homeopathic treatment for seizures in dog?

I don't think I'd consider adding anything funky to her medical regimen at this point, not until she's been stabilized on phenobarbital and titrated to the lowest effective dose. You should speak with your vet about the potential benefit of using potassium bromide or sodium bromide in combination with phenobarbital in order to reduce the dosage, since phenobarbital is rather hard on the liver. Sometimes using a bromide with the phenobarb gives a synergistic effect wherein the doses of both meds can be reduced, sparing the dog from some of the worst side effects of either drug in higher doses. Since your dog is on phenobarbital, you should also talk to your vet about adding SAM-e and milk thistle as supplements, to help protect her liver. Your vet can prescribe a combination supplement of both products, it's called Denosyl, or you can buy the supplements separately.

Since your dog is 12 and has never had seizures before, there are some hard things you should be thinking about. If your finances allow and there are facilities available, you could consider getting an MRI of her skull and sinuses, in order to rule out a tumor. Congenital seizures usually show up much earlier in a dog's life, as do seizures related to drug reaction or poisoning, but seizures that hit in old age can often be related to brain tumors, so if you can afford to rule that out, it would certainly provide peace of mind. I don't want to be an alarmist, but the only dog I've ever had that had epilepsy was an elderly Miniature Schnauzer I got out of a pound in a nearby city that had been mistaken as a Scottie. She had tons of mammary tumors when I pulled her from the pound, which my vet removed when he spayed her, but about two weeks later she started having seizures, which is classic timing for a dog which had been on phenobarbital but had stopped getting it. We tried bromides, but they didn't help, so we went with phenobarb, and she was fine for a few weeks, then started seizing again. We upped the dose and controlled the seizures for a while, but they broke through a few weeks later. The pattern continued, and by five months after I'd rescued her, the only way she didn't have seizures was if she was almost comatose on phenobarbital, and I knew it was time to send her over the Rainbow Bridge to a Healer more skilled than any vet or doctor here on Earth. I pray that, when I cross the Bridge myself, besides the Beagle and two German Shepherds and all the Scotties waiting for me, I will find one black&silver Miniature Schnauzer there to greet me as well. (My vet confirmed the brain tumor on autopsy before she was cremated, we suspected it when she needed increasing doses, that meant the tumor was growing inside her skull.)

I know you must be worried!

At 12 they're no longer a puppy so I'm wondering if age related issues might be true like thyroid not functioning. Do you have a sweater for outdoor walks? As they age they experience the inability to withstand heat/cold/hard surfaces to sleep on as their joints age, too.

Only happening when it's cold makes me wonder if their shiver response is somewhat out of kilter. It's like when we shiver our body is trying to generate heat.

Try keeping your pup as warm as possible when outside. Limiting exercise to going potty and then playing indoors if possible to see if that brings a better response than meds.

See if changing their diet to something more suited for seniors. Upping calories/fat content, too.

Thank you both for your replies. I did get a little sweater to put on her when I take her outside. I was just wondering about any other supplement because it took so long for the phenobarbital to take effect. Anyway, it seemed that way to us. So far, she has not had any more seizures, maybe we are out of the woods.

Happycat, I do really strongly urge you to have a good, in-depth discussion with your vet about adding SAM-e and milk thistle to your dog's supplements, including how and when to administer the SAM-e (given on an empty stomach), since your dog may be on phenobarbital for quite some time, and you need to everything possible to protect her liver from damage. Liver damage can occur gradually, so your dog may act fine for quite a long time, until the damage is severe and the liver can't compensate any more, and then your dog is quite ill, all of a sudden. Anything you can do to buffer the damage before it becomes severe enough to make your dog sick will be beneficial.

I kept one of my dogs (Pug) seizure free for years using Vitamin B-6, a B-Complex formula, Vitamin C, Salmon Oil, but most of all, Skullcap Tincture......dosed at 1/2 dropper full 2 x day in her food. No phenobarbital, or drugs used at all...ever. Of course, amounts needed vary per case. My dogs are also all raw-fed, which makes a huge difference in their health and longevity.

If you have access to a holistic vet, I would suggest a consultation with one. There are homeopathic remedies that will help your dog as well, and holistic vets will consult over the phone most of the time, if there isn't one near you.

On 11/23/2014 Townsend said:

I kept one of my dogs (Pug) seizure free for years using Vitamin B-6, a B-Complex formula, Vitamin C, Salmon Oil, but most of all, Skullcap Tincture......dosed at 1/2 dropper full 2 x day in her food. No phenobarbital, or drugs used at all...ever. Of course, amounts needed vary per case. My dogs are also all raw-fed, which makes a huge difference in their health and longevity.

If you have access to a holistic vet, I would suggest a consultation with one. There are homeopathic remedies that will help your dog as well, and holistic vets will consult over the phone most of the time, if there isn't one near you.

Agreed on this. Western Medicine is great in times of crisis, but rarely has much knowledge about prevention and maintenance. It's usually about suppressing symptoms. Sad, but true. It's the way our medical system is set up.

On 11/15/2014 CamilleP said:

Happycat, I do really strongly urge you to have a good, in-depth discussion with your vet about adding SAM-e and milk thistle to your dog's supplements, including how and when to administer the SAM-e (given on an empty stomach), since your dog may be on phenobarbital for quite some time, and you need to everything possible to protect her liver from damage. Liver damage can occur gradually, so your dog may act fine for quite a long time, until the damage is severe and the liver can't compensate any more, and then your dog is quite ill, all of a sudden. Anything you can do to buffer the damage before it becomes severe enough to make your dog sick will be beneficial.

I would add NOTHING until your dog is stabilized for quite awhile on his medication.

That way you can tell a difference if anything (good or bad) takes place if you give him something else.

Seizures are a serious MEDICAL problem and should be treated as such.

I am not against other remedies so much as they are not researched like a medication such as phenobarbital, which has been around for many years.

If the cold seems to trigger them, it's hard to say whether it is breathing in the cold air or his body being cold. A little sweater won't hurt though, and I bet he looks very cute.

Best to you.

Hyacinth