Diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy - AWAKE all night pacing & panting

[lconceicao7]

Hi all,

Fletch 14 month male English bulldog has been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. He spent one night last week on the night of his first seizure in the emergency Vet. There they took blood, prescribed him anti-convulsants and monitored for 24 hours. It’s been 5 days, and no seizures on the meds.

Last night, after hours of pacing and panting and disorientation, we brought him back to the ER Vet. The doctor on call there does not believe his symptoms to be related to epilepsy but definitely nueroglogical. On arrival he had a fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

They discharged him after running blood which was normal , glucose normal , and fever coming down. Now he is home at 5am and still restless. We do not know what to do , feeling very helpless.

Med: KEPPRA 500mg every 8 hours
Med: Zonisamide 100mg every 12 hours
Med: transderm (ear infection) 5 days through tomorrow.

 

[2BullyMama]

Diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy - AWAKE all night pacing & panting

[MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION] [MENTION=2014]JeannieCO[/MENTION] [MENTION=7260]Chumley[/MENTION]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lconceicao7]

Re: Diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy - AWAKE all night pacing & panting

The Vet now believes it is not epilepsy.

He is on fluids right now, and being monitored. They took a Bile Acid test this morning, to rule out a liver shunt.
If liver shunt is not present, they will put him under tomorrow and take an MRI with spinal tap for possible brain inflammation / infection.

Any experience with encephalitis ??? HELP! Feeling useless, and not very knowledgeable.
Very upset because if this was an infection, and not epilepsy, an entire week was wasted in his recovery of an infection.

Any advice helps.

 

[helsonwheels]

Hi all,

Fletch 14 month male English bulldog has been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. He spent one night last week on the night of his first seizure in the emergency Vet. There they took blood, prescribed him anti-convulsants and monitored for 24 hours. It’s been 5 days, and no seizures on the meds.

Last night, after hours of pacing and panting and disorientation, we brought him back to the ER Vet. The doctor on call there does not believe his symptoms to be related to epilepsy but definitely nueroglogical. On arrival he had a fever, diarrhea and vomiting.

They discharged him after running blood which was normal , glucose normal , and fever coming down. Now he is home at 5am and still restless. We do not know what to do , feeling very helpless.

Med: KEPPRA 500mg every 8 hours
Med: Zonisamide 100mg every 12 hours
Med: transderm (ear infection) 5 days through tomorrow.

Sorry you have to go through this as he's so young. There's more n more proven research in humans (same for dogs) to help epilepsy is fat diets. I have a friend she has epilepsy and stays on a "keto" diet. GOOD fats will help nueroglogical issues and its proven. I personally would start putting Fletch on a raw diet if he's not already on it. Add fish oils, coconut oil etc. Also get some frankincense (proven to reduce tumors) n helichrysum (rebuilds cells) oil, 15 drops of each n mix it together in a dark bottle and let it sit there for 24hrs or shake it well. These 2 oils do not need a carrier oil as they are safe.

 

[2BullyMama]

Re: Diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy - AWAKE all night pacing & panting

The Vet now believes it is not epilepsy.

He is on fluids right now, and being monitored. They took a Bile Acid test this morning, to rule out a liver shunt.
If liver shunt is not present, they will put him under tomorrow and take an MRI with spinal tap for possible brain inflammation / infection.

Any experience with encephalitis ??? HELP! Feeling useless, and not very knowledgeable.
Very upset because if this was an infection, and not epilepsy, an entire week was wasted in his recovery of an infection.

Any advice helps.

OH MY.... i have no knowledge of this
[MENTION=15364]oscarmayer[/MENTION] [MENTION=8741]Manydogs[/MENTION]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oscarmayer]

No experience with encephalitis but hoping that the MRI can give some definitive info.

