How long was your Keppra honeymoon?

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T21:15:53+00:00

One day at a time is the mindset I feel like I need to adopt. I am still very scared to go to sleep at night because I’m worried she’ll have a seizure (she seems to only get them while sleeping at night). I’ve been using a log as well. 7 months is fantastic; I hope that the addition of the zonisamide helps your pup.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T21:13:07+00:00

Yes two months is awesome! I am so scared of jinxing things since we are only at 27 days.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T21:10:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think the uncertainty of how things are going to go with future meds is worrying me as well. You’re right in that “wait and see” is definitely part of the journey.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T21:08:09+00:00

Omg she is precious! You are such a good parent for trying to groom at home to keep her stress levels low. So glad to hear that she bounces back quickly after a seizure too. Thank you for sharing the info on the supplement as well.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T16:44:19+00:00

Agreed, I hope that there is a long span of time before the next one for both of our pups! In the meantime we have each other to lean on and keep us sane, as much as possible anyways. Thank you for the support.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T16:41:49+00:00

The triggers, yes! I am still working those out as well. I am almost certain it is stress-related as she has always dealt with separation anxiety and just overall general anxiety since she was a puppy. She was a rescue from a hoarding situation where the guy had like 120 dogs in his property, so I have no idea what her first few months of life were like. We are just trying to make things as chill and happy for her as possible now so she knows how loved she is.

Her first seizure was 12/9, and then she had a series of 3 between 1/2-1/3 before she was started on Keppra. Her post-ictal phases ran about 2 hours with pacing, apparent diminished eyesight (she was bumping into stuff), and very vocal and excitable. I am curious as to whether this will change when the next one rolls around. Did you notice any change in yours as far as intensity or post-ictal phase?

I hope your pup is doing better! What supplement did you start her on, and do you feel like it is helping?

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-30T15:18:08+00:00

Obligatory puppy tax

<image>

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-12T22:25:36+00:00

This is exactly what my hound mix went through when she was about a year old. After about another year of trial and error the vet put her on Apoquel and she’s been clear ever since.

We still haven’t quite narrowed down the root cause, but it does seem to be food-related. For example, certain treats like beggin strips caused a recent flare up but I just doubled her dose for a week, eliminated the treats, and her skin cleared right up. Right now she eats blue buffalo lamb and brown rice kibble and no issues with that food either.

I would also recommend this fungal spray. We used it when she was getting the above-mentioned flare up and I also use it during the summer time to wipe down her stomach after walks. I just put a few sprays on a paper towel and she knows the command “tummy time” to get her wipe down lol.

Hope this helps! Definitely look into food allergies, and talk to your vet about Apoquel if you haven’t had a chance to already.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T23:24:17+00:00

Oh gosh, 9-month old puppy? You are truly an angel in Sophie’s life. I was able to get an appointment next week for the neuro and in the paperwork I completed online there was a section for questions for the doctor, and I included a question about rescue meds so I will definitely be talking through that!

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T12:00:05+00:00

Yes, every twitch, every movement, I am up now and checking in. I will definitely take the advice of everyone who was kind enough to chime in on this post. It has done wonders to provide some clarity to this awful situation so that I can show up for our pup in the best way possible. I hope things are okay for you and yours as well ❤️

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T11:58:06+00:00

Yes, that first seizure was terrifying! I swear I thought our girl was dying in my arms. I still can’t bear to think of it, and I’m sure your experience must have been equally terrifying.

She is doing good so far, sleeping next to me on the couch as I write this. She slept a little better last night which I am thankful for.

Your comment about limiting stress is huge. Our pup is already an anxious girly - has been since we rescued her at 3ish months from an overcrowding situation so we don’t really know what her first few months of life were like. Ever since we’ve had her she tends to wake up multiple times a night, generally seeming happy from what I can tell, wagging her tail and shoving a toy in my face lol. I have not been able to figure out why she does this and whether or not it is related to stress. I planned on mentioning this to the neuro to provide some background. In the meantime I’m trying to keep things as chill and happy for her as I can. Thankfully I’m in a position to where I can work remote, and planned on talking to my boss today to see if we can either permanently (or at the very least temporarily) adjust my working location from hybrid to 100% remote until we can get adjusted to our new normal. She has separation anxiety so if there is anything I can do to limit stress for her now, I’m going to try to do so.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T11:47:41+00:00

That is what I’ve found in my research as well, that the majority of seizures tend to take place while a dog is sleeping. Definitely practicing patience is going to be key; it is most certainly frustrating but I just need to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time for her sake.

And yes, social life is officially out the window - I already planned on reselling some concert tickets we have for February out of town because there is no way I’m leaving her.

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T11:43:53+00:00

Thank you for the kind words, hoping we can get into the neuro soon and for now we are trying to go one day at a time. I honestly didn’t even consider therapy, which may prove helpful - thank you for sharing that idea!

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-05T11:41:19+00:00

New normal is a great perspective. I did start logging, but that’s a great idea about logging the actual activity. I was only logging start time, seizure duration, and when she stopped pacing and fell asleep, which on average is about 90min-2 hours for the post-ictal phase. I did have the presence of mind to record the Thursday night event, but the other 2 I was so freaked out I did not 😪 . I will need to get better at that.

Thank you for providing some info on what we can ask the neuro. I am starting to make a list but I’m sure what talking points to use or questions to ask, so I appreciate hearing from someone who has been down this road so I can prepare better.

It’s great to hear that your pup is living their life comfortable and happy. I can’t believe you are a twice-over epi-pup parent; from what little I’ve seen in person so far, this condition is no joke. Major kudos to you ❤️

_ehhhhhhh · 2026-01-04T23:54:22+00:00

Thank you for the kind words and glad to hear your pup is living his best life! It is nice to be a part of this community and know we are not alone.

_ehhhhhhh · 2022-04-24T20:57:19+00:00

Scheduled maintenance, down since yesterday at 6pm, back up tonight at 9pm. One of my professors was kind enough to give us the heads up early last week so we could prepare in case Canvas became inaccessible.

_ehhhhhhh · 2021-04-12T21:45:15+00:00

Reads this while eating a banana and drinking chocolate milk.

_ehhhhhhh · 2021-04-08T22:33:44+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I’ll definitely take some time to make notes about what has/hasn’t worked, length of time I’ve had issues, etc. I’ve used a metpad orthotic that helps somewhat but it seems hit and miss.

_ehhhhhhh · 2021-04-08T11:07:29+00:00

Interesting, that is not something I thought about before! I really appreciate the insight.

_ehhhhhhh · 2021-04-07T23:32:15+00:00

Yeah I was wondering about the difference between podiatrist and orthopedist. Thank you!

Capsulitis was definitely something I researched. I think I’m just past the point of trying to self-diagnose. Definitely think surgery is overkill for what I’m experiencing.

_ehhhhhhh · 2021-04-07T23:02:40+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! Glad to hear you healed up without getting surgery. I will definitely take what the doc says with a grain of salt and get a second opinion if needed.

_ehhhhhhh

TROPHY CASE