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Chance had a seizure

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • thunderbird8588T

    Hope Chance is alright now and you get some answers at the vets.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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  • AlexA

    Chance has been ok so far today, active and playfull, on the way to the vet right now. Our female B is still holding a grudge against him, we were told that since she saw him go through the seizure she is trying to push him out of the pack.

    We will need to do more bonding and play activities with both of them in the coming weeks, to get them to get a long.

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • MacPackM

    Your other dog may just be spooked by his behavior, he acted unpredictably and she does not understand. We have had dogs with grand mal seizures and fortunately, all the other dogs were very concerned, but with no aggression. Yes, play and long walks together will help re-unite them!

    Most vets tell you to keep a good diary, time the event, what was happening before and after, how severe, etc., and don't treat unless they become too frequent or debilitating.
    Hoping that Chance is OK and that it was just a fluke.

    Anne in Tampa

    Chipley, Missy & Lucky

    Topper, Nicky & Eddie in the clouds

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Sadly, attacking dogs during seizures isn't uncommon, so glad you are going to separate. Often dogs have one seizure and never have another, so hopefully that will be it. Sending good vibes that the testing is all clear.

    Debra

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  • AlexA

    Thanks for everyone's support! It's about 10:30pm and Chance was under watch all day, just acting normal and playful, we hope it continues that way. Took a bunch of tests at the vet today, so we will see what the results will say.

    Vet recommended to put him permanently on low dose of potassium bromide, as the alternative phenobarbital is more toxic and could cause liver issues. So I guess we have a couple of choices, wait until this happens again and spare him from the meds, or put him on Kbr and hope this never happens again. We will see what the tests say.

    Found a good site with a wealth of related info:

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

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • AndrewnShangoA

    SO glad to hear that Chance is doing well. Please keep us posted on the little guy's health!

    Andrew, Shango & Newsom

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  • AlexA

    So far so good, Chance is acting normal since the seizure epsiode. Our female is still growling a bit, but is less aggressive. Just waiting for test results now.

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Keeping fingers crossed, Alex. Dang it is so hard when something is wrong. :(

    Debra

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  • renaultf1R

    Alex I'm so sorry to hear about Chance but happy to hear that he has been ok since the seizure. As others have said, not unusual to have there be some growling going on from Kiya. Based on my experience, time will fix their relationship.

    FWIW, when Brando broke his leg (playing with Ruby), there was some serious hate going on between Brando & Ruby and vice versa (mostly the vice versa :rolleyes:). I was told by my breeder and my vet that it was normal and that the most important thing for me to do was keep Brando safe until he was healed and then worry about letting them be together later. For the 8 weeks that Brando was in a cast, the only true together time they had was a walk in the morning. My brother took Ruby, I took Brando - but we walked together. Otherwise they were separated by a baby gate. At night Brando slept in the bed with me and Ruby was crated. If I needed to leave the room and couldn't keep an eye on them both, Ruby was crated. About 6 weeks in, all the hate and growling stopped. Ruby would start to kiss Brando if he came near the gate. At 8 weeks, the cast was off and they were back together without a hitch.

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  • BasenjimammaB

    Alex..I am so sorry to hear about Chance…Hoping he has no more seizures and that him and your female gets over their issues and goes back to normal again..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • P

    I hope that Chance 's seizure is just a one off. I agree with Denra when she says that other dogs will attack a dog having seizures - I do hope the little bitch calms down around Chance soon. It can be such a worry when this happens.

    My thoughts are with you.

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  • AlexA

    Chance is doing fine, he is active and is not showing any signs of having any issues. All medical tests came back normal, and his low dosage of potassium bromide is coming in the mail tomorrow. I am still unsure if I want to put him on that, we are going to seek more advice from another vet.

    Chance now tries to play and paw grumpy female, he has no clue about what happened. They share the bed sometimes, now more than before, but Kiya still growls at him on occasion, probably expressing her dominance and discontent with what happened. I think time will heal their relationship, we do have to put her in place sometimes, when she gets really grumpy with Chance.

