Hi there,

My chihuahua was recently diagnosed with "status epilepticus" which is
the most severe form of epilepsy, from what I have researched. She is
now on phenol barbitol twice daily and since on the meds she has had
no seizures, thank God. But I have noticed she has gained quite a bit
of weight since being on the meds and there have been no major changes
to her food intake/activity level. I feed her 1/4 cup of her dry food
twice a day and we go for at least 2 walks a day. She was 5 pounds
before going on the meds and took her to the vets last week for blood
work and she's now 7 pounds. I'm wondering if anyone has seen a weight
gain in their dogs since being on anti seizure meds.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give me.

Jen

On Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:32:33 -0700 (PDT), Jennifer D
wrote:

Hi there,

My chihuahua was recently diagnosed with "status epilepticus" which is
the most severe form of epilepsy, from what I have researched. She is
now on phenol barbitol twice daily and since on the meds she has had
no seizures, thank God. But I have noticed she has gained quite a bit
of weight since being on the meds and there have been no major changes
to her food intake/activity level. I feed her 1/4 cup of her dry food
twice a day and we go for at least 2 walks a day. She was 5 pounds
before going on the meds and took her to the vets last week for blood
work and she's now 7 pounds. I'm wondering if anyone has seen a weight
gain in their dogs since being on anti seizure meds.

Thanks for any advice anyone can give me.

Status epilepticus is not exactly a form of epilepsy; it's a situation
in which a seizure continues without interruption for 30 or more
minutes, or a series (cluster) of seizures without full recovery
between seizures. It is a life-threatening condition, and continuous
seizure activity for 30 minutes or more can result in brain damage.

Dogs are usually very hungry after experiencing a seizure, and yes,
anti-seizure meds can also increase their appetite.

Phenobarbital can be toxic to the liver, so you may want to look into
supplements, such as milk thistle, to support your dog's liver.
Potassium bromide is another anti-epileptic drug that is not
metabolized by the liver; it may be an option for you instead of, or
in addition to (though hopefully that will never be necessary)
phenobarbital. There is a canine epilepsy site that is full of good
information, and the email list is also very helpful:
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/.

Jennifer D said in rec.pets.dogs.health:

Thanks for any advice anyone can give me.

What Sally said. Plus, I found that keeping my epileptic dog in
good condition, weight-wise and exercise-wise, helped me control
his cluster seizures. Ask your vet about the Potassium Bromide
that Sally mentioned - it works well with cluster seizures.

--
--Matt.