Dietary Changes
★★★★★
My 4 y/o Keeshond began having seizures (clusters). Started the phenobarb routine, it changed her personality and she also developed increased thirst and appetite from the meds. She began peeing in the house, couldn't hold it. I found a vet who specializes in Chinese medicine. Daisy started on Chinese herbs and a weaning schedule to get off phenobarb. My vet was not sure this would work. I also stopped feeding her commercial dog food and started giving her raw meat and bones- appropriate for her size and teeth. That was Dec 1st 2010. It is now March 2012- she has not had one seizure since the end of Nov 2010. She is still on the herbs-(successfully weaned off phenobarb over 6 week period) vet says the herbs won't hurt her- is somewhat of a liver cleanse. The vet doesn't particularly like that I feed raw food- but both my dogs (also a 10 lb Shitz-poo) are thriving, wiht beautiful coats and teeth and great digestion. It is amazing how small their poops are. After 6 mos of exclusively raw, I changed to one cooked meal in the morning and raw chicken necks at night. The cooked meals are rotated: beef- chicken-fish each weak with some veggies, eggs and rice. The cooked food gets ground egg shells and kelp mixed in for extra minerals. For those of you who have seizure dogs- there is hope. Look into a raw diet. Stop poisoning your dogs with commercial foods that have been totally stripped of nutrition then fortified with added in vitamins and minerals which are never quite like getting it from actual foods.
(Indianapolis In)
02/11/2018
Can you tell me what Chinese herbs they put her on? I have a 12 year old Maltese chihuahua with heart murmur CHF. She is on Chinese herbs heart qui and tea pills but now if she gets to excited and runs we are assuming she has a seizure. She will stop, lay on her stomach then stiffen up and fall over. This last about 1 minute. 5 minutes later she is back up and normal. I feed her human grade food I buy from www.evermore.com that is supposed to be grass fed and organic. She also get treats that are organic chicken, honey and sea salt. The seizures just started maybe a month ago after she was running outside. Now anytime she runs it happens. Help
Dietary Changes
★★★★☆
My dog Parker is an Aussie mix and was diagnosed with epilepsy about 2 years ago, and he also has severe allergies, both food and environmental. Of course I followed what my vet said and that was to put him on Pheno. Well he was still having seizures while being on this medication so we consulted with the vet again, and he just wanted to up the dose and add a second medication. I said no way. So on to my own research.
We have changed his diet to a gluten-free one. That is working fabulously. We have seen great results so far for both the epilepsy and his allergies. We are not feeding dry kibble, nor are we doing a raw diet. He could not handle the raw diet at all so after a little more digging, I found an awesome food alternative from The Skye's The Limit in Canada. Their food Canine Life comes in several formulas and they can also custom-tailor it if the dog is allergic to any of the ingredients. This food comes in a pre-mix and you make them into muffins. All healthy ingredients and you can make a variety for the dog by changing up the ingredients you add.
We have also been using a product called Xango Mangosteen Juice. It can be used for people as well and is meant for helpling inflammation. He is getting 1 ounce twice a day. We are at the point where we are able to wean Parker off of the Pheno! We have also seen improvement with his always inflamed paws due to his allergies. When they are really bad we use Xango's Pericarp oil topically for his paws when allergies are really bad.
Along with the juice supplement, Parker gets chiropractic alignments every 2-3 months by a veterinarian certified in animal spinal manipulation. This has been an amazing investment for him.
I have also been told that adding vitamin B will help too, but I just heard about this so I have not tried it yet.
Hope this helps someone out there!
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Our lab started having seizures in April 2009 when she was 5 years old. I immediately took people's advice on this website to monitor her diet. Through a process of elimination of trying different, healthy dog foods, we found that she was highly sensitive to products with Rosemary... Even a cracker that she picked up off the floor catapulted her into seizures. So we took her off of dog food with Rosemary. Things got much better, but then she started having cluster grand mal seizures later in the fall and it had gotten to the point where she was having five seizures in 30 hours... Absolutely horrible! We completely eliminated dog food and dog biscuits from her diet and she has been seizure free since April of 2010. We determined that she was sensitive to the processed corn in dog food.
