Hi

Tia and Gem are dalmatians (mother and daughter), Gem (daughter) who is 4 has had epilepsy since she was 2, she is currently having seizers every 2 to 4 months but in clusters so we have had no choice to put her on medication for the rest of her life, both epiphen and genitrix, with diazipan prescribed for emergencies during the siezers, on the back of this she is weeing in her sleep and seems unable to hold it for any periods ie she is getting me up 2 or 3 times every night to go out. They are both on diets of dried food which has no colourants, cereals, preservatives etc. Both dogs are very fit and healthy and have been spayed. Has anyone got any advice on prevention/improvement of fits and any tips on the bladder issue as I need to put them in kennels for 2 weeks in November and I really don't feel comfortable due to trusting them to have the time to change her bed etc?

Thanks
M

Do you know what the cause of the epilepsy is?

Rather than kennels do you have a home-from-home boarding service in your area? A good boarding service will provide your dogs with constant company and stick to their usual schedules as closely as possible to reduce the stress for them.

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Hi, I dont officially know what originally triggered the epilepsy, the vets have said it could be anything but my theory is it is related to food, as since we have changed her diet to strictly no treats with colourants etc etc the siezers have improved in that they are not as often.

I haven't heard about home from home care before I will look in to it in my area...thanks

What area are you in? I may be able to help you find someone.

We get quite a lot of dogs with epilepsy stay with us due to their vets recommending not to leave them in kennels as stress can trigger attacks.

There is normally an initial incident that causes damage to the brain but as you have witnessed controlling certain aspects of their life such as causes of stress and their diet can affect the frequency of attacks.

It could be certain ingredients in food that trigger the attacks, anything that causes a reaction in the brain, what food are you feeding?

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Hi thanks,

Currently living in Doncaster but can travel as far as need to if find the right home...

I am feeding them James Wellbeloved, they seem to really enjoy it, I occasionally give them chicken and rice but the only snacks they have are carrots, the odd denture stick and Gem has a kong filled with liver when I leave her? To be honest I used to give them bits of my food before she had the first fit i.e bits of veg, meat, or yogurt etc but now do not take any risks. Any recommendations on food would be appreciated.

M

dont give them to much liver its high in protein,
dallies should be on a very low protein food as can cause crystals in their urine
didnt the breeder say this when you got your babies.

sorry to hear they got epilepsy hope you are able to help control it
i would love to see some pic's of them, ive got a few dallies

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they are growing fast.
what a lot of beauti's they are

A COUPLE LEFT IF INTERESTED

My toy poodle Honey has had fits since she was about 6 - will be 15 in August and is not on medication. Her average now is maybe about 2 in 3 months.
The longest between fits has been 8 months - just after we got our other dog - so definately think diet plays a big part - she was eating dry puppy food as well as hers, and we changed to ceramic bowls for food and water, due to the puppy taking the plastic ones.
I mainly feed fresh cooked food. I have heard that fish oil is good for them, which she gets also to help her arthritis.

How much is too much liver, I give prob a them a kilo cooked as treats over approx 1 wk between two of them (although Gem prob has 2/3)?

I'm new so not worked out how to get photos up, I have one on my profile

How long does Honey's fits last, does she only have the one each time?

How long does Honey's fits last, does she only have the one each time?


Usually one - and can vary in duration - its the period coming out of the fit that is the longest as they are distressed and confused so lots of tlc