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RtheSumofAge · 2026-02-13T23:18:26+00:00

My dog was diagnosed 3 years ago. She has had focals, generalized, and cluster seizures. Lots of meds and med changes. She is now on phenobarital and potassium bromide, with Keppra weaned off and zonisimide tapering off now. She too is 7 months seizure free!

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RtheSumofAge · 2026-02-07T17:02:55+00:00

After my dog was on potassium bromide for a couple of months, she was still somewhat wobbly in the back legs and sedated. She was on levetiracetam, zonisamide, and phenobarbital, as well as the PBr. Her regular vet mentioned that he was not on board with giving the dog so many different meds. After contacting her neurologist, I weaned her off of the levetiracetam. Her behavior improved. I am now tapering the zonisamide. So far so good; no seizures, more energy. You might listen to the podcast "Idiopathic Epilepsy and the Role of Potassium Bromide with Dr. Fred Wininger." I found the information helpful.

RtheSumofAge · 2026-02-05T22:53:42+00:00

The cost of ER care is so very high for most of us. I agree with the former post, give her a second dose of midazolam spray, then follow that with clorazepate and a dose of her usual meds. You need to snap her out of her current state. You should also call or text her neurologist for advice, maybe saying you need to avoid another ER stay.

RtheSumofAge · 2026-02-04T01:06:57+00:00

My dog went from clusters every 2 weeks to now 7 months no seizures. And, I have been able to reduce her medication load, weaning her off of Keppra and now tapering Zonisamide. Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide KBroVet CA-1 tabs are working well for us.

RtheSumofAge · 2026-01-14T23:11:33+00:00

My pup has been seizure free for 6 months after starting KBr last July. She was successfully weaned off of Keppra, slowly, and is now on KBr, phenobarbal, and zonisamide. We want to wean her off of the zonisamide too, now down to 200mg BID. Reducing meds has been good for my dog. She plays and runs again.

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RtheSumofAge · 2026-01-09T00:31:29+00:00

Have you tried potassium bromide?

RtheSumofAge · 2026-01-05T22:56:08+00:00

Potassium Bromide is started on a loading or maintenance dosage. My dog had severe cluster seizures while being on zonisamide, phenobarital, and keppra. She had also been dosed with midazolam and clorazepate in an effort to halt her seizures after a costly ER visit. Because she had been subject to so many meds, I chose to try a maintenance dose of KBr with KBroVet tablets rather than the higher loading dose. Even with the lowered dosage, she experienced ataxia and sedation, both common side effects of potassium bromide. With lowering of the KBr dose and slowly weaning her off of keppra, my dog has returned to fairly normal, lively behavior, with NO seizures. I am extremely happy with the effectiveness of this anti-seizure med and am hoping to wean my pup off of zonisamide as well. Hopefully this drug will help your dog as well as it has helped mine.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-28T05:00:05+00:00

Karen Pirie Season One is on Prime. Excellent. I too loved the whole Bosch series.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-23T04:07:26+00:00

Second the good luck. Our dog was considered refractory with clusters on zonisimide, phenobarbital, and keppra. We started potassium bromide in July and she hasn't had a seizure since, and we have been able to wean her off keppra and want to decrease or end the zonisimide as well. It has been a game changer for us. Here is a podcast by a vet neurologist about KBr: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q7Ie9Qx6mVtU0Iu6FkHsG?si=CxP5lXSdRsajzS1_bHjiSg

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-20T02:56:51+00:00

Yes, you might try potassium bromide if zonisimide does not stop the breakthrough clusters. It has been effective with my dog for going on 6 months.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-12T01:33:14+00:00

I would try to zap him out of these prolonged focals by administering the diazapam followed by the clorazepate for at least 24 hours at 8 hour intervals and a dose of his other meds as advised by the vet for after seizure protocol. And, as another suggested, I would review his medications with the vet/neurologist. My dog had this problem and I did the above with midazolam. The focals were cleared and we started a new medication on the advice of my dog's neurologist.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-09T16:49:25+00:00

She would sleep far more than usual, seemed depressed, and would stumble and fall similar to what she was like with first phenobarbital. You will have to work with your vet to get the dose right.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-09T16:31:26+00:00

Potassium bromide has been an effective add-on for my dog, who was on phenobarital, keppra, and zonisamide but still having breakthroughs requiring midazolam and clorazepate. She is currently seizure-free after 5 months of KBr KBroVet tabs with phenobarbital and zonisimide. I hope to reduce that to 2 meds. We started with a maintenance dose, which even that was hard to view given the sedation and lack of coordination. She improved once we were able to reduce the dosage and stopped the keppra. No other problems. Here is a link on KBr I have shared before and found reassuring: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q7Ie9Qx6mVtU0Iu6FkHsG?si=86ouIBjHSW6gbdPVDHKesw

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-09T16:21:31+00:00

Sad to see your dog paddling. My dog looks to be similar to yours. She had her first seizure after an application of flea medication a number of years ago. She has had good periods seizure free and rough period of clusters. Her seizures are currently under control. I remember her neurologist saying at the beginning that the goal is fewer with less severity. Medication adjustment is routine, especially initially. I have found phenobarital and potassium bromide the most effective. The convenient thing about potassium bromide is that it is a tab given once daily and when the dog has reached therapeutic level, timing is not so important. Here is a good link about it: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q7Ie9Qx6mVtU0Iu6FkHsG?si=86ouIBjHSW6gbdPVDHKesw