We feed our lab raw chicken legs (not cooked because the bones splinter and are dangerous for them to eat), one in the morning and one in the evening as well as other raw or cooked meats. We also feed her many different foods that we eat... Raw carrots, cauliflower, green beans, cottage cheese, boiled or raw eggs, pastas, rices, breads, baked or mashed potatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables that are not toxic to dogs. We mainly avoid leftover dishes that have too many spices or onions and such. I keep a list inside a cabinet door in the kitchen to remind me on what she can eat. As a result, we have a very healthy, happy lab. It's a little more work and maybe a little more expensive, but we no longer have the stress of watching a family member suffer. Plus, she is at a healthy weight because dog food can be very fattening. I urge you to not put your dog down or feel like you have to spend so much money on vet bills and meds, unless it is necessary. Most likely, it is caused by something that they are ingesting, so please look at that first. I hope that this helps.
(Ottawa, On)
01/14/2012
Hi Shelly from Houston.... I have a 6.5 yr old Jack Russell and she started having seizures when she was 5... She isn't on meds as the vet said to monitor them as she had them few of them, but recently she has been having them quite often... I have been thinking it is because of her food... so I am curious to know exactly what you do feed your dog? Not sure if I would give her uncooked chicken as I would worry she would get salmonella...
(New Brunswick)
12/06/2014
Hi Lori ~ My black lab/Shepard mix is 18 months and started having grand mal seizures in July. We immediately took her to the vet but they could not find a trigger or source for the seizures and diagnosed as Epilepsy. After discussing the meds I decided to instead try changing her diet to control the seizures first and spoke with a friend of mine who is a certified animal nutritionist and she suggested Raw Diet - We have been feeding our girl raw for little over a month and the changes in her are seen almost immediately - she is happy, more energetic, her coat is shiny and puppy soft, there is no dog smell or bad breath and her bowel movements are small and not smelly at all - complete change in her for the better.
I too was worried about everything I heard about raw eating, salmonella, etc. but they are completely false! Bella loves her chicken legs, gets chicken feet as a treat and gobbles up her chicken organs (excuse the pun) - I feed her on her own towel that I can throw in the wash after she is done and trained her to keep her food on the towel and voila! No issues.
As for her contracting some disease from the raw food that is also false - the enzymes in dog saliva/stomach kill bacteria so that is also a non-issue.
I could not be happier with the changes I see in my fur baby and she seems to be happier too! As for her seizures, she has only had 1 in a month since we have been raw feeding and she came out of it so quickly with little to no disorientation - and that was mainly because she got into the garbage :(
I strongly urge anyone who is considering going raw to give it a try - I promise you will see results and if you don't like it well then you can always switch back to kibble.
(St. Jospeh, Mi)
12/08/2014
(Mpls., Mn)
12/09/2014
Hey Sue!
RAW feeder friends of mine feed it all - neck bones, skulls, you name it. You might consider getting a meat grinder and grinding up the chicken leg bones. Most dogs that are weaned onto raw learn how to eat all the bones properly - but for those that are new to it the grinder works like a charm.
(Mpls., Mn)
12/11/2014
Hey Sue!
A meat grinder will easily grind poultry bones and pork rib bones are fairly soft as well. I feed beef and pork neck bones when I can get them, but mainly I feed beef rib bones [Texas rib is the name of the cut] - I feed bones for the exercise and to keep the teeth clean. Avoid the huge knuckle bones, cooked pet store bones, soup marrow bones, leg bones/weight bearing bones.
(Laurel, Ms)
07/05/2016
(Mpls., Mn)
07/05/2016
Hey Anna,
It is very hard to give advice on this topic without a veterinary work up to rule out medical conditions. Things like hyperglycemia and pancreatic tumors can bring on seizures, as well as epilepsy, and they may or may not require medication. The best advice I can give is to read up - google 'canine seizures' and start reading the articles. Please learn which seizures are emergencies so you know if/when you need to go to the doggie emergency room.
