If your dog has a seizure, first consult with your vet to determine its cause. Chemical allergies often cause seizures. If tests don't pinpoint a cause, your pet will be diagnosed with epilepsy.
Phenobarbital, a barbiturate, is the drug most often prescribed limit seizures but its potential side effects include lethargy, weight gain and liver damage. For those reasons, some dog owners seek alternative holistic treatments for seizures, regardless of their cause.
Diet
Because some dogs have seizures triggered by chemicals in their food, holistic veterinarian Dr. Allen M. Schoen (See Reference below) recommends preparing your pet's food at home to ensure it's free of preservatives and other additives. If you haven't time to either cook or fix a raw food diet for your dog, look for high-quality kibble free of preservatives, including ethoxyquin, BHT, BHA and BHT.
The Complete Holistic Dog Book (see Resource below) reports that holistic vets have noticed dogs fed food preserved with ethoxyquin developed seizures that stopped when they were give food free of it.
Nutritional Supplements
Adding nutritional supplements to to your dog's food may also reduce the frequency of her seizures. Dr. Schoen favors a combination of the immune-system-boosting antioxidants vitamins E and C and the mineral selenium, and vitamin B6. For a dog of 50 lbs, he suggests giving 400 I.U of vitamin E once daily, 500 mg. of vitamin C twice daily, and 50 mg of vtamin B6 once daily.
Your vet will use your pet's weight to determine the most appropriate dosage for him. Simply crush the tablets and mix them into your pet's food.
Also ask your vet about dimethylglycine. Naturally occurring in meat and grains, it's thought to reduce stress and be helpful in seizure management.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the most effective holistic treatment for canine seizures, according to The Complete Holistic Dog Book. You need a holistic vet who will determine the correct acupuncture points by taking your dog's individual history. Find one who practices acupuncture in your area from the list on the American Holistic Veterinary Association website.
Dr. Schoen says some dogs respond to having acupuncture "tacks" placed in their ears with the first office visit. Your dog's seizures may be permanently controlled by this method.
If they aren't, your vet may implant tacks subcutaneously on your pet's head in a process used on five dogs in a University of Pennsylvania study. The treatment allowed medication for three of the dogs to be reduced over the long term.
If neither treatment is successful, your dog may need traditional acupuncture. If so, notes Dr. Schoen, you can expect giving him one weekly session for four to six weeks, tapering off to a single monthly or bi-monthly session indefinitely.
Herbs
A 2004 Laurentian University study found that a mix of mad dog skullcap, jimsonweed, and gelsemium prevented seizures in rats with lithium-induced epilepsy.
If you decide to give them a try, be sure to use "mad dog" and not Chinese skull cap. Its official name is scutellaria lateriflora. Always consult with a holistic vet or trained homeopath before preparing herbs for your pet.
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