 

[Manydogs]

Story at-a-glance

• Encephalitis means inflammation of the brain, and it may be accompanied by inflammation of the spinal cord (myelitis) and/or inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
• The disease is either the result of an infectious agent or it is termed “idiopathic,” meaning the cause is not known. However, idiopathic encephalitis often has an underlying immune-mediated cause
• Symptoms of encephalitis depend on the area of the brain that is affected, and usually come on suddenly and progress quickly. A confirming diagnosis often involves a spinal tap
• Holistic veterinarians typically use therapies such as homotoxicology, ozone therapy, and herbal protocols in conjunction with traditional treatments for encephalitis patients

By Dr. Becker

Encephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain. “Encephalo” means brain and “itis” means inflammation. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS), and inflammatory disease of the CNS is one of the most common causes of neurologic disease in animals.
There can also be inflammation of the spinal cord, which is called myelitis, and/or meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, along with encephalitis.
Certain dog breeds are predisposed to encephalitis, including German Shorthaired Pointers, the Maltese, and the Yorkshire Terrier.
​

Causes of Encephalitis

There are two basic types of encephalitis: infectious and idiopathic. The infectious form of the disease can be caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection, parasites, immune-mediated disorders, tick-borne disease, and foreign bodies.
We diagnose the disorder of idiopathic encephalitis when we can’t find an infectious cause for the disease.
Where a pet lives often plays a role in the cause of encephalitis. In areas of the US where ticks are a problem, tick-borne infections such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichia, and Lyme disease are common causes. In the southwest US, a fungal infection known as valley fever can also be a cause.
Bacterial infections that cause encephalitis are relatively rare in companion animals, but they do occur from time to time. Viral causes include canine distemper and feline infectious peritonitis. When a parasite is involved, Toxoplasma gondii is often the culprit.
​

Idiopathic Encephalitis

When no infectious cause for the disease can be found, idiopathic encephalitis often has an underlying immune-mediated cause, meaning the animal’s immune system attacks its own brain or spinal cord.
Types of immune-mediated disease seen in dogs with encephalitis include granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME), which is seen most often in middle-aged small breed dogs.
Another is necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME). Predisposed breeds include young to middle-aged Pugs, Maltese, Chihuahuas, Papillons, Shih Tzus, and Boston Terriers.
A third type of immune disorder that can cause encephalitis is called necrotizing leukoencephalitis (NLE), which affects Yorkies, Chihuahuas, and Shih Tzus most commonly.
​

Symptoms of Encephalitis

Clinical signs of encephalitis depend on the area of the brain that is affected. Symptoms typically appear suddenly and are rapidly progressive.
If the forebrain is involved, there can be seizures, blindness, behavior changes, depression, and circling. With brainstem disease, there can be loss of coordination, head tilting, tremors, and facial paralysis. Other signs can include fever, decreased responsiveness, unequal size of the pupils, or smaller-sized “pinpoint” pupils.
A dog or cat with encephalitis may have neurologic abnormalities that come from a single or focal area of the brain, or multiple (multifocal) areas of the brain. However, whereas many other diseases such as a stroke or brain tumor can cause focal neurologic signs, when the symptoms are multifocal, encephalitis is most often the cause.
​

Diagnosing Encephalitis

While it’s important for your veterinarian to run the usual diagnostic tests on your pet, including blood tests, urinalysis, chest X-rays, etc., it’s possible for animals with encephalitis to show no abnormalities on those tests because what’s happening in the central nervous system can be totally separate from the rest of the body.
That’s why a definitive diagnosis of the disease often involves a spinal tap. The cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord gives direct evidence of what is going on inside the central nervous system. A significant increase in white blood cells in the spinal fluid usually indicates encephalitis.
A spinal tap does carry some risk for certain animals. Your pet may require a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scan of the brain prior to a spinal tap to look for signs of elevated intracranial pressure that can increase the risk for the procedure. Brain imaging can also be helpful in ruling out other causes of neurologic disease like a brain tumor.
​