That said, one of the easiest things you can do to stack the deck against causing seizures in your dog is to feed him top quality groceries. Certain red food dyes have been linked to seizures in dogs; chances are if you feed a supermarket brand dog food, or any brand sold in a grocery store it is a less than recommended diet. I had a friend who fed her small breed dog the Beneful dog food and he had seizures; when she changed diets to a 4 star diet [rated on dogfood advisor.com] the seizures stopped. What you feed your dog matters a LOT. Also be wary of any diet that contains the herb rosemary, as while typically a good herb with antimicrobial properties, in some dogs will cause seizures.
Please report back!
(Sydney, Australia)
07/05/2016
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
This is in regards to pet epilepsy (dog).
About 15 years ago my husky/Shepard mix began having seizures and a trip to the vet diagnosed epilepsy and drugs to slow him down (he was having about 3 episodes a day). I didn't want him slow, he was a great dog. At the time the internet was pretty much forums so I started searching for the cause of his affliction. I came across others who recommended a dietary change to something more natural than the Science Diet "poison" I was feeding him. I don't quite remember what brand came next but it reduced the seizures to about 3 a week. Another change reduced them to about 3 a month until the final brand "Natures Balance", eliminated them entirely. He lived a long and relatively healthy life to the ripe old age of 14. I believe he could have gone longer had my ex wife continued to give him filtered water that removed the chlorine and especially the fluoride from the drinking water. She's a believer that our great medical community knows it all and that I'm a kook... That may be true but my best friend helped save me as much as I did him. RIP Rascal 03/27/2009
(Fort Wayne, In)
01/04/2014
My dog, Ronin began having seizure at 8mo. old in December 2012. He was started on Phenobarb and until July his seizures were about once a month. In July he began going 4-14 days between seizures, and the frequency continued to increase. He had his first cluster seizure in October, and was loaded with PBr. He continued to have seizures ever 4-7 days. He recently began Keppra, and will be decreasing and discontinuing his PBr in the coming weeks. He went two weeks without a seizure, but had a post/pre ictal behavior episode after a week on Keppra, but no actual seizure. We currently feed him Grain-free Earthborn, and he is completely grain free, however we haven't confirmed it's grain related (he got into some friends grain dog food the day he had his seizure after started Keppra, but we're not sure if it was a coincidence yet). We continue to research, and have seen a few people say Rosemary may be their trigger... which our Earthborn dog food does have (and it seems most grain-free foods have! ). I have seen recent posts for nature's Balance and such... I was wondering what opinions were on dog foods for epi-pups?
(Nc)
01/04/2014
Dear Brittany,
I read a post on Earth Clinic a few weeks ago about tap water being a possible trigger for seizures. Try putting your dog on purified water (not Brita filtered but better) and see if that helps. I keep learning about more and more contaminants in tap water. I now have our animals on spring water that I buy in 5 gallon containers at Home Depot. Oh and another post I recall reading some time ago was seizures caused after Rabies vaccination. Maybe there is a connection. Please let us know how your furry friend is.
(Mpls., Mn)
01/06/2014
Hey Brittany!
I'm sorry to hear about Ronin's seizures. Since they started young - 10 months - it sounds like Ronin is the poster pup for idiopathic [of unknown origin] canine epilepsy:
http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html
These seizures tend to occur at quiet times - at night or during sleep.
Diet certainly is a factor to consider with seizures; feeding doggie "junk food" - pretty much anything commonly available at the supermarket is often full of nitrates and red food dyes and artificial preservatives can indeed result in seizures.
So the best diet for an epi dog? Home cooked IMHO. It doesn't have to be RAW - it just has to be fresh, pure and healthfully prepared.
I am unable to find "New Balance Ltd" dog food; I DO find Natural Balance Ltd dog food and am not impressed. It is also possible at the time of the original post on this particular kibble it WAS an exceptional diet, and has since changed hands; this happens far too often with top dog foods - they obtain a good reputation and then are sold to other companies that then change the formulas to include substandard ingredients. In your shoes I would consider Fromm - Gold Nutritionals - no rosemary, made in Wisconsin. If that doesn't suite search the brands that are easily available to you and use your 'control F' function to search 'rosemary' on each ingredient panel you review - the diets are out there.
