seizure, especially if the growls are unprovoked, or seem to be for no reason.  So, without trying to act like a veterinarian (I most definately am NOT!), I would say that it is possible that your dog's behavior is a seizure.  That said, I would take him to your local university with a vet school and have them do a complete seizure work up, perhaps without the MRI.  Also, make sure that they test his thyroid.  A complete blood panel is also in order, and they can do that along with the thyroid check.
Two is the median age for Labs to start seizuring.  I am curious as to his pedigree (would it be possible for you to e-mail it to me?).  Epilepsy is not uncommon in Labs, unfortunately, and if you can contact his breeder to let him/her know that your dog is epileptic, you should do so right away.  Your dog's parents should not be used for breeding until their breeders find out where the epilepsy is coming from.
As to training techniques...  I recommend that you have him checked first.  It is possible that he will need to be on meds (ie:  Phenobarbitol, Potassium Bromide, etc.) and if so, the meds could take care of his "aggression".  One other thing - is he neutered?  Sometimes, spaying/neutering dogs can help abate the frequency and severity of the seizures.  The hormones going through the body and brain can actually make seizures worse.  
I really would like a follow up reply on this question if you would be so kind.  As I have a dog who is epileptic, I have been doing much research into canine epilepsy.  In the meantime, you can go to:   http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ and read up about canine epilepsy.  I got some really good information and help from the forum there.  You don't have to join, and can still get some info without being a member.  
Good luck with your boy!  

Answer
Thank you, Lindsey, for your quick reply.  Sounds like you are quite willing to do what it takes to get to the bottom of your dog's behavior.  I hope you find an answer that both of you can live with.  My guess is that either way it won't take much to get him back to his normal behavior.

If you would be so kind as to fax his pedigree to my work number, it is:  641-423-3811.  We do not have a dedicated fax line, so if somebody answers before you hit the send button, just let that person (who will probably be myself) know that you are sending a fax and you will be given instructions on how to continue.

Again, good luck with your boy.  Please keep in mind that if he does have to go on meds for seizuring, they are fairly easy to regulate and dogs can live a fairly long and normal life on them.