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Pre-Surgical Information
Spaying or neutering your pet is a big step! There is a lot to consider
when we are planning your pet’s surgery. Here is some information to help
you make wise decisions.
Click here . . .
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Special LibraryOur Special Library
is a collection of informative articles on a variety of health topics.
Click here . . .
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Discharge InstructionsClick here for
information on how to care for your pet at home.
Click here . . .
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Anticonvulsants
 A
Epilepsy is a common disease in dogs.
While there are tried and true treatments
for epilepsy, these older treatments have
some adverse side-effects that can be
avoided with some of the newer medications
There are several medications
that can be used to control epilepsy in dogs. The most
common one is Phenobarbital. Phenobarbital has
been around forever. Veterinarians have lots of
experience with phenobarbital, and
in general it works quite well in dogs. But it has some
problems. For one, there are some annoying side effects
with phenobarbital. It can cause drowsiness in some
patients and agitation in others. It also causes an
increase in appetite, which leads to excessive begging,
garbage scrounging, and weight gain. We also see
excessive drinking and increased urination. Dogs on
phenobarbital are prone to bladder infections.
Phenobarbital has the saving grace of being inexpensive,
although when you add in the cost of the testing it is
not as economical as it may first seem.
There are also some very serious side
effects with phenobarbital. We can see liver
damage, especially at the higher doses, and occasionally
we see anemia. Because of this, we need to do periodic
blood testing in patients on phenobarbital.
Potassium Bromide is
another choice. It has a bit better side effect and
safety profile than phenobarbital, but it is not perfect
either. Sedation is still seen with some frequency. In
addition, it takes months to achieve good blood levels
and full therapeutic effect for potassium bromide, which
makes it less than ideal for controlling new epileptics.
Also, potassium bromide is not manufactured by
FDA-regulated drug companies. The only source is
compounding pharmacies.
A newer choice in a
medication called Zonisamide. Zonisamide has only
recently been used in dogs, and we as veterinarians do
not have 75 years of experience with it. So far, those who
have been using it have reported good seizure control
with excellent safety and very few side effects. Because
it does not appear to be at all toxic (so far), no
testing is required. Zonisamide is an appealing
alternative to phenobarbital, especially in smaller
dogs, because it allows us to avoid the troublesome side
effects like drowsiness, agitation, excessive eating and
drinking and urinating, etc. It is more expensive than
phenobarbital or potassium bromide, however.
So what’s it all cost? In
2010 prices, it breaks down like this.
15-pound dogs: On
phenobarbital, you can expect to spend about $11 every
other month, or about $135 a year once you include the
necessary testing. On Zonisamide, you can expect to
spend about $43 every other month, or $260 a year.
Zonisamide is not a huge investment, and it is an
attractive alternative to the unpleasant side effects of
phenobarbital.
30-pound dogs: On
phenobarbital, it will cost about the same, $12 a month
or $135 a year, while Zonisamide costs about $290.
Again, Zonisamide looks pretty good here compared to
phenobarbital and it’s side effects.
60-pound dogs: On
phenobarbital, again expect to pay about $13 every other
month or $145 a year, while Zonisamide jumps to about
$521. In bigger dogs, the higher cost makes avoiding the
unpleasant side-effects of phenobarbital less appealing.
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