In reading up on the topic -its been a few years since I had an epilepsy dog - I found this gem from Ted:
"06/16/2011: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "You should discontinue the oil is correct. The oil buffers the electrical shortage, but it doesn't exactly solve the cause of the electrical shortage in its brains. It may be metal toxicity or excitotoxins as the other cause of seizures. But the fact he cannot stand may be viral, all oils tend to lower the immune system with exception of coconut oil. I would try a lysine and threonine, 1/4 teaspoon hourly 4 hours and in evening 1/4 teaspoon hourly 3 hours for 3 days."
Its cold and winter and skin dries so easily - so tempting to add oils to the diet yet that is contra indicated. In addition, the mention of excitotoxins - MSG is a big one, BHT and ethoxyquin [both preservatives] are also, however live vaccines have them as well: do consider stopping all vaccinations if you can [rabies is the only one required by law -as your vet for an exemption] and certainly discontinue any spot on or internal parasite treatments and the like. Also consider dosing - per Ted - lysine and threonine, 1/4 teaspoon hourly 4 hours and in evening 1/4 teaspoon hourly 3 hours for 3 days.
Also consider Dr. Ackerman's Epilepsy & Seizure Control Supplement - it looks super affordable [when it was recommended a couple years ago! ] as well as eliminating all non-'green' cleaning products; consider Dr. Bronner's soaps for washing the floors, etc.
Several contributors recommended Taurine, an amino acid that is a long lasting anti-convulsant that has proven to help some seizure dogs. Capsule form is best as tablets contain fillers. The dose is 500mg per 25lb once or twice daily.
Source: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/taurine.htm
Another nutritional supplement for brain support is Lecithin - 1200 mg/50 pounds has worked for 1 contributor. And yet another poster found ground raw, unsalted sunflower seeds - 1 table spoon per day - to help keep seizures at bay; grind them fresh every day as they lose freshness very quickly.
Homeopathic Cuprum Met 3x was recommended by one contributor; another posted "when I give him Belladonna...it stops [the seiuzure]almost immediately." With homeopathy if its the right remedy it will be effective very quickly and may make a huge difference.
Thinking really outside the box, check this out [my own holistic vet uses this technique as well]:
"12/03/2011: Wendy from Melbourne, Australia: "My 15 year old cat started having seizures about two months ago. As soon as she starts, I grab her and continuously tap FasterEft style on the point above her eyebrow all the time saying "Let it go, let it go, let it go, let it go" until the seizure stops. It usually stops within 10 to 15 seconds. (Go to Robert Smith's website fastereft.com for info on tapping. ) I then hold her and cuddle and reassure her and give her Rescue Remedy. I fill a 30 mil dropper bottle with spring water and add four drops of Rescue Remedy and I keep this bottle handy."
This is another possibility to consider:
It is a Hemp Oil Supplement that was very successful for one contributor.
You may find additional remedies on this site:
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Alternative.html
Good luck, and please keep us updated!
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
My 1 1/2 year old Rottie has been having seizures since she was 3 months old. She may have been having them longer, but I found her at age 3 month on the side of the road. To make a long story short, I eventually found her first owners and she was given to me. At any rate, I took her to the Vet when I found her and had her thoroughly checked out. The Vet told me I would probably have to put her on seizure medication if the seizures continued.
One day I took her to the feed store/pet supply store for some advice on the rash she had just developed. While we were there, she had 3 seizures. The very nice and concerned lady that was helping me, suggested I put her on a dog for called "Diamond". The one with no artificial additives or grains. I believe it was the chicken and rice recipe. She suspected "Treet" (my Rottie) had food allergies. Since I've been giving Treet the Diamond dog food, her rash has disappeared, but to my surprise, so has her seizures.
I didn't realize or attribute the disappearance of the seizures to the dog food until tonight. I was reading another comment from one of your reader's and they said that they feed their dog the same brand dog food (Diamond) because it does not contain and additive called "BTD or BTH" (they weren't sure of the exact name of the additive) because the additive causes seizures. I'm going to have to agree with that person. Treet hasn't had a seizure in about 2 months now.