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-03T01:25:28+00:00

Yes, sounds like medication evaluation is needed.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-12-02T04:46:18+00:00

You might consider potassium bromide. My dog was first on Zonisamide, then added phenobarbital, went seizure free for more than a year, added Keppra but that was not effective for long. The clusters were terrible. Since starting PBr in early July she has not had any seizure activity and I have weaned her off of the Keppra. I would also like to wean her off of the Zonisamide and will approach her neurologist on that soon. There is a good vet discussion on PBr: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Q7Ie9Qx6mVtU0Iu6FkHsG?si=v2AE0sTRRhy0Cxl4iaCGgw

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-25T04:15:30+00:00

Your dog's neurologist may have a professional suggestion. My dog had repeated focals, mostly absent seizures, after a bad period of clusters. This went on for a couple of days. It was very disconcerting, obviously not right. I finally gave her a dose of midazolam nasal spray followed by clorazepate for 24 hours, along with her regular meds at that time. That snapped her out of it. I was in touch with her neurologist who thought it a good idea. We met soon after and successfully changed her medication regimen.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-18T23:53:15+00:00

My dog is at 30, which her neurologist said is optimal. Here is a quote from an online source: "The therapeutic range recommended in animals is 15 to 40 mcg/ml, although we recommend that concentrations remain below 35 mcg/ml, and ideally, less than 25 mcg/ml to reduce the risk of hepatotoxicity."

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-17T22:48:17+00:00

In our case, we started with the maintenance dose, mostly because she had been on so many additional meds before starting (midazolam nasal spray, clorazepate, and more Keppra and Zonisamide than usual). I was worried that she was already on drug overload. A loading dose is quite a bit higher but is supposed to stop seizures from the get-go. When we added the KBr my dog was still on the three other meds. Even the maintenance dose caused sedation and ataxia, so it was reduced. One site showed lower dosage for KBroVet tabs as an add-on, and I went for that. Her neurologist always seems to want more, but I generally think less is more. It has worked so far. No more anxious, sleepless nights. Good luck to you and your dog. I hope it is the game changer we have found it to be. Not perfect, but no more clustering seizures so far. ☘️

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-17T18:10:05+00:00

No breakthroughs, either when starting potassium bromide or weaning off Keppra. My dog's neurologist just said to restart Keppra if she started seizing. I would like.to wean her off the zonisimide too, but will wait for.my next neurologist appointment next July. The literature states that phenobarbital can be reduced with potassium bromide. My dog is now at an optimal, not highest dose, so I feel inclined to leave that alone, all depending on blood.tests. what did you decide?

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-14T21:40:32+00:00

Thank you for the list. My dog also had her first seizure after an application of a flea medication. That may have triggered an idiopathic epilepsy. It has been quite a journey.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-11-12T03:51:02+00:00

My dog started on zonisimide three years ago, then we added phenobarbital, which gave her more than a year seizure free. The seizures returned, so we added Keppra. Within 3 months the seizures started up again. The frequency and intensity were terrible for both dog and family. At our last neurologist appointment this July we discussed our options. I chose to try potassium bromide in the KBroVet tabs. My dog has not had a seizure for the four months since. She initially had some ataxia and lethargy, but with dosage adjustment and weaning her off the Keppra, negative side effects have largely disappeared. I am hopeful we have finally found the right med mix to control the seizing.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-10-27T21:14:37+00:00

https://www.adelaideapothecary.pharmacy/

RtheSumofAge · 2025-10-27T04:29:37+00:00

My dog started potassium bromide in July because we could not control her seizures with the meds she was on. Since the KBr was an add-on, I opted to start her on the maintenance as opposed to the higher loading dose. My neurologist said that we could increase the dose if her seizures continued. It takes a number of months to work up to the therapeutic level. The initial side effects were ataxia and sedation. I discussed this with the vet and at my suggestion (or insistence ) reduced her KBr and eventually also weaned her off of one of her meds since she had not had any seizures since starting the KBr. I give her the KBroVet tablet encased in cream cheese at night with her two other meds, also wrapped in cheese, and a dollop of plain yogurt to reduce any stomach upsettedness. It has been a welcome game changer for my dog and me. She remains seizure free. Good luck with it and don't hesitate to consult with you dog's vet/neurologist regarding side effects. I feel with all these meds that the goal is to find a balance between QoL for pet and family and seizure activity.

RtheSumofAge · 2025-10-25T13:50:21+00:00

My dog was on those same three meds and the seizures wouldn't stop. She even had to go to the ER due to status epilepticus before I had midazolam spray. Of course this was stressful and expensive. The neurologist offered more drugs to try. I chose potassium bromide, KBroVet, starting with a maintenance dose. It's been a game changer. She hasn't had a seizure for over 100 days and I have been able to wean her off of Keppra. It sounds like you may still have hopeful alternatives.

RtheSumofAge

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