My golden retreiver is 9 years old and every since he was about 4 years old..he has had what we are assuming epileptic seizures...at first they werent too bad..but lately today and yeasterday had 3 or 4 a day...he takes no kind of medication...but my question is before we put him on anything is? is there a blood test to show if maybe its something other than epilepsy??? i heard it could be anemia, blood glucose levels,tumors, distemper..would these all cause these kinds of seizures?? can i get a simple blood test to find out????? We just dont know what to do?? i know people that have their dogs on phenobarbitol and they are lifeless and i dont want that ..my dog is soo happy and active otherwise..we need your opinion.....thanks
cathy
I think your pet would benefit greatly from the phenobarbitol. Initially, dogs may be lathargic on the medication but then the bodies ajust and the lathargy stops. Your dog should be placed on the lowest effective dose where you will see the minumum amount of side effects, such as lathargy. I recommed a blood test that tests liver function, it is called a Bile Acids Test and a general blood test called a CBC/CHEM. The Bile Acids Test will tell you if your pet has a hepatic shunt which is a congenital disorder that causes seizues in young dogs. The chances of low blood sugar and a tumor is very slim. Your pet probably has epilepsy and this can be verified by Cat scan. This test can be expensive. Good luck, vetcare