The only thing that I've changed was her dog food. I feel confident it was the dog food that made the seizures disappear. It's a very scary thing to watch your baby go through that and you can't do anything to help. I am so very happy and relieved that she doesn't have them any more. Now I have to work on her constant ear infections. I'm going to try the Apple Cider Vinegar, Alcohol and Water mixture I read about. I'll keep you posted.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
I tried the suggestion from someone on the site to try diamond brand dog food from Tractor Supply. My 6 year old yellow lab Duckota has been seizure free for 7 mos. now. Thank you and the people on this site for putting this information on you web site. I would suggest this remedy before meds. Any one who wants to try this remember to slowly introduce the new food don't just switch up all at once it can upset your animal. Thanks again.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
To everyone who has a dog or cat with seizures, I'm sorry for that, it's the worst. I have a seven year old German Shepard that started having them when she turned two. I took her to the vet and they put her on medicine, that "might harm her liver over time" I gave her the pills for three years, with still a few seizures.
One day I went into PetSmart and was talking to the salesperson about animals,when it led into my shepard and her problem. She told me that her boxer had them to and that there is an additive in dog food called BHT or BHD that is found to bring on seizures. In amazement and anger I decieded to buy a dog food without this additive in to see if it was true and if it would help. I bought a very expensive bag of food that cost $39.99 a bag, not caring as long as it was true. Long story short, it's true! After that I started searching around for a reasonable priced bag of food because we have a 102lb. not fat just big, Golden Retriever too, and they eat alot!
I found a great bag of food at Tractor Supply called Diamond brand food. Just look on the back of your food bag if you see the three letters BHD or BHT, I really can't remember the exact three letters but it starts with a B. If it's in there I would change. Even some of the brands you think would be O.K. are not. Please try this it has been great with her not having seizuers any more. Good Luck I hope it helps.
(San Antonio, Texas)
06/08/2008
Specifically, BHA, short for Butylated Hydroxyanisole, and BHT, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, are both artificial preservatives added to oils to slow down deterioration. BHA and BHT (as well as ethoxyquin) are used in numerous pet food brands, including both "premium-grade" brands like Science Diet (even their prescription diet product line) and lower-grade brands like Alpo and Pedigree, to replace vitamin E, which is removed during oil processing. Studies have shown that BHA and BHT promote liver disease and other medical problems.
(Nashville, TN)
06/25/2008
My beagle started seizures in summer of 2007. He was a stray, so I do not know his background. We had a titer done for rabies and he tested negative, so he got ONE rabies shot and that's all he will have. No other booster shots, so that could not have been the trigger for his seizures. Seizures started two years after we brought him home. I cook my own dogfood (brown rice, greens, chicken). Sometimes they get raw, so I don't think food is the trigger. We had an expensive medical blood test done and no underlying medical issue to trigger seizures. His seizures were not severe enough to put him on Phenobarbitol and I would not have wanted it anyway. He had a seizure about once a month. His first two seizures were severe enough. He would fall over the day after. I searched alternative remedies and found Native Remedies Co on the internet. I give him EaseSure. He had two mild seizures after I started him on that and in September his seizures stopped. He had NO seizures for 9 months and he had a mild one again last week. Only a few seconds and shook it righ off. Went to play right after! Ingredients in EaseSure is Passionflower, Skullcap, Hyoscyamus (30C), Belladonna (30C), Cuprum metallicum. He gets 8 drops in the morning and evening. I am happy using the product. Also, when he goes into seizure I give him Rescue Remedy. I also have him on enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
(Decatur, IN)
02/07/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I have a three year old Beagle/Jack Russel mix. We got her when she was 9 months old. When she was about 2 years old, she started having seizures. The first time it happened, I didn't know what it was. She was playing with our boxer puppy and they were running, she fell over and landed on top of a duffle bag. When she didn't get up, I went over and noticed that she was shaking. I picked up up and she was stiff and shaking, eyes glazed over and her teeth were clenched. I thought she was scared from the fall. So I was holding her and talking to her and noticed that she was not responding to me at all. Well, then she tried to walk and kept falling down, still shaking. I thought she hurt her leg or something and was going into shock, so I called the vet. He suggested that she was having a seizure. He told me to wait about 10-20 minutes and call him back if she was not any better. Well, she finally was able to walk again...but continued to slobber for about an hour or so afterwards. Since then she seems to have one about once a month sometimes more often, that I know of. She goes in her cage at night and sometimes her blankets smell like urine and we have to wash them. So, I think she's been having some at night or early in the morning before we get up.
