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Holistic Treatments for Epilepsy in Dogs
A holistic approach to canine epilepsy
Question: My dog was just diagnosed with epilepsy. Are there holistic treatments that will prevent seizures while avoiding the use of harsh medications like Phenobarbital? Answer: Seizure disorder and epilepsy are common ailments, seen in at least 1 percent of all dogs. Seizures, also known as convulsions, are precipitated by any process that alters normal brain function and causes inflammation. One of the difficulties in treating epilepsy is that your veterinarian may not be able to easily determine the cause of the seizures. Veterinarians usually arrive at the diagnosis of idiopathic (cause unknown) epilepsy only after systematically eliminating all other causes of seizures, including low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), severe ear infection, head trauma, allergic reaction and reaction to environmental toxins or certain medications, severe vaccine reaction, and finally, brain tumor and liver disease. If your dog experiences a seizure and your vet suspects epilepsy, he or she will want to do a comprehensive blood panel and perhaps x-rays to rule out other possible causes. Once everything else is excluded and a diagnosis of epilepsy is made, most traditional veterinarians will prescribe anticonvulsant medications such as Phenobarbital and potassium bromide to control the symptoms. Holistic veterinarians look for ways to treat illness on a deeper, constitutional level instead of temporarily palliating the symptoms, and can offer a variety of alternatives to anticonvulsant medication, which can have toxic side effects and cause over-sedation and personality changes when used on prolonged basis. Following is an overview of holistic approaches to treating epilepsy in your pet. Integrative Options Diet: Depending on your dog’s specific situation, sometimes diet changes alone can be effective in treating seizures. Numerous case studies have shown a correlation between food allergies and epilepsy. Switching your dog to a hypoallergenic diet or transitioning from an over-the-counter commercial food to home-prepared meals with organic ingredients can prevent seizures and make a huge difference in your dog’s overall health. Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils): Many humans with epilepsy have been helped by eating a ketogenic diet (high in fat, low in carbohydrates). High fat seems to decrease the excitability of the neurons in the brain, and the addition of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (both of which are found in wild-caught-salmon oil) can decrease seizure frequency and intensity in dogs. Chiropractic Care: Regular chiropractic adjustments are especially effective in treating cases of epilepsy that follow head injuries or physical trauma, as well as chronic, recurrent ear infections that seem to trigger seizures. Make sure your pet’s chiropractor is a certified veterinary chiropractor with experience in canine epilepsy. Nutraceuticals: The exact mechanism of action of each supplement is beyond the scope of this discussion, but a variety of vitamins and nutritional supplements have been highly effective in decreasing seizures in dogs. In my practice, we regularly recommend the following for our epileptic patients: DMG (n, n dimethyl-glycine); Choline; taurine; L-tryptophan; magnesium; melatonin; phosphatidylserine; and antioxidants such as vitamins C, A and B complex. Western Herbs: Many over-the-counter Western herbs, in both capsule and tincture form—including chamomile, milk thistle, skullcap, valerian, oat straw and ginkgo biloba—are used to treat seizures. As with nutraceuticals, always discuss appropriate herbs and dosages with your veterinarian(s) before giving them to your dog. |
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Dr. Taylor,
It appears that you don't mention hypothyroidism as a cause for seizures. Hypothyroidism is a major cause of seizures! Many symptoms of hypothyroidsim are apparent but overlooked or not even realized.
Also, heart disease may manifest as kidney failure, at which time it will be too late for the dog. Heart disease may cause low blood pressure which will then diminish blood flow to the kidneys. Very important to check creatinine levels in full blood panel.
Regards,
Hety Skyler
Dear Hety
Thank you so much for your comment- YES hypothyroidism can cause seizures, as can many other metabolic imbalances and brain disorders. It is very important that your veterinarian performs a full blood panel amongst other tests to rule out the many possible causes of seizures in your pet.
There are many reasons a pet may have a seizure- once you and your doctor have ruled out other causes and come to a diagnosis of idiopathic Epilepsy, your pet is often placed on strongly sedating medications like phenobarbital to treat this disorder. This article was addressing a more naturopathic approach to treating idiopathic epilepsy once all other causes are ruled out. Thank you for your comment and allowing me to clarify that point!
