Potassium Bromide - Phenobarbital for Canine Epilepsy
Posted on Thu, Sep 10, 2009 @ 09:00 AM
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic diseases in dogs. Epilepsy simply refers to repeated seizures, and seizures are a sign that your dog's brain is not functioning properly.
Dogs with epilepsy frequently begin seizing at between one and three years of age, and certain breeds are predisposed to develop epilepsy. A few breeds have proven hereditary epilepsy, while in most it is just a strong suspicion. 
In most instances your veterinarian will not be able to witness your dog's seizures first hand, since they occur sporadically. So it is important that you document what occurs as best you can, ideally making a video recording of a recent episode. This will help them decide whether these events are indeed seizures.
Once your veterinarian determines that your dog is suffering from epilepsy the next step will be to determine a treatment strategy. If the epilepsy is symptomatic, sometimes treating the underlying disease (for example, removing a brain tumor) will cure the epilepsy. If the epilepsy is idiopathic (meaning the cause can not be determined) then medications will usually be prescribed to help control the both the frequency and intensity of the seizures.
Phenobarbital is one of the most commonly used antiepileptic drug in dogs. In addition to being used on a daily basis to prevent seizures, phenobarbital is often used to stop seizures in progress.
Potassium Bromide was one of the first antiepileptic drugs discovered for humans, and it has been a valuable drug for veterinarians when treating epilepsy in dogs.
It is important that phenobarbital and potassium bromide be dispensed in the following ways:
- In a dosing form that is most convenient for you and your dog. These are medicines that you will be administering on a daily basis and the last thing you want is to add more stress in your life, or your dog's, because he/she refuses to swallow a pill.
- In a strength that is specific to your dog's age/weight/breed. A fixed dose pill may provide to much or to little medication since it is mass produced and not custom made to meet your dog's unique needs.
- In a flavor that will help make administering the medication much easier.
With our state of the art prescription compounding laboratory, and pharmaceutical knowledge and experience, the pharmacists at Bayview Pharmacy have the ability to meet the above criteria. We can custom make the veterinary medicine your dog will need, in a flavor he/she will love, at a price that is very economical. This process is called prescription compounding, and you can find out more about prescription compounding and our veterinary pharmacy by clicking on the "About Prescripiton Compounding/Bayview Pharmacy" link on the left hand column of our website www.bayviewrx.com.
For more information about treatment strategies for canine epilepsy, feel free to contact us using the "Ask the Pharmacist" form on our Canine Epilepsy page which can be found by clicking on the "Veterinary" link in the left hand column.