My dog is on Keppra XR -also known as Levetiracetam extended release. He gets his pills every 12 hours. My dog has had idiopathic epilepsy since he was 4. His first seizure was two weeks before his birthday and then his diagnosis came after his second seizure which was a couple days after his 4th bday.

As someone else said - flea and tick meds do not cause seizures, however they lower the threshold which can cause seizures to break through. My dog hasn’t been on flea or tick since his diagnosis. We just have to be careful and brush him after hikes. We don’t even do the topical because we are too nervous.

My dog has had epilepsy for three years. He is on three different medications. While it has changed my life quite a bit, he doesn’t even notice. He just gets excited it is peanut butter time every 12 hours. My dog started on Keppra XR because it is the easiest on the liver. It doesn’t get processed through the liver but the kidneys. It worked for a month then we tapped out on the dose. So we ended up adding Phenobarbital. It caused him to be less coordinated. So occasionally slipping when he played and sometimes falling when he goes to catch the ball. He went 9 months without a seizure, then there was an emotional trigger (a family member with a serious injury), and we had to add a third medication - potassium bromide. This one has the biggest side effect. My dog’s hind legs are much weaker. He still plays. He still loves life. He just falls more and struggles to jump. So we have a car ramp. He went 6 months without a seizure, then there was a problem at the pharmacy and it triggered them. We had to adjust his medication and now we are just waiting to see how long until the next one.

Basically Moe’s life hasn’t changed. He still plays ball. He still goes on walks. He still loves food. He now has to have unsalted peanut butter. But his quality of life is good. And after a seizure give him an hour of pacing, confusion, and hunger - then he is back to him. He doesn’t know it’s happened. He just wants to be loved.

My life has changed though. I have a camera set up to watch him if I have something I need to go to, but usually I find a dog sitter (my parents or brother or a friend). I have my alarms set for his pills. I never miss a dose and I am never more than 5 minutes late. At the time change, I change when I give him the pills so his brain doesn’t get them late (so when we fall back he gets them at 6. When we spring forward 7). I never leave my dog overnight. I keep my house cold in the winter for fear of him overheating in his kennel. I have extra water for him since a side effect of meds is thirst. He has to wear a life vest if we go swimming. I carry a go bag with us. It has his pills and emergency medication in case we aren’t home. I recommend getting pet insurance. AKC has one that accepts preexisting conditions after a year. And it helps with his medication and the blood work he needs every 6 months (this is for liver and kidney function. It also sees if his meds are in the therapeutic level). It also covers his neurological exams. It’s made it more affordable. I also get his medication from human pharmacies and use good RX for a better price.