Seizures in Dogs, a Growing Problem
I wanted to touch on something that I hear about sometimes on a daily basis. I am shocked by how much I hear about ‘this’.
One of the BIGGEST increases of anything this year (next to cancer), has been seizures. Seizures that have most recently been diagnosed, or ones that have been going on for years. It can be a terrifying ordeal for a pet owner to have to see occurring. It’s one of those things that drives us to the Vet ASAP!
The western medications available used to treat seizure disorders include diazepam, phenobarbital, and/or potassium bromide. Phenobarbital administration in the long term can be very detrimental to the liver. Therefore dogs who are receiving it will need to have their liver values assessed regularly with blood work.
What Causes Seizures?
Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures in a dog. There can be many causes of Idiopathic epilepsy. It’s exact ‘causes’ are unknown. Some causes include liver disease, kidney (renal) failure, brain tumors or brain trauma, or toxin buildup.
Toxins can come from a vast variety of sources. Recent vaccinations may at times be attributed to the ‘trigger’ of the seizures. Flea/heart-worm treatments may also have played a role. The animal’s food may have chemicals(food coloring), and/or additives which have been used for processing, storage, and shelf life. These are just a few, but, there is ONE thing that when I’m speaking to someone, and I ask them if they give their dogs ‘this’, that always bring a dead silence on the other end.
Recently, my good friend Lorraine (Pancho) contacted me because her other dog Tequila had experienced a seizure. First one ever. She was terrified. She had no idea ‘what’ may have caused this, and just brought it on out of the blue, or what to do!
I asked her ‘Did you recently give Tequila a ‘Dental type chew bone or stick??’ YES!! She sure had. Tequila had recently had her teeth cleaned; and she had bought her some dental snacks, thinking it would help keep Tequila’s teeth clean going forward.
These ‘dental bone’ type products are FULL of chemicals. What they create, is essentially a ‘slow dose poisoning’ of an animal ingesting these. You don’t have to look very far on the internet to find thousands of stories, and lawsuits over the terrible effects these chew ‘bones’ have had on animals. With health issues from A-Z.
This is what was the ‘culprit’ behind Tequila’s seizure. It was the ONLY thing that had changed! The shoe ‘fit’.
How Do I Help My Pet Experiencing Seizures?
Tequila had been getting her daily Nzymes up until this point. I knew we’d have to bump that up, in order to give her body a good chance to be able to detox all the toxicity out of her system. As quickly as possible.
I recommended for Lorraine to double Tequila’s Nzymes for the next while, and see how she’d do. The next day, I asked her how Tequila was doing? She replied ‘ She’s fine running around like nothing happened, thank goodness!’.
What ‘scares’ me, is how many pet owners feed their dogs these ‘sticks/bones’, having no clue, as to what they are putting into their dog’s bodies. And then, if the dog has a seizure; off to the vet they go. Only to begin a long process of the phenobarbital, which then creates more problems, all the while the dog is STILL getting those ‘bones’, and nobody puts two and two together! Sadly; It’s a never-ending vicious cycle.
So, when people come looking for advice on their pets seizures, asking whether they feed their dog such ‘tarter removing’ treats, is the first question. Then; carry onto what food and other snacks the animal is receiving. More times than not, it’s something that the animal is ingesting, that is the ‘trigger’ for the onset of seizures.
Eliminating the ‘sources’, and ensuring a properly balanced species appropriate diet, is key. Adding the Nzymes is a definite must also. The sooner that we can remove the toxins out of the body, also allowing the brain to ‘clear’, the better off the animal will be. In cases where there is not a trigger which can be pinpointed, my approach would still be to start on the Nzymes. I always use the old cliche saying of ‘feed the body, feed the mind’ and I believe this to be a truth in seizure cases. Make the brain happy again!
Final Thoughts
When I started with writing this article, I scoured the Internet looking for stories and examples of cases in which others had experienced negative effects from using these products. I came across this short video, of a woman Hayley, telling her story of her experience with her dog Finn. I wanted to share this.
What ingredients are being used in some of these products?
It is always important to know ‘what’ is going into our loved pets bodies. What we put in, we get out. Making a transition to eliminating potential toxic foods/snacks, can be very easily achieved. Keeping teeth clean, can be naturally achieved with either a raw diet or giving raw bones once a week as a ‘teeth cleaning day’. (Cats can have raw chicken necks) It will help with dental health and fresher breath.