Treatment Options

Treatment of encephalitis focuses on reducing the severity of symptoms your pet is experiencing.
Typically, antibiotics or antifungals will be given if an infection is present. If the pet is having seizures, anticonvulsant medications may be recommended. Low-dose steroid therapy may also be started to treat significant inflammation in the spinal fluid or severe clinical signs.
Traditional treatments for immune-mediated encephalitis usually involve the intentional suppression of the immune system with high doses of drugs for three to six months, and sometimes longer.
Many holistic veterinarians, myself included, have found that incorporating adjunctive therapies such as homotoxicology, ozone therapy, and traditional Chinese herbal protocols that address “heat” and “wind” (the traditional Chinese veterinary medicine diagnosis of encephalitis) have been very beneficial for reducing symptoms and shortening the course of the disease for many patients.
I firmly believe that all pets that have recovered from idiopathic or immune-mediated encephalitis should never be vaccinated again for any reason. These animals should have antibody titer tests performed in lieu of traditional vaccines.
​

[MENTION=16526]lconceicao7[/MENTION]

 

[buffym]

Im so sorry your going through this!! Will be praying for you and your precious baby!!

 

[helsonwheels]

Thank you [MENTION=8741]Manydogs[/MENTION] !!!

 

[lconceicao7]

Thank you all for the information and support.

Fletch is currently at the Animal Medical Center in NYC, under the care of Dr. Chad West. He cannot do an MRI or imaging, because he is not seizure free at this point, and the MRI is at the bottom of his list. Currently, he is treating Fletch for his seizures, he took him off of the Zonisamide because of acidocity in the kidneys. He also added Phenobarbitol to his medications, and is loading him with them over the next 48 hours. Fletch's liver shunt was normal, so it is unrelated to liver failure or issues. The Neuro was very informative, and we are happy he is in good hands now. He is going to treat him for all treatable conditions, which may include an antibiotic or steroid to reduce any possible inflammation.

They are going to keep him 48-72 hours, in hopes of reducing seizures, and treating him for any possible infection. We are struggling with all of this because we feel if we would have brought him to AMC from the beginning and not the ER vet closest to our home, he would have received the proper treatment. Our own vet, and the ER Vet closest to our home diagnosed him epilepsy and sent us on our way. I have been saying to our vet and the ER vet about possible infection, after reading up, and each doctor said no, not possible. So I am very upset that Fletch could have been helped sooner.

The neurologist explained that his pacing and behavior on Sunday night was an example of Complex Partial Seizure, which most general Vets do not have experience with diagnosing. He does not disagree that they diagnosed him with what they saw, however, due to his prolonged seizure activity on Sunday, and Monday under observation of our home vet, he could have potential organ damage. They will be looking into that as well. Nothing is ruled out at this point.

I will keep you updated with any news we hear. Thank you all again for your support.

 

[lconceicao7]

AMC is doing an MRI to rule out any infection or inflammation. We should have more news later today.

 

[2BullyMama]

AMC is doing an MRI to rule out any infection or inflammation. We should have more news later today.

Keeping the positive thoughts and prayers heading to your Fletch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dollys Owner]

AMC is doing an MRI to rule out any infection or inflammation. We should have more news later today.

If no diagnosis after MRI, are they going to do a spinal tap to rule out meningitis?

 

[helsonwheels]

AMC is doing an MRI to rule out any infection or inflammation. We should have more news later today.

Poor little guy... sending positive thoughts for our little trooper.

 

[Libra926]

Hi there. I saw this earlier and tried to respond... but I have a heck of a time trying to do it with my phone. Now I am on the pc and I am anxiously awaiting news on Fletch. I just wanted to share our story with you. Vegas was only 10 months old when he was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy. He is now just over 10 years old. He suffers from seizures every few weeks.. but since we've had him on CBD oil, things have been improving. Currently he's on phenobarbital, zonisamide and Potassium bromide.

Please read our story and you might find some similarities between your situation and ours. http://www.englishbulldognews.com/forums/your-bulldog-s-health/54866-vegas-story-life-epilepsy.html