r/EpilepsyDogs

Our boy Luke lost his battle with epilepsy last week. We have not even had him a year.

I thought i would keep following this group and maybe be able to answer a random question or provide some reassurance when needed but the more i see posts the more i think of my boy.

He only ever had one focal siezure with us, every single other siezure was grand mal. He was on pheno, Levetiracetam and fluoxetine for anxiety. We fed him Acana Lamb and Pumpkin with milk thistle added for his organs. I was very careful with his treats and he had mostly whole ingredients: sprat, freeze dried chicken, yak cheese, unseasoned blended chicken and vegetables that i froze for his pupscicle ball. We went on walks and ran around the yard regularly. His bloodwork always came back fine, we had an appointment scheduled for this Wednesday where I was going to talk to the vet about a referral for a neurologist.

We had some bad siezures at the end of july and then we went over two months with only one siezure on a night where we got home really really late and threw off his schedule a lot.

He was perfect, never messed in the house unless his meds had changed and we didn't read his language fast enough. He was gentle and sweet, always took his meds with no problem. Lawn mower didn't bother him, the cat being a bully didn't bother him after the first month, he didn't dig, jump, or bark unless you riled him up. He didn't know how to play fetch but he would rip around the yard with you like nobody's business. He loved to cuddle up with me for a nap, he'd slide up right between my side and my arm and rest his long nose up on my shoulder. He never licked, he would always stick his long snoot right up to your face and SNIFF. His little cheeks puffing in and out.

I know for this sub, telling people to get pet insurance is a lost cause. But if someone sees this and is able to make the decision, do it. I can't help but think if I had pet insurance on Luke I would have made different decisions throughout his care. His epilepsy was already diagnosed and being "treated" when we adopted him, so though I searched around, it was never an option.

Good luck to everyone dealing with this, we are incredibly thankful for the time we got to spend with Luke. Though we knew our time with him would be shorter than with a "normal" dog, we didn't expect it to be this short. Having an epileptic dog can teach you a lot about yourself, your partner, and life, but i would never choose to fight this with another dog ever again.

Thank you all for the advice and guidance, and again, good luck with your pups battles. May their lives be as full and joyful as my Luke's, though I pray they are much longer.

For a while now my little guy Quincy has had these twitching/tremors episodes. Our first vet didn’t seemed concerned about it, our new vet has mentioned focal seizures. He has been taken Apoquel and although it’s not a common side effect we thought it could be correlated. This happens when he sleeps but also when he’s awake and laying down. He hasn’t had any typical seizure symptoms, he’s able to get up when this happens, he’s alert and if he’s called or startled they stop and I’ve read that with focal seizures dogs can remain alert and maintain motor skills. I have posted this on other pages and people say he’s just dreaming, but again they happen occasionally when he’s awake and that is what has been bothering me.
I don’t know where to start, don’t know if I’m driving myself crazy. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated

My 5 year old husky/American bulldog was just diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. She had her 1st seizure at 3:40pm Wednesday and her 9th seizure at 10:30am Thursday. 8 and 9 were on the way and at the vet. She stayed with the vet from Thursday through Saturday morning.

She currently has no control over her bladder or bowels. I don't know if this is normal. Is it due to all the sedation during her hospital stay? Is it a side effect of the phenobarbital? Is it permanent damage from all the seizures? I realize no one can actually answer this. Just stressing out loud.

And giving her the medication is extremely difficult. She has no interest in food, or treats. Even wet food she takes a bite and walks away. I'm not unfamiliar with all the ways to hide a pill. I know so many food tricks. But those don't work for Jupiter who doesn't want food.

I just bought a pill popper to try tonight. Because I can not pry her mouth open enough to drop the pill in. Even with help. My husband has been trying to open her mouth while I give the meds, but we can't hardly open it enough to get it far enough back. It ends up taking us 15+ minutes to get it down. I keep watching videos of people and their dogs just open their mouth wide, even if for just a short moment. But my girl is keeping her jaws clamped shut.

It's only been 24 hours but I'm so stressed. The vet didn't warn me that she can't control her bladder and bowels, or that giving her meds would be this difficult. I plan to call her vet tomorrow morning. But if anyone wants to share some advice, or tell me it's going to work out, please do.

Our 4 year beagle has seizures. Used to be once or twice a year but now every month. They have gone shorter like 2 3 mjns and after that she is back to being normal. Curious what has worked best for the group. And what to avoid

I thought we had it managed. I forgot to move their med alarm up (both our dogs developed IE), so he was 40min late on meds. I feel so guilty.

I hate this disease. I just want him to go back to being his smiley self with no seizures.

Edit for title typo: first breakthrough seizure in 8 months.

So happy for my sweet boy. It seems his new meds are working and he’s at 2 months seizure free. Even a vet visit with bloodwork didn’t trigger one for him.

Hi everyone,
We are looking for any advice or shared experiences regarding a rare diagnosis. Our 8-year-old male French Bulldog, Winnie (15 kg), was recently taken in for an MRI because we originally suspected a herniated disc / IVDD due to spinal symptoms.
While the MRI did confirm spinal malformations and disc protrusions, it unexpectedly revealed a brain tumor as well:
Location & Description: A cystic mass originating from the right lateral ventricle and extending into the 3rd ventricle, with peripheral contrast enhancement and extensive surrounding edema.
Impact: It is compressing the cerebral aqueduct and pushing against the cerebellum, causing increased intracranial pressure.
Suspected Diagnosis: The MRI report points to a suspected Ependymoma.
Because ependymomas are extremely rare in dogs, I’ve searched everywhere online and on Reddit, but I can barely find any posts or firsthand experiences regarding this specific tumor in canines.
Has anyone here had a dog diagnosed with an intraventricular ependymoma or a similar brain tumor?
What treatment path did you take (e.g., steroids/palliative management, radiation therapy, or surgery)?
How did your dog respond, and how was their quality of life?
Any information, advice, or shared stories would mean a lot to us right now. Thank you so much.🩶