I have been feeding her Diamond Dog food for over a year now. I switched to that brand when we got our puppy boxer because it was comparable to Science Diet, but cheaper in price. So, she gets the Adult formula. Reading through these postings, I see some of you have said it helps because of the absence of BHT or whatever is in a lot of dog foods, but for my dog the food additive must not be the problem. Still trying to figure out what is causing her seizures. I'm going to try the coconut oil and see if that helps her.
It is heart breaking to see her go through it and sometimes they last for so long or she will have clusters with little breaks in between.... maybe a minute or less where it looks like she is coming back around and then starts to shake really bad again. All I can do is pet her and tell its okay and she is almost done. I hate watching her go through this.
(Coventry, England)
08/08/2010
Taurine an amino acid has proven to help some dogs. Capsule form is best as tablets contain fillers. The dose is 500mg per 25lb once or twice daily. Taurine is a long lasting anti-convulsant and I believe is considered very safe. Magnesium Taurinate supplies both Taurine and Magnesium but I'm not sure of quantity.
Another, very important factor is vaccine damage. Vaccines can cause encephalytis (sorry if not spelt correctly) swelling of the brain, this can lead to seizures. If it were my dog I would give no more vaccines, flea or tick treatments. They can all affect the brain.
Hope this helps.
(E. Wenatchee, Wa, Usa)
01/14/2011
Science diet (hills is also a science diet product)is one of the worse dog foods there is for an epileptic, or any dog. Read the ingredients. Bio-products, corn, preservatives, soy etc. which no dog should have.
check the ingred. on van patten's dry food, and buffalo blue for a comparison.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
My Dalmatian, soon to be 16, started having violent, lengthy seizures, generally but not always while sleeping, as well as chronic head and facial tics. A friend suggested using a dog food with a lower or no corn. Another, familiar with human epilepsy, suggested magnesium. The magnesium may have helped a little, but did not stop either symptom and I discontinued its use. I have been feeding exclusively Purina One, with the addition of a small amount of fish - salmon, tuna or halibut - and a small amount of olive oil daily for about six' months and the violent seizures seem to have stopped. Occasionally she gets a taste of meat or vegetables. In the last month, I have noticed the head and facial tics gradually diminish and disappear. Thanks for your website. It's a relief to know that others have seen similar conditions and come up with a variety of solutions.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Many dogs who suffer from seizures benefit from a grain free dog food. This also helps with some types of cancers as the grain and carbs seem to feed the tumors.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
When my father was released from the hospital from a possible heart attack, he was put on a strict diet. In keeping with his diet, he would eat baked chicken with heaps of garlic, tomatoes, and onions. My father, hating the food, would always pass it along to his dog. Well this otherwise healthy dog had a seizure one day, for the first time in its life. All three ingredients, consumed in excess, are known to be fatal to dogs. He's never given the dog his chicken again. The dog has never had a seizure since. To my own dog I give only a quarter of a clove every other week with no problems.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
A Homeopath I know feels that sometimes copper can cause seizures in animals. She said to try to find foods without copper (you have to look hard) and giving Homepathis Cuprum Met 3x for awhile has worked for many of the cases she has treated. I don't know if this is true I'm just passing it along. If you've tried everything else with no success this might be worth a try.
Dietary Changes, Avoid Tap Water
★★★★☆
Dog Epilepsy
I found out from my vet that any kind of pork product can induce seizures, even in dogs that aren't epileptic. I stopped giving my dog ham bones (he used to get a lot) and pork and he has not had near as many seizures. Also, I only give him spring water because tap water has chlorine, which is another seizure trigger.
Another trigger that some people may not think of is exposure to fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Even if you do not use these products in your own yard, your neighbors could be spraying them.
As far as the vaccination issue goes, my dog also had his first seizure about one week after his rabies booster.
(Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
11/04/2008
★★★★★
As someone below said, seizures are not a death sentence, so don't despair. My dog, a border collie mix, began having seizures probably about about 4 years old. We put him on phenobarb at the recommend of the vet and increased or decreased accordingly. When we saw that his seizures had decreased for some time, we decreased the dose ourselves. He has not had a seizure that I have seen in several years now, and I have decreased his meds again. He is now 15 years old, and very active, not heavy, and a joy to have. As an aside, I feed him Ol'Roy dogfood in the bags, as well as people food. He loves vegetables, fruits, salmon, meats.
(Denver)
01/23/2016
I know this is an old conversation, but I still reference it often and figured I would throw in my two cents in. Be aware of the pesticides! My collie mix has seizures every full moon even though she is on several medications. When I moved into a new townhouse she started having seizures that didn't coincide with the lunar cycle. It took me a while to figure it out, but every time I simply walked her over the neighborhood grass to go to the mailbox, she would have a cluster within the next 3 days. Once I started keeping her on the pavement through the neighborhood, the out-of-phase seizures stopped. The neighborhood management was incredibly helpful and provided me with the MSDS for all the chemicals they use.
Fertilizers and Seizures in Dogs
Hi, I've been reading all of the comments on people who have dogs with epilepsy.
We have a beautiful Yorky cross Jack Russell who started having fits. We are fairly sure that it can coincide with when he goes through certain fields where crops are grown and the farmers have put fertilisers on the soil. The vet said it may be an allergy type reaction. But on asking other pet owners in the area they have also said their dogs have had fits using the same fields. I am going to try a natural remedy as the vets don't seem to have any answers.
I just wondered whether anyone else had experienced this with their dog and if there were any proven links with fertilisers and epilepsy? We are going to keep our little dog out of the fields for the summer now. Thanks, Sam
Filtered Water
★★★★★
I have an 11 year old dog that we found when she was about five months old. She started seizuring around the age of two. About once a week, occasionally more often. We installed an R.O. water filter system for ourselves and realized within a couple of months that our dog had stopped her seizures. The only difference was the water! She now seizures only about six times a year.
We did notice that she started seizuring after eating "bacon strip" dog treats, and other treats with food colorings, etc. We went back to plain dog biscuits and she's fine. She must be chemically sensitive. I shared this info with her vet who said she would pass this info along.
Fish Oil
★★★★★
Before my story, I wanted to thank everybody on this site to share their experience and stories. You guys all have helped me so much in seeking help in different health issues I have encountered on me and my families. Thank you.
Here is my story:
My pug named Rain had been on an r/d diet for many years. After they changed to a new package, she had consumed over one bag of the new packaged food and she always show a lot of hesitation to eat. I felt bad because I did not listen to her signal. She just had a seizure out of nowhere on Friday, March 11, 2016 and she is 11 years old. But she did not just have one seizure, she had a seizure every 5 hours on average starting that Friday. I was so desperate to look for remedies and info and couldn't figure out what's wrong with her because with all the researches I had done in this short time frame, she did not seem to have liver, kidney or any other problems. But I remember ever since she started the new package of the r/d food, she acted very weird, like always frozed in the middle of the road and couldn't hear me calling her unless I screamed loud enough.
I was able to find a lot of info online and on the earthclinic.com site. I have tried taurine supplement with minimal help and then the next day fish oil. I looked through all the info about dog food and fish oil and the benefits of it and I felt confident enough to give her a try.
So when the store opened on Sunday 11am, I bought the fish oil, fed her the oil with chicken, and her supposed Sunday 3:00pm seizure did not come. And I waited till now and her 8pm seizure did not come either. I feel like the fish oil is really helping her. But within the past couple of days which was Friday nite and Saturday till Sunday morning, she had already gone through 8 seizures in total. I had already stopped feeding her this diet the next day after the first seizure incident after I read a lot of ppl's stories here. I really think something's wrong with it.
I also remember after she started the new bag, she started having her first ear infection and skin problem which she never had for her whole life. I want to thank everyone here again for their time to tell their stories because all these info really help ppl like me And others who need help.
It's almost Monday 1am, she seems very comfortable sleeping still.
