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› articles by michael goldberg, dvm
Seizures in Dog Dear Dr. Goldberg, My dog Seamus is a 3 year old Pomeranian and Chihuahua cross. When he was a young pup, he fell to the floor and suffered a mild concussion. The vet gave him a needle to prevent swelling of the brain. He was fine up until a year ago when he began having seizures. He was subsequently put on Phenobarbital, which is an anti-seizure medication, though now he occasionally vomits and I am concerned about his liver, as there are numerous side effects to the use of this drug. I read that eucalyptus is effective at treating seizures in animals. Could you please comment? M.C., ON Dear MC, Seizuring in pets is unfortunately quite a common occurrence and something that I am faced with regularly. Again, I confess, I am not an expert in the herbal department though in my literature, Eucalyptus is not listed as an anti-seizure herb but as a good respiratory treatment in cases of asthma or bronchitis. The first approach I would recommend is to have a complete blood test done including a careful history in search for potential toxic exposures or infectious causes. Included in this I would recommend thyroid testing, as this could be a cause of seizuring. The way in which I attempt to treat cases such as Seamus is firstly to discontinue any processed food whatsoever. I recommend a fresh food diet in which the meat is organic or free range. Change of diet alone may have an effect on the seizuring of animals if they are sensitive to any ingredients of the food. After the diet change has commenced I begin classical homeopathic treatment. Again, this is very individual and you must look for a practitioner near you to assist you. There are a number of good remedies thus far that have helped me in these types of cases but I highly recommend you seek professional advice. One remedy that is useful for the effects of concussion is Natrum-Sulfuricum. If stress or excitement brings on the seizures then Argentum Nitricum may be useful. If there is a recent history of vaccination, which preceded the seizures, then Silica, or Thuja may prove useful. Once the pet is on a drug such as Phenobarbital, I usually wait until there is some response to the homeopathic remedy and then slowly attempt to lower the dose of the drug. As a general rule, the longer the dog is on the drug, the more difficult it is to wean them off. Again, the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathyis a good resource for practitioners near you. Read more Articles by Michael Goldberg, DVM... |
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vancouver animal wellness hospital Michael Goldberg, DVM; Sue Hughson, DVM 105 e. broadway, vancouver, bc v5t 1w1 / phone: 604.738.4664 / fax: 604.738.4694 Hours of Operation: Monday, Thursday & Friday: 9am - 6pm, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9am - 7pm, Saturday: 9am - 5pm © Copyright 2004-2006. vancouver animal wellness hospital. All rights reserved. › Contact Us › Privacy Policy › Sitemap › Home |