Canine Seizures

Question
My Dog Tipper has suddenly started having seizures.  Gran Mal's are being controlled by potassium bromide, Melatonin when agitated and Bach's Rescue Remedy.  Just got her off Phenobarbital as she has liver and thyroid problems.  My question is,  She is having Focal seizures somewhere between 20 to 50 a day.  Her right eye starts twitching she kind of spaces out then sometimes falls over.  Vet unable to find out why she is seizing outside of saying lets run an MRI and CT scan.  She is 14 heading to 15 yrs old and I know she has a brain tumor so the scans are useless.  Liver and Thyroid problems were in control and tests say liver and thyroid are not causing the problem.. She has good glucose levels too.  I was wondering if you know of anything that may help with the Focal seizures as the meds she is on are not working.

Answer
Hi Becky :-)

I am very sorry about your Dog hun. It does sound like the brain tumor is causing the seizures. Also, it is not unheard of for Thyroid problems to cause mild seizures in some Dogs.

But I would definitely think it was the brain tumor causing this. Has the brain tumor been confirmed? I would recommend you go with the Vets advice and have a MRI Scan performed. This will give a very clear picture of Tippers brain and any abnormalities and whether there is a fluid causing the seizures.

Here is some information about Seizures for you:

(|) Partial seizures:  Partial seizures are also called focal seizures and as the name indicates, the electrical storm is affecting only a part of the brain.  A partial seizure may stay localized or it may expand to the whole brain and cause a tonic-clonic seizure.  Because the seizure starts in only a part of the brain, an underlying disease or injury is highly suspected.  A partial seizure may remain localized or spread to other parts of the cerebral cortex producing a sequential involvement of other body parts.

Partial seizures are classified as simple focal seizures when consciousness is preserved and as complex focal seizures when consciousness is altered.  Any portion of the body may be involved during a focal seizure depending on the region of the brain affected.    

In a simple partial seizure, the area of the brain that is affected is the area that controls movement.  Usually the face is affected, resulting in twitching or blinking.  This is usually limited to one side of the face.  If the seizure spreads, other parts of the body on that same side will be affected.  The dog is usually alert and aware of his surroundings.

(|) Complex Seizure. A complex partial seizure will originate in the area of the brain that controls behavior and is sometimes called a psychomotor seizure.  During this type of seizure, a dogs consciousness is altered and he may exhibit bizarre behavior such as unprovoked aggression or extreme irrational fear.  He may run uncontrollably, engage in senseless, repetitive behavior or have fly-snapping episodes where he appears to be biting at imaginary flies around his head.

(|) Treatment: Phenobarbital or Potassium Bromide is the initial treatment of choice for patients that require dug therapy.

Gabapentin (Trade name - Neurontin) has been used in success in some patients with Focal Seizures. This medication is often used as a secondary or add-on medication to help treat seizures resistant to Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide.

Felbamate (Felbatol) is used in Dogs with several types of seizures, including Focal Seizures. Initial clinical experience indicates that Felbamate is often beneficial in Dogs with seizures refractory (resistant) to Bromide and Phenobarbital.

This is the only thing I can think of that will help with Tipper's seizures hun. I hope I have been on some help to you and I hope Tipper improves soon.

Take care and all the best and please leave me a comment.

Trisha x