    Basenji Forums Staff

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  • tanzaT

    Alex, have you had her thyroid checked?

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • AlexA

    Hers or his? Chance had a full panel done just now.

    Basenji Forums Staff

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    Thanks for posting this update @Derek-Groves , our Chance is 16 and he has had seizures most of his life. It just started out of nowhere when he was a few years old and for a number of years, we tried all kinds of natural and non-natural medications. We tried Chinese herbs, CBD, diet changes then the typical meds like phenobarbitol, all somewhat helped, but he would still have recurring seizures several times a month, or sometimes a week. All in all, he probably had 100 seizures in his lifetime, but luckily no major damage other than he is a bit wobbly and has head tremors once in a while. It does not seem to bother him though and he is otherwise healthy and active for a 16 yr old. Once I found Keppra through trial and error we stuck with it and that seemed to have been the best way to curb the seizures. We went from monthly to maybe once in a few years, during major events like a house move. Today he is on 250mg of Keppra + Zonisomide every 12 hours and that does the trick, if he does have a sezure (we also have concentrated CBD tincture, which we keep bedside, injecting it into his mouth gets him out of it pretty quickly and speeds up recover. We ended up sticking a particular manufacturer for Keppra (Lupin labs), just to make sure no formula variation is introduced.
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    Cluster seizures

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    DebraDownSouthD
    Okay not to alarm you, but please make sure that what you are seeing is in fact cluster seizures (where there is a definite recovery between seizures) and status seizures, where there is no recovery but continues seizures. Status are the most dangerous… they can and do die from them. So getting this under control fast is critical. A side note, I worked in the UTnK Brain Research and Neuropsychology Lab with Dr Joel Lubar on his epilepsy program. QUOTE:>> The massive muscle activity of the seizures leads to hyperthermia with temperatures as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit or more, which if sustained, causes irreversible damage to neurons. Hypoxia from inadequate pulmonary ventilation also causes brain damage. Severe lactic acidosis from shock and tissue hypoxia, amplified by excessive muscle activity, probably contributes to neuron deterioration. Death is usually not from brain dysfunction directly, but from overtaxation of cardiopulmonary reserve by the combination of massive continuous exercise, hypoxia, lactic acidosis, shock, and possibly also hyperthermia.<< Below are notes from Feb with a vet friend regarding another friend's chow. He was having seizures and they could not get control. (he mostly likely, however, had a brain tumor, and due to age and advancing loss of quality of life was put down.) NOTES: Hey, yell when you see this: OK, friends - I guess I posted too soon that xxx was doing so well. He had another seizure this morning about 4:00am. ...talked to the vet again and I think I would at least like to TRY some antiseizure medication. The vet talked about phenobarbitol and something called Zonisamide. She said that usually Zonisamide is given if the phenobarbitol isn't working - but that they have started giving it as the first drug some. It does not have the side effects of phenobarbitol because it isn't metabolized in the liver. But she also said it is a fairly new drug and hasn't been widely used. I also read online about Potassium Bromide. BR response:::: KBr is a good option and we have been using Kepra with good results too. I have no experience with Zonisamide Seizures do need to be controlled we have had 3 dogs in the practice in the last year that went into status and cooked themselves.... body temperature skyrockets during the seizure and causes brain damage Zonisamide is in the same class of drugs as Kepra.....we have used it as a first option but most often along with pheno when the pheno isn't working by itself Debra Levey So would you say start with pheno and add kepra if necessary? BR: Depends on liver function.... if ALT is normal then that's what we usually do, mostly because it works quickly (KBR & kepra take a little longer to build a "blood level") If ALT is elevated or borderline then start with kepra or KBR. Milk thistle is a good idea to support liver also<<< That's all I can give you as I have never had a dog with seizures. But if you don't get things under control in a couple of weeks, you might consider a specialist at a university since there could be other issues causing it. I am assuming your vet already did blood work and ruled out any toxins or medication issues.
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