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Possible seizures????

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • thunderbird8588T

    Hi David, hope Moki is doing all right. Just a thought my parents Papillon recently started to lick franticaly at his front paws. After bathing his paws with no sucess they took him to the vets. The vet found a minute cut that was actualy healing.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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  • C

    Humm, David, why don't you suggest to the next vet to have his thyroid checked. I would also suggest some lavendar oil for massage and helping him relax after an eposide, This will mentally calm him down too.
    Keep in touch.

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  • Rita JeanR

    We just happen to meet a lady yesterday who has had 6 basenjis and one of there's when it was older had seizurers. They found out it had fanconi.

    Rita Jean

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  • tanzaT

    Best way to eliminate Fanconi is to strip test. If sugar in the urine, a Vet follow up for blood work is needed asap. If no sugar in the blood, then blood gases are needed.

    Fanconi dogs typically die of something other than Fanconi (if treated early and on the protocol)… but it is the Fanconi that leads the other organs of the body to begin having problems.

    Pat Fragassi

    Tanza Basenjis

    www.tanzabasenjis.net

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  • wizardW

    I would talk to your vet again - and if no satisfaction then try another. Maybe some one on the forum who lives near you can suggest another.

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  • M

    I think we can rule out Fanconi and any kind of actual injury to the paw based symptoms and timing of episodes. We are trying to get one of the episodes recorded to show the vet next time we take him in. The seizures, if that is what they are, are relatively minor compared to what I have read about. He seems very out of it while it is happening but snaps back to normal very quickly, with the exception of following my partner around obsessively (more than usual). One friend suggested it might be caused by diet (preservatives and trace metals). Yesterday, we switched him to all natural dry and wet food so we will see if that helps – although preservatives and metals can build up in the body over time so it may take a while. Thanks again for all the posts. He has has a few episodes over the past few days but they have been relatively minor.

    David (MokiDad)

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  • BasenjimammaB

    David, That sounds like a good idea, to record him while having a seizure. The diet change is good as well, I am a firm believer in diet related illnesses, in humans or pets..feeding him a nmore natural diet is better for him regardless of whether it solves the seizure thing or not. Keep us updated..he is in our thoughts.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • BasenjimammaB

    David, That sounds like a good idea, to record him while having a seizure. The diet change is good as well, I am a firm believer in diet related illnesses excisting, in humans or pets..feeding him a more natural diet is better for him regardless of whether it solves the seizure thing or not. Keep us updated..he is in our thoughts.

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • Rita JeanR

    Keep us all up to date on how your doing. My best to you both and hopes the food will take care of it. Good Luck

    Rita Jean

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  • lvossL

    I only just realized where you live, has he been tested for Valley Fever?

    Here are some of the symptoms of disseminated Valley Fever:
    ? lameness or swelling of limbs
    ? back or neck pain
    ? seizures and other manifestations of central nervous system swelling
    ? soft swellings under the skin that resemble abscesses
    ? swollen lymph nodes under the chin, in front of the shoulder blades, or behind
    the stifles
    ? non-healing skin ulcerations or draining tracts that ooze fluid
    ? eye inflammation with pain or cloudiness

    Here is a link to a full article on Valley Fever, http://www.vfce.arizona.edu/Content/Documents/Valley%20Fever%20in%20Dogs%20for%20PDF.pdf

    I know there is at least one person on the forums that had a dog with disseminated Valley Fever.

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  • J

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    Just shared a chicken nugget snack with both boys. Meds for the B- we split a 20mg tablet of Predinisone, for a morning/night dose,he's about 32 # now, gaining weight, eating and drinking lots. The other dog has been on regular meds- potassium bromide, gabapentin, and phenobarbitol. That regimen has yielded good results, but predictable- he'll still have 1 or 2 episodes a month. I've already worked out tentative plans for an endgame. Known a mobile vet doc and friend for years, I'll call on her when the time comes- she's helped in the past with a GF's kitteh. Planning a nice fish/bacon whatever dinner, and a heavy dose of probably gabapentin to sedate him. Then the euthanasia procedure. Then a large rock for me to crawl under. Allow me to share a quote. "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. And you may not be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm is all about." Haruki Hurakami
  • D