Dr Jenny Taylor
can you put your dog on dmg if he is currently taking pheno?
just changed max's diet to wet and dry food with salmon.
one of the best articles that came up. thank you. randy
Forgive me for asking such a specific question in this forum. I have a 6 yr. old German shepherd who developed epilepsy one year ago. He was having focal(head bobbing) seizures once every 3wks. About 7 total until we got them under control. We started him on Epiplus, neurotrophin pmg, neuro-DMG, probiotics, nupro, and coconut oil, and he was seizure free for 7 months. They've now returned and I'm wondering/hoping/praying there is something we can add or are missing? Again I hope it's not inappropriate to ask in this forum but we can't find a holistic vet in NYC(if you know of any -I'd love a recommendation).
Thank you so much for doing what you do. I strongly believe we need to rethink out approach to medicine and without pioneers like yourself it simply won't happen.
Best, suze
Hi Suze - My 18-year-old mini doxie has been under the care of a holistic vet and energy worker for about ten years (or so). She has saved Abby's life more than once. Her name is Donna Starita and she runs a clinic in Gresham, Oregon. You don't have to take your pet to her clinic to get help. She uses many techniques in natural healing and I'm sure she can help you or direct you to someone who can. Her number is 503-658-0316. Good luck and God bless you and your pet.
Debi
Hi and thanks for sharing this info. My mini poodle had seizures a few times a year since she was 7. She is now 13 and in the past month has had many seizures. This past weekend she had about 6 in one day! (short, like 10 - 15 seconds, no loss of conscious). She used to recover very quickly, but now she seems drained after them and uncomfortable. Of course, I took her to the vet, did all the bloodwork and an X-ray, but no identified cause. Her seizures are precipitated by a hacking kind of cough or exhale, like she has something stuck in her throat (but its not collapsed trachea, definitely seizures). So the vet prescribe phenobarbitrol with a liver support supplement. I would normally look for a more holistic approach, but since she had so many seizures, I felt it was more urgent to stop them. She just started the pheno today. Wondering if you think natural approaches could work given the number of seizures she has had? Or where to go from here. Thanks!
Dear Elizabeth, Holistic diet really works.U can start with Sancoat(intervet)or glossy coat or nutri coat.They contain omega 3 &6 fatty acids.Avoid carbo's n give protiens.All d best n gd luck.
My dog has epilepsy and is having grand mal seizures on a regular basis. The vet has perscribed Phenobarb. I am desperate to find alternatives which can help her. any advice would be appreiated. Im over in the UK so if you also have an email for the Vet in USA i would be extremely grateful.
Dr taylor this article is very helpful and I hope that one of the above remedies will work for our Boston Terrier. She is 3yrs old and has been having seizures for about a year now. We have been trying a holistic approach by changing her diet to limited ingredients, and we are currently using melatonin. Nothing has helped her so far. We don't want to put her on "pheno" as she is only having one seizure a week, on the same day of the week, every week. We were wondering if you've ever treated a dog with the same issue of having one seizure a week on the same day? Our veterinarian told us that she was ideopathic epilepsy because she has had more then one seizure. I don't know if I really trust the diagnosis though because of the circumstances of the seizures. Please let me know if you have ever heard of this before, we would really appreciate it because we've exhausted almost every avenue. Thank you. Paul,Brianna, and Mia Tierney.
Dr taylor this article is very helpful and I hope that one of the above remedies will work for our Boston Terrier. She is 3yrs old and has been having seizures for about a year now. We have been trying a holistic approach by changing her diet to limited ingredients, and we are currently using melatonin. Nothing has helped her so far. We don't want to put her on "pheno" as she is only having one seizure a week, on the same day of the week, every week. We were wondering if you've ever treated a dog with the same issue of having one seizure a week on the same day? Our veterinarian told us that she was ideopathic epilepsy because she has had more then one seizure. I don't know if I really trust the diagnosis though because of the circumstances of the seizures. Please let me know if you have ever heard of this before, we would really appreciate it because we've exhausted almost every avenue. Thank you. Paul,Brianna, and Mia Tierney.