[BradleyandBellasMom]

I know this has been asked before, so I dont want to seem like I am duplicating a question. But, I have a few other questions that some other Golden parents may be able to answer.

I have a 7 year old 100lb male golden who has lymes disease and hypothyroidism. He was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in september and almost one month to the day from taking soloxin, he had a grand mal seizure. I took him immediately to the vet and his blood work and everything came back normal. They said it may be a fluke so watch to see if it happens again. Almost another month to the day, he has another one exactly the same. I take him back for more testing and they tell me the same thing they have told most of you, to get an MRI. I asked whether the soloxine could be doing it and they said no. He has lymes as well but has had that since he was 2 and when they tested him made no mention of if it being the culprit.

After spending close to 10k on all tests and meds, i am bone dry. The only thing left is to get the MRI which i hear is very costly. Which if they find it to be cancer, the treatment is pricey as well.

My question is what do I do? Do i just let him keep having the seizures? What do people do when they dont have a dime left to spend? I'm afraid if I put him to sleep that it may be something as simple as an allergy or something and I would feel awful. Then again, I dont want him to suffer.

Is there an organization that takes sick dogs and from donations helps them recover? I would rather him get the help he needs rather than be selfish and keep him and have him suffer.

He is only 7 years old and is such a happy puppy otherwise that just wants love.


Any advice?

Thanks!!

 

[Ljilly28]

You sound so scared and exhausted- I am very sorry to hear about Bradley's seizures. Finn's terrify me, but my human student Sarah, who has epilepsy, promises me that it does not hurt at all to have the seizure. Lots of people, especially Beaushel, will share resources with you, and you can search the many threads. Don't think of giving him up before trying seizure medication. Also, you can have valium on hand for emergency. Try to get a c6 level of your dog's Lyme from Idexx lab( your vet will know how to send it). If the level is over 30, treat with doxycyline. We can talk about dose/duration with you.

Do i just let him keep having the seizures?

. Each seizure he experiences makes the next one more likely; it's called seizure threshhold. But there are two affordable medicines to put him on to prevent this. It's okay not to do the MRI when you are stressed and out of money for sure!


http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=42409&highlight=seizure%2Cpoll

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/showthread.php?t=48489&highlight=seizure

 

[gold'nchocolate]

Here is a site that talks of using Melatonin for canine seizures.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/melatonin.htm

I use Melatonin for Jack's noise phobia and it really made a difference.

 

[paula bedard]

I'm so sorry Bradley is going through this. My Sam had seizures that started at age 6. He too had been treated for Lyme's but did not have thyroid issues. Sam was placed on phenobarbital which is very inexpensive and his seizures were reduced to a few episodes a year. He too weighed a 100 lb's. If pheno is suitable to Bradley's conditions, that may be your inexpensive alternative. Good luck. I know another member's Golden is believed to have a brain tumor and is also taking pheno for seizures with good results.

 

[Shalva]

please don't give melatonin studies have shown it actually reduces the seizure threshold

couple of thoughts
I have a dog who has had seizures since age two
I did not do an MRI the fact is that I was not going to put my dog through brain surgery even if it showd something

now a friend of mine did do an MRI for her golden and they found a tumour (2000 dollars later) and they didnt do the surgery anyway.....

I would talk to your vet about putting your dog on a trial of prednisone and see if that reduces the seizures... if it does it will tell you alot about what is going on as prednisone will reduce inflammation so if it works you can have a pretty good idea regarding the cause....

Phenobarbital costs me ten dollars a month for my 70 lb flat coat who is on a rather high dose

Potassium bromide is 30 bucks and lasts me close to five months

at this point .... why not just try a medication trial and see if something works.....

in my friends case the prednisone is keeping her dog pretty much seizure free and that dog does have a brain tumour and has been on prednisone for a year when they said that her girl only had 3-4 mos.

In my cuinns case the phenobarb and potassium bromide to date have kept him seizure free since the end of March.... and he has grand mal cluster seizures.... luckily he is easily controllable

there is a great email list out there called epil-k9 and the people there have been an outstnding resource for me. There is a link to there webpage on my website linked below.

I wish you all the luck with your pup and hope that you can find a way of controlling his seizures and still have him be your boy .... he needs you... and it sounds like you need him.
s

 

[Abbydabbydo]

I am sorry you are going through this, I am sure t is very upsetting.

I would try the phenobarbitol, too, I'm surprised the vet did not prescribe it yet.

Hang in there, I'm sure you will get more advice...and keep us posted. He is a beautiful boy.

 

[Heidi36oh]

Lot's of good advise, have you tried talking to you're vet about the cost, they may let you make payments also there is a card you can apply for it goes though the vet I think it's called Care Credit.

You're boy is very handsome, keep us posted.

 

[hotel4dogs]

Just curious, you mention that the seizures happen almost 1 month apart to the day.
Could it be related to his heartworm meds? If he's on a form of ivermectin, that has been known to bring on seizures in some dogs who are prone to them.
My dog is on a high dose of ivermectin for demodex mange, and it can cross the blood/brain barrier in some dogs and you can see some weird neurologic side effects. My dog was one of them. He acted drunk, staggering, tremors, etc. Not seizures, but tremors for sure.
Just a thought.

 

[BeauShel]

I am so sorry that you found us due to your pup having seizures. I have a 12 1/2 yr old golden Beau that has seizures. He has been on phenobarbital for them and it has greatly reduced the number of seizures he has. I would recommend you talk to your vet about the phenobarbital or the potassuim bhromide to see if it helps.
Like hotel4dogs stated, Ivermectin can bring on seizures and I had to switch Beau to the Interceptor because he would have a seizure within 48 hours of taking heartguard. Now he doesnt have one at that time of the month.
I would not have the MRI done in my opinion. Most tumors in the brain can not be taken care of by chemo or radiation. If you are near a college that has a vet program ask your vet to give you a refferal.
Keep a journal of what you give him for meds like heartworm meds, when the seizures happen and what happens, stuff put down outside or the house like flea stuff and what you feed. It will help to tell you and the vet a better idea of how to treat.
Get the full panel done thru hemopet with Jean Dodd. she is a leading authority on thyroid and seizures. Here is the website: http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM

This website has been a lifesaver to me with resources on what to do during seizures, causes, and other stuff. Hope it helps you. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/CanineEpil.htm

Hope some of my information helps you and if you have any questiosn you can email me or pm me. The phenobarbital is very inexpensive. I spent $40 today to get over a month supply of pheno and soloxine. If you feel uncomfortable with your vet for any reason, find another vet and ask if they will let you do a payment program. Mine does and it helps greatly.

 

[BradleyandBellasMom]

To Everyone:

Thank you sooooooo very much for your advice and help. I will try everything that all of you said one by one and see what happens.

I will keep everyone informed.

I have been to sooo many forums and got nothing until I found this place. Golden retriever owners truly love their pups sooo very much. Im so proud to have two.

 

[paula bedard]

To Everyone:

Thank you sooooooo very much for your advice and help. I will try everything that all of you said one by one and see what happens.

I will keep everyone informed.

I have been to sooo many forums and got nothing until I found this place. Golden retriever owners truly love their pups sooo very much. Im so proud to have two.

I felt the same way when I first found the forum. It's a community unlike any other I've visited. Good luck and keep checking in with us.

 

[BradleyandBellasMom]

please don't give melatonin studies have shown it actually reduces the seizure threshold

couple of thoughts
I have a dog who has had seizures since age two
I did not do an MRI the fact is that I was not going to put my dog through brain surgery even if it showd something

now a friend of mine did do an MRI for her golden and they found a tumour (2000 dollars later) and they didnt do the surgery anyway.....

I would talk to your vet about putting your dog on a trial of prednisone and see if that reduces the seizures... if it does it will tell you alot about what is going on as prednisone will reduce inflammation so if it works you can have a pretty good idea regarding the cause....

Phenobarbital costs me ten dollars a month for my 70 lb flat coat who is on a rather high dose

Potassium bromide is 30 bucks and lasts me close to five months

at this point .... why not just try a medication trial and see if something works.....

in my friends case the prednisone is keeping her dog pretty much seizure free and that dog does have a brain tumour and has been on prednisone for a year when they said that her girl only had 3-4 mos.

In my cuinns case the phenobarb and potassium bromide to date have kept him seizure free since the end of March.... and he has grand mal cluster seizures.... luckily he is easily controllable

there is a great email list out there called epil-k9 and the people there have been an outstnding resource for me. There is a link to there webpage on my website linked below.

I wish you all the luck with your pup and hope that you can find a way of controlling his seizures and still have him be your boy .... he needs you... and it sounds like you need him.
s

You have a flatcoat? I have always wanted one and almost got one before I got my Bella 6 years ago. How are they compared to goldens?

 

[Apollo the Sun God]

My Apollo just had his first seizure last night! Scared the you know what out of me. He actually had 3, one right after the other. We took him to the vet for blood work, but after reading everyones comments I dont think it will show anything specific. He has not had any medical issue sprior to this so it came as a total shock. He runs with me, hikes with me and is my constant companion. I am sorry to hear about your baby and I empathsize with your fear and worry. Hang in there; you both will make it through. (It is ok not to get the MRI)...

 

[Debles]

My Max had hypothyroid that I now know was being undertreated. At age 6 he began having grand mal seizures. The vet we had then acted like he didn't know what was causing them but placed him on phenobarbitol as he was having them daily. His seizures decreased and he was good till age 12 when he developed megaesophagus (which was diagnosed by another vet)from the undertreated thyroid.
Please get a full panel for thyroid and send it to Dr. Jean Dodds as recommended by others. Then your dog will be being treated correctly for his thyroid.
I never want another golden to have to go through what my Max did because of an incompetant vet.

Good Luck. Your boy is gorgeous. Meds wills help him and are inexpensive.

 

[Chixen]

Bradley & Bellas Mom:

I had the same situation, a german shepherd, hypothyroidism, grand mal a month to the day of taking soloxin. I never did the MRI but I always wondered if he'd had Lyme's. He'd had some of the symptoms over the years, Bells Palsy, a sore neck, a general malaise, the symptoms came and went. Lord knows I had to remove some ticks from him. The vet concluded it was a brain tumor. I wished I'd given him the MRI to rule that out. Anyway, he's been gone for a couple years but it's always bothered me.

 

[2Retrievers222]

I would put on raw, take off heart worm med. Add a vitamin supplement. Low levels of magnesium is main cause for seizures. taurine deficiency.

 

[amy22]

I have no advice..just wanted to say that your dogs are gorgeous and I hope you find somthing to help your pup. Please keep us updated.
Also, you are right, this is a GREAT place wiht GREAT people!!

 

[Willow52]

My brother's Lab has seizures and takes phenobarbital to control them. He's now 5 y.o. and has probably been on it for 3 yrs. It's rather inexpensive and they get it at a human drugstore. I'm sure they didn't do a MRI or any other tests before the vet prescribed it.

 

[paula bedard]

This is an old thread. The OP hasn't been back, so we don't know how her boy is doing. I hope the suggestions here helped.

 

[iGirl]

Our Phoebe has had a couple of seizures now at age 6 going on 7 - one last year and one about a month ago. From everything I read up on it's OK to just let it go. I think if it were happening every month though I would be much more concerned.