    Seizures-Older Basenji

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    Thanks for posting this update @Derek-Groves , our Chance is 16 and he has had seizures most of his life. It just started out of nowhere when he was a few years old and for a number of years, we tried all kinds of natural and non-natural medications. We tried Chinese herbs, CBD, diet changes then the typical meds like phenobarbitol, all somewhat helped, but he would still have recurring seizures several times a month, or sometimes a week. All in all, he probably had 100 seizures in his lifetime, but luckily no major damage other than he is a bit wobbly and has head tremors once in a while. It does not seem to bother him though and he is otherwise healthy and active for a 16 yr old. Once I found Keppra through trial and error we stuck with it and that seemed to have been the best way to curb the seizures. We went from monthly to maybe once in a few years, during major events like a house move. Today he is on 250mg of Keppra + Zonisomide every 12 hours and that does the trick, if he does have a sezure (we also have concentrated CBD tincture, which we keep bedside, injecting it into his mouth gets him out of it pretty quickly and speeds up recover. We ended up sticking a particular manufacturer for Keppra (Lupin labs), just to make sure no formula variation is introduced.
  • otisandroarO

    Seizures

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    M
    Yes! Thank you to all for responding to my post as well. The environmental issues are a good one for me to research. We live in south Texas on a peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico, so humidity and high levels of mold are the norm. We've been gutting our house room-by-room over the last 13 years to repair and update it, so there have been a lot of new materials, construction dust, etc. And then our town took the direct hit from Hurricane Harvey, our home was flooded, and we're still not back in it. We've decided to abandon our coastal life and move inland, so those environmental factors will be changing. If our gal's health has been impacted by the home and location, maybe the move will make a difference. I hope it's not too late if that's the case.
  • nobarkusN

    Cluster seizures

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    DebraDownSouthD
    Okay not to alarm you, but please make sure that what you are seeing is in fact cluster seizures (where there is a definite recovery between seizures) and status seizures, where there is no recovery but continues seizures. Status are the most dangerous… they can and do die from them. So getting this under control fast is critical. A side note, I worked in the UTnK Brain Research and Neuropsychology Lab with Dr Joel Lubar on his epilepsy program. QUOTE:>> The massive muscle activity of the seizures leads to hyperthermia with temperatures as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit or more, which if sustained, causes irreversible damage to neurons. Hypoxia from inadequate pulmonary ventilation also causes brain damage. Severe lactic acidosis from shock and tissue hypoxia, amplified by excessive muscle activity, probably contributes to neuron deterioration. Death is usually not from brain dysfunction directly, but from overtaxation of cardiopulmonary reserve by the combination of massive continuous exercise, hypoxia, lactic acidosis, shock, and possibly also hyperthermia.<< Below are notes from Feb with a vet friend regarding another friend's chow. He was having seizures and they could not get control. (he mostly likely, however, had a brain tumor, and due to age and advancing loss of quality of life was put down.) NOTES: Hey, yell when you see this: OK, friends - I guess I posted too soon that xxx was doing so well. He had another seizure this morning about 4:00am. ...talked to the vet again and I think I would at least like to TRY some antiseizure medication. The vet talked about phenobarbitol and something called Zonisamide. She said that usually Zonisamide is given if the phenobarbitol isn't working - but that they have started giving it as the first drug some. It does not have the side effects of phenobarbitol because it isn't metabolized in the liver. But she also said it is a fairly new drug and hasn't been widely used. I also read online about Potassium Bromide. BR response:::: KBr is a good option and we have been using Kepra with good results too. I have no experience with Zonisamide Seizures do need to be controlled we have had 3 dogs in the practice in the last year that went into status and cooked themselves.... body temperature skyrockets during the seizure and causes brain damage Zonisamide is in the same class of drugs as Kepra.....we have used it as a first option but most often along with pheno when the pheno isn't working by itself Debra Levey So would you say start with pheno and add kepra if necessary? BR: Depends on liver function.... if ALT is normal then that's what we usually do, mostly because it works quickly (KBR & kepra take a little longer to build a "blood level") If ALT is elevated or borderline then start with kepra or KBR. Milk thistle is a good idea to support liver also<<< That's all I can give you as I have never had a dog with seizures. But if you don't get things under control in a couple of weeks, you might consider a specialist at a university since there could be other issues causing it. I am assuming your vet already did blood work and ruled out any toxins or medication issues.
  • AlexA

    Chance had a seizure

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    AlexA
    Hers or his? Chance had a full panel done just now.
  • SchouiffyS

    Seizures in our 16 year old

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    KipawaK
    What difficult news to hear. But it sounds like you are all prepared to spoil Cinnamon and make her feel special. She will be very thankful.