a question about my dogs epilepsy…?
November 7th, 2010 | 
Author: Question by carly m: a question about my dogs epilepsy…?
shes on 4 ML of potassium bromide and KNOCK ON WOOD she hasnt had a siezure in about a little mroe than 2 weeks now.
the only thing is the dog pharmacy we get the meds from-oradell animal hospital meds …only has liquid or powder form of this medicine.
she takes liquid..4 ML in the plastic injection tube..and its inserted orally.my dad squirts it down her throat and she HATES it. its salty and…we cant put it in her dog food cause she eats dry not wet….so
anyways..she went to bite my dad today when he gave her the meds..she really hates getting it. the pharmacy suggested maybe getting the powder form and trying to find a human pharmacy nearby and getting it capsulated..but its alot of work
does anyone have a dog who takes liquid meds who handles it a different way? we’re desperate..its torture seeing her cry when my dad has to give her that..but of course im SO thankful she hasnt had another siezure.
any tips???
5 stars to the best! real life experiences preferred!thank you
i know about phenobarbital very well…but its bad for my dogs liver cause shes old =( but thank you for the suggestion!
Best answer:
Answer by lizzy
Sometimes you can also have a flavoring compound added to the liquid to make it taste better. Potassium bromide is kind of an older med, most vets use phenobarbital, which comes in a liquid or a tablet form. Usually we will only use potassium bromide if the phenobarbital isn’t working. I would ask the vet if phenobarbital is an option for her.
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Check out this site:
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/potassium_bromide.htm
It says potassium bromide is available in capsule form. If you can’t find a local veterinary pharmacy which carries it, you may be able to find it online.
I give pills to my 9-year-old Pomeranian in a glob of peanut butter and he never even knows they’re there. I’m sure there is some way that you will be able to get the capsules instead of the liquid.
Good luck! My sympathies to you and your pup.
I have much experience with epilepsy in dogs. I know exactly what you should do. Use the plastic injection tube to measure the medicine. Take a half of a piece of bread and soak it with the potassium bromide. The problem is, the potassium bromide tastes very salty to the dog. I think the bread kind of helps cut down on that. If she takes it, you can then give her the second half of the bread just as a treat. It’s so much easier!
If that does not work, try giving it to her in a small amount of low sodium chicken broth. I didn’t like that too much because it’s always hard to tell if they get all of the medicine properly (but that was what was suggested to me once). And, as you know, the proper amount of medicine is key to helping the dog with epilepsy. I think the bread should work though, please try that.
My dog was on the potassium bromide and also on phenobarbital. He had terrible, terrible seizures (many trips to the ER vet). He had a few that lasted more than 8 minutes. And, several times he had clusters of seizures (one after another after another). It was horrible.
I would like to offer you these two pieces of advice:
Ask your vet to prescribe diazepam suppositories. You will probably have to get them from a compounding pharmacy. I think you probably know that if a dog goes into a seizure lasting more than 4 minutes, or severe cluster seizures it can be status (life threatening). If God forbid that ever happens, you should administer the diazepam. That would be the first thing an emergency vet would do if you were to have to take her. Your ability to do this (especially if emergency vet is far away) can save her life. Hopefully, you will never have to use them, but can absolutely mean the difference of life and death if you can’t get her to emergency care within minutes, ok?
Also, if she is ever prescribed phenobarbitol… please go to any pharmacy or health food store and pick up Milk Thistle. This WILL protect her liver. I dont’ know the breed or weight of your dog so you will have to find a very open minded vet or someone who is into holistic medicines to tell you the propoer dose.
I have so much information to share with you (like watch her on full moons, keep a log or notes of each seizure – what she was doing before and after, etc – that can help a vet determine the best treatment). Also, because dogs aspirate when they seize, they are prone to pneumonia – you have to know how to recognize the signs of that. I don’t normally do this, but if you would like to email me please do so at futura3000@aol.com. I know how hard it is to watch a dog go through seizures. It might make you feel a little better to konw that they have no idea it is even happening. Good Luck!
It’s not as hard as you think to get the potassium bromide capulized and it’s a hell of a lot better for your dog than pheno. Or try putting the dosage wrapped up in a slice of cheese or liverwurst. Of course, you would have to keep on eye on her. Speak to your vet on alternatives, and there is also a canine epilepsy message board that is very informative.
Good luck.