Seizures/Tremors/Sick Pup

[JediYoda]

Hi everyone,
My little guy Yoda experienced his third seizure/tremor episode yesterday.
Sorry for the long post...

Backstory: When we first brought Yoda Home in February we discovered he had Giardia. The vet prescribed Panacur & Metronidazole (Flagyl). After about his 3-4 day being treated Yoda had some sort of seizure andr very scary episode. Lost control of his bladder, had trouble moving about (almost looked like a drunk puppy), wouldn’t eat or drink, head was bobbing back and forth, and just very unsettled. We took him to the emergency vet and they didn’t really offer us a treatment plan or solution that felt right. So we took him home and hoped for the best. Within a few hours he was sleepy but back to functioning like his normal happy self. We took him to our family vet the following Monday and she explained that the Metronidazole has been known to induce seizures in dogs and cause the symptoms we were seeing. So we chalked it up to a very scary side effect of the medication he was on.

March: Small episode that seemed more like tremors with vomiting. Went back to normal the following morning.

This past weekend: Similiar episode to the episode he had in March. So we took him to the vet yesterday where they did the necessary blood work and we will follow up with that and figure out if he needs to see a neurologist. We also noticed round worms in his vomit so he is currently on Panacur again to treat those.

Has anyone else experienced seizures or tremors with their frenchies? I’ve done endless research online and while I’m leaning more towards tremors I’m just curious if anyone had experienced different treatment plans and/or options? Of all the reading I’ve done I’ve gathered it’s more unsettling for the owner than the actual pup itself.

Any insight or words of wisdom are appreciated.

Side note: while at the ER for the initial episode the vet wanted to keep Yoda overnight and give him additional Metronidazole. Based on some internet searches before we went we just didn’t feel like this was the right treatment plan. When we told our family vet this she told us we did the right thing by bringing him home. So thankful for forums like this one and people that share this kind of info otherwise we may have never known the potential danger of something that was supposed to be treating is Giardia.

 

[2bullymama]

This is so horrible for you and your baby!

Any chance you have video?
[MENTION=51]TheOrionShow[/MENTION]


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[JediYoda]

My husband does have a video of the original episode that I will try to get from him. The vet has asked us to film additional videos when it happens again. I did document each incident after it happened on a notepad. Oddly enough the March and April incident were exactly one month apart.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

I would look into some natural ways to treat parasites. I think a homeopathic or, at least, holistic vet would be a better way to go. I'd also consider taking him off any flea/tick/hw pesticides that you might have him on. Just my 2 cents. So sorry he's having a rough time. That sounds really scary. Keep us updated. :drawheart:

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

My husband does have a video of the original episode that I will try to get from him. The vet has asked us to film additional videos when it happens again. I did document each incident after it happened on a notepad. Oddly enough the March and April incident were exactly one month apart.

Did the one month apart coincide with monthly flea/hw treatments?

 

[Cbrugs]

I would look into some natural ways to treat parasites. I think a homeopathic or, at least, holistic vet would be a better way to go. I'd also consider taking him off any flea/tick/hw pesticides that you might have him on. Just my 2 cents. So sorry he's having a rough time. That sounds really scary. Keep us updated. :drawheart:

In this regard, I think there might be an essential oil mix you can use. I’ve seen posts about it on sister site English Bulldog News. I’ll look for it, or you might be able to do a search on there as well.
[MENTION=2]2bullymama[/MENTION]


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[Cbrugs]

Here's an article. But I believe frankinscense is the essential oil that people have used on dogs with seizures. I'm still looking but thought I would post this in the meantime:

https://thebark.com/content/holistic-treatments-epilepsy-dogs

 

[Cbrugs]

https://www.facebook.com/jerry.montella.9/posts/10214983522840126

 

[JediYoda]

Thank you so much for the input! I am definitely all about homeopathic treatments for myself so I really should be exploring these options for Yoda as well.. He just took his last Panacur treatment for the roundworm. I looked into some more natural options today and there’s a lot out there.

 

[JediYoda]

Here's an article. But I believe frankinscense is the essential oil that people have used on dogs with seizures. I'm still looking but thought I would post this in the meantime:

https://thebark.com/content/holistic-treatments-epilepsy-dogs

Thank you so much for all of the info! I use a lot of essential oils in my home so I’m excited an the prospect of using them to treat him. I don’t know why I didn’t consider it before.

 

[Honeys Owners]

So sorry to hear about this. Dose of frankincense as mentioned on the English bulldog site is one drop of frankincense in each ear, and one drop for each inner paw pad whenever he has a seizure.
He should really be diagnosed properly, since if he has epilepsy he might need phenobarbital, and if it's just idiopathic head tremor he doesn't need any medication, just needs to be distracted when it happens.

 

[Honeys Owners]

Also, diet is important so a switch to frozen raw dog food would be a help.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

I think it would be worth joining some FB groups for dogs with epilepsy or CBD for dogs groups. I know some people in my holistic groups that have controlled their dogs seizures with a certain type of CBD oil and gotten them off phenobarbital, which I believe can lead to liver issues, after long term use. Anyway, I would think groups like this would be a good resource and help cut down on the time you have to put into doing your own research.

In the meantime, if he were my pup, I would cut out all flea/tick/hw meds, as there is a risk of seizures with using them, and use more natural methods of prevention.

 

[2bullymama]

In this regard, I think there might be an essential oil mix you can use. I’ve seen posts about it on sister site English Bulldog News. I’ll look for it, or you might be able to do a search on there as well.
@2bullymama


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The flea and tick mix is:

14 oz of Witch Hazel
12 drops of Lavender
15 drops of Citronella
15 drops of Lemongrass

Put all in a spray bottle and shake.

 

[Honeys Owners]

A ketogenic raw diet would help prevent seizures too, eg. Answers Detailed raw food which provides a 1.5:1 fat to protein ratio.

 

[Honeys Owners]

Another reference I looked at said not to give a dog the ketogenic diet since it has too much fat and it can cause pancreatitis https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/132332401041/seizures-epilepsy-dog
I think if you give your dog a frozen raw diet, sticking to rabbit, venison, duck ( and free range chicken if your dog isn't allergic ) and occasional beef, and avoid fruits and starchy vegetables like squash and peas, you will be getting most of the benefits. Also give your dog organic virgin coconut oil, working up to 1 tsp per 10 pounds per day.

As mentioned before, try to avoid toxins- also minimize vaccinations- if your dog has gotten his core vaccination as an adult, he probably will never need it again. If in doubt you can have his titres checked. You may be forced by state laws to do rabies vaccinations every 3 years.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

I would find a vet that would write you a waiver for rabies.

 

[JediYoda]

I think it would be worth joining some FB groups for dogs with epilepsy or CBD for dogs groups. I know some people in my holistic groups that have controlled their dogs seizures with a certain type of CBD oil and gotten them off phenobarbital, which I believe can lead to liver issues, after long term use. Anyway, I would think groups like this would be a good resource and help cut down on the time you have to put into doing your own research.

In the meantime, if he were my pup, I would cut out all flea/tick/hw meds, as there is a risk of seizures with using them, and use more natural methods of prevention.

So awesome that you bring this up! We’ve actually given him CBD each time this has happened and the results are absolutely unbelievable. Especially after the first episode which was the worst. He went from what seemed like a incredibly ill puppy to an active, vocal, funny little pup within about 30-45 minutes of administering the CBD. I don’t have Facebook but my husband does so I will have him seek out a support group like this. I’m always a little nervous to bring this up because it’s hit or miss with people being supportive or unsupportive based on their knowledge of CBD. Really appreciate you offering this knowledge and the positivity.

 

[JediYoda]

The flea and tick mix is:

14 oz of Witch Hazel
12 drops of Lavender
15 drops of Citronella
15 drops of Lemongrass

Put all in a spray bottle and shake.

Thank you! This is perfect because I have all of these on hand. Really appreciate you taking the time to look this up and post it.