[whtrngr]

Does anyone here have or had a Beagle with Epilepsy? Bella recently started having seizures, very mild ones, where she will sit and her head will shake side to side. They last a few seconds to maybe a couple minutes long. We are still in the process of eliminating all other possibilities of what is causing this.
I was just wondering if anyone else has been through this, and what advise they have. I know that it can be controlled with medication, and we are VERY lucky that it has been this mild for us so for. She had had about 6 total seizures so far. She is about 14 months old.

 

[JAISP Tech]

I have had a German Shepard in the past who had Epilepsy. She had needed medication to control her seizures and had lived many years on the medication a normal life.

 

[RosCole]

My brother-in-law has a St Bernard who has seizures and the only thing recommended is medication for the rest of his life, it seems to be working and the seizures seem under better control.
All our best!

 

[Joe Johnston]

Beagle # 2 Vinnie was an Epi-Beagle. First seizure happened when he was 6 months old. We were able to lengthen the time between seizures to about 40 days. He took Phenobarbatol (1/2 mg I think) every night.

I am posting a link to a site dedicated to canine epilepsy. It was a tremndous resource early on with Vinnie.

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

 

[Dinoz]

i have never experienced this, but i'd say the sooner it gets looked at by a vet, the better. poor dog

 

[Faiers]

Hi again Dinoz. I didn't know anything about B.O.N.E.S rescue, so I had a look at the website today and was shocked to learn <span style="font-weight: bold">that it is common for Beagles to suffer from Epilepsy</span> So, I was about to post a question to the forum about this, when I spotted yours. Have the seizures continued or subsided? What were the warning signs? I hope all is well now. I must say I am surprised, because all the stuff I read about Beagles before we got Penny said that they were relatively worry free medically speaking.

 

[whtrngr]

We did go to a vet, and I had caught one on my cell phone video camera. She said it was most likely a focal seizure. It may be due to low blood sugar levels, or it may be something we will have to deal with for the rest of her life. There were no warning signs, and she acts perfectly normal. The good thing is, she had about 5 seizures in 3 days around her vet trip, but has had none since, and its been about 3 weeks. So we are leaning toward this being a just once occurrence. But even if it is something we have to deal with later, the vet said it is usually as simple as daily medication.

 

[Faiers]

Hi Nick (sorry I got the names mixed up)
Thanks for sharing your experience. It must have been a worrying time for you! Hopefully it is only a one off. This site certainly is useful for us first time Beagle Humans!
All the very best to you.

 

[saracox78]

Our 6 month old female beagle pup is in the vets tonight. She started fitting about 6pm we took her to the emergency vet but it was another hour before she was seen, at which point she had fitted several more times. They said she most probably has epilepsy :sad:

I too didnt realise that epilepsy was common in beagles, I thought medically they were quite worry free. Fingers crossed she will be okay. She has been sedated tonight so that they can have a proper look at her, get the anti convulsant drugs in her and take some bloods. I understand to diagnose epilepsy is a process of elimination. Just wish I could turn back the clock but I am sure that we can deal with this, even if she does need med. Love her heart x

 

[brandypup]

I didn't have a dog but a cat with seizures. It was most likly from a tumor in the head. What I learned about seizures is:
Medication only controls them it doesn't eleimante them. So first call of action is to keep a diary. Anything over about a minute or too often is dangerou and medication should be considered. If only a seizure here and there then keep the diary and do the neorogical work up.
Skip all by products and preservatives in foods. I was feeding raw at the time and went through all types of foods. It turned out that Natural Balance Venision turned otu to work the best for Marley.
No more vaccinations, period you can get a waiver.
They dont hurt the animal. But you have to keep them safe. For example can't fall down stairs during a seizure. Marly hit the door frame and lost a tooth during one.
Marly was always hungry and confused after but would eat alot.
Dim lights also. I kept a light blanket to put over him during a seizure.

I would 1) notify the breeder if that is a recourse
2) have a complete neurogical work up.

I had the neuro work up at Auburn Unv. It was 1500$ It's much easier I think that way then nit picking at it with all the litle costs involved.

Good luck, hugs.

Canine Epilepsy and Dog Seizures Table of Contents - Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels

 

[windenam18]

Found this thread on Google. If I need to be directed somewhere else, please forgive me. I am just looking for any help.

This past weekend, our 4 year old male beagle mix had 5 seizures. They started Friday night and went through Sunday afternoon. He received a loading dose of Phenobarbital on Sunday night into Monday morning at the emergency vet. Since then he has been on 96mg a day, 48mg BID.

He has been seizure free since starting the Pheno (knock on wood). However, the pills are fairly small which makes them hard to cut, as we have to halve one of them at every dosage time. We try very hard to be as accurate as possible as we have read many things about making sure we are very consistent with the times we give him his meds.

How important is it that he gets the exact 48mg at each med time? We do get close, but it's not perfect. We are using a pill splitter and even saving the crumbs and powder that is sometimes produced.

Also, he has been blind since the last seizure but it is slowly coming back. Anyone else have the blindness last this long? If so, did it come back and how long did it take?

I really appreciate any help. We have no kids, he is our kid. This was one of the scariest things we have witnessed and it has been a very emotional week.

 

[windenam18]

Also, no recent vaccines, has been on grain free food or American Naturals for years.

 

[My6beagles]

Holy cow....Did the e-vet did you any reason behind the recent seizures? I would want a scan/MRI to see if something is going on. Out of the blue seizures(or anything really) scare me and I would want information as to why the are occurring.


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[windenam18]

Ran every blood test possible. Also, we had an inside pesticide sprayed on a few areas that day but watched the dog like a hawk. Never went near it. Called the pesticide guy and said that in 30 years has never had anything like that happen. Both our regular vet and e-vet looked into it thoroughly. They also concluded that was not the reason why. No other symptoms.

The e-vet concluded that it is inter-cranial. Meaning either epilepsy or tumor, or something else. Basically the only way we will ever know is with an MRI. But they are $1,500-$2,000 that we do not have. We feel terrible not being able to get one.

We have done a ton of research and from what we have found is that epilepsy usually shows between 6 months and 5 years of age.

 

[Natty Boh]

Where are you located? Is there a vet school near you? One of our members, Cassie, posted a link to every vet school in the US - plus some in other countries. Vet schools are an awesome resource for helping with a difficult diagnosis at a reasonable cost.

http://www.ourbeagleworld.com/forums/health-welfare/62417-low-cost-vet-care.html

 

[My6beagles]

I understand about the whole finances issue but have you checked to see if the specialist(mri) doesn't do payments ? The specialist where I basically have paid for the addition at has something called CareCredit. Yes it's a credit card type payment but they offer set installment plans also. Most places that have high tech care offer it because they realize not everyone has a gazillion dollars anymore.


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[My6beagles]

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/


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[windenam18]

I am in Wisconsin. I will check out all of this info. Thank you all. Any feedback at to the dosage and pill splitting dilemma?

 

[Natty Boh]

I can't answer your question right now. I have no experience. I do have a friend who had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who suffered from epilepsy. I will ask her tomorrow.

 

[windenam18]

Thanks a lot, Natty Boh.