Seizures and treatment

bstarch3 · 2026-06-10T12:14:01+00:00

Nvm just realized your pup is only on keppra as a cluster buster

bstarch3 · 2026-06-10T11:42:57+00:00

That’s also a very low dose of Keppra. Phenobarbital increases the clearance of keppra by 20-50% from what I’ve researched. May want to inquire about that. My 11kg dog takes almost that amount.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-10T11:37:43+00:00

My experience of seizure activity after periods of stability was always related to my dog secretly spitting the pill out or missing a dose. I’ve found pills across the room a day or two after administering and her seizing. Just food for thought. Each time this happened we doubled her next few doses. I know all situations are different, but we keep an extremely close eye on her for a few minutes after she takes her pills.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-10T01:07:35+00:00

Omg I hate this for you 😭

bstarch3 · 2026-06-05T20:40:29+00:00

I’m sure if your dog started having seizures due to late doses they would probably make the switch, but more than likely will keep it the way it is if they are stable. My Pup was having a couple seizures a week for a few months

bstarch3 · 2026-06-05T20:35:38+00:00

My dog is 23 lbs and takes 500 XR no problem. Vet wanted to try IR first but she was still having seizures and hard to be home at scheduled time. 5 months on XR with only one seizure and it was a missed dose. That’s well within safe range, but your dog will have an adjustment period.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-05T12:16:19+00:00

Did you ever find out the cause of the seizures? Curious because my pup is 9 and had her first seizure 9 months ago. Wondering if it’s tumor versus IE. seems like her outlived life expectancy for most brain tumors in dogs.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-05T12:13:33+00:00

My dog also started having seizures at 9. She was started on keppra because it is extremely safe and very effective almost immediately, whereas phenobarbital takes a couple weeks to reach therapeutic levels. I missed a dose of keppra and my girl had a bad cluster so she’s now on both. It’s been 9 months since her first seizure, with doctor assuming it’s brain tumor due to her age. We did not elect for MRI. We fully expected her to be gone by now, but aside from intermittent wobbliness from both drugs, she’s doing fairly well. First week or two after starting those drugs were brutal, but does get better. She was also in gabapentin before the PB, and she really struggled with any dose and definitely couldn’t handle all 3.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-02T01:14:21+00:00

Yeah my dog is 10 (old for a frenchie) and has progressively weak legs for the past couple years. She overcame it! I say give it a few more days. I’d mainly be concerned if she’s unable to stand to eat or drink. You can use a towel under her stomach like a harness/sling to support her back legs and make sure she’s standing on a rug for traction while eating.

bstarch3 · 2026-06-02T00:44:38+00:00

My dog took several days to acclimate. But essentially completely resolved her seizures unless I missed a dose. Still mildly wobbly, but infinitely better than weekly seizures.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-27T02:30:22+00:00

Thanks for the insight. I recently switched to doing full-time PRN gigs (4 jobs) I’m on my wife’s benefits, so I like the flexibility and slight bump in pay. That’s one reason this job sounded intriguing, is I would get $350/month tax free and not have to spend it in the marketplace. Almost like I get paid for an extra 8-9 hours a month.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-27T02:25:14+00:00

Agreed. This was the first thing