7am, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm

Elton has epilepsy, so what do we do now?

We had already started Elton on a twice daily course of CBD oil. For some dogs and people, CBD has become an alternative treatment for epilepsy. And it would have been wonderful if CBD had been enough, but CBD did not reduce or control Elton’s seizures. We had to venture into the world of anti-seizure medications.

There are four main anti-seizure drugs of choice for dogs with epilepsy:

• Phenobarbital 
• Potassium Bromide 
• Levetiracetam (Keppra) 
• Zonisamide

There are other choices as well, each medication has its own side effects and risks. Some can cause damage to internal organs with long term use and some side effects can greatly impact quality of life. Elton’s neurologist recommended starting Elton on Zonisamide.

The good thing about Zonisamide was there were no side effects for Elton and only had to be given twice a day, 7am and 7pm. Elton was happy and playful but the bad thing was that after three weeks without a seizure, Elton seizured in a cluster of three. Our vet added Keppra and unlike on just Zonisamide, we saw a range of side effects that we called “the drunken sailor” that included lack of coordination, sedation as times and agitation at other times, lots of impulsive behaviors and lots of vocalizing.

The other challenge was having to give Keppra three times a day, 7am, 3pm and 11pm. Our lives now revolved around the times that Elton needed his medications, 7am, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm.

I work full time on a revolving schedule and Paul is retired. So we have more flexibility that most people. Being on this schedule means that we can’t ever sleep in, one of us has to be home at the dose times or we have to take Elton with us, and we can’t ever, ever miss a dose or even be late with a dose. Missing a dose or being late can be the catalyst to a life treatening seizure.

After two weeks on Zonisamide + Keppra, the seizures started again. And the seizures we were seeing were more intense and convulsive. Our vet increased the Keppra, but the seizures continued until we ended up at the emergency vet after Elton had three seizures in one day. It was time to bring out the the big guns in our fight with Elton’s epilepsy.

Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy-University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

Cluster Seizures in Dogs-Canna-Pet

Understanding Your Pet’s Epilepsy-Dennis O'Brien, DVM, PhD