Seizures and Vaccinations

[Anne]

Wow, Squish, I know you work in a specialty hosp, but so do I, and I think GPs are getting an unnecessarily harsh rap on this thread. What we (veterinarians) say is not always what clients perceive, and we give clients A LOT of information when they come in for a first seizure, so it may well be a case of what the vet said is not what the client heard/comprehended.

Phenobarbital remains a widely used, very safe drug. It is economical, and it has saved the lives of probably countless dogs whose owners cannot afford more expensive drugs or can’t do TID administration.

And my point in the previous post was NOT about boarding or grooming facilities accepting rabies titers, my point was that any health department is not going to accept a titer when your unvaccinated dog bites someone. There is no established “safe” value for the titer.

[toady123]

I have ridden the roller coaster this year of dealing with a dog with seizures. It’s not a lot of fun. It does appear to be standard practice to not medicate after a single seizure. If she has a seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes, or more than 1 in 24 hours, you need to make sure she is seen.

Your vet’s advise about vaccines seems a bit odd. My dog’s case is considered relatively severe (e.g. she tends to cluster and they are difficult to get under control). She is under care of a neurologist and she is on phenobarbitol, zonisamide and keppra. Neither the regular vet or neurologist have ever steered us away from vaccines. Indeed she got her regular round of them this year as normal. She was taken off of Trifexus as this is specifically contraindicated in dogs with seizure disorders.

In terms of activity, she runs, swims, wrestles and plays like a normal dog. I would not change that. I do know that some dogs have ‘triggers’ (e.g. loud noises, extreme excitement) but unless you see those triggers I am not sure you need to be severely modifying her routine.

Good luck. It’s not a fun road, but there are ways to manage it effectively.

[Midwesterner]

I wanted to hop in and say thanks to all who responded. Your comments and input have given me a lot more to ponder and consider. I’ve been elbow-deep in my own research as well, and have had several canine neurologists recommended.

I do want to defend my GP vet a little here, as I think I didn’t provide enough clarity initially. The problem with my dog is that we really don’t know what caused that seizure - especially as all vitals and lab work were normal. So, my vet didn’t advise against vaccines because they are a definite trigger (kind of like saying human vaccines always cause autism), but because the stress on her system from receiving vaccines could potentially cause a seizure. I do not know where her recommendations regarding when to refer to neurologist came from, but I am comfortable waiting it out a bit especially considering that I have yet to find evidence that she has had anymore. I did invest in a nanny-cam so that I have eyes on her while I’m at work all day. Nothing like working away and watching my dogs slumber on the couch all day.

In the end, for me, it’s really about quality over quantity. While I would love for this dear dog of mine to live forever, I can’t put her in a bubble and expect her to be happy. I’ll continue to observe, and will always put her total health at the top of the list - most especially her mental health. Thanks again, and I’ll be sure to check back in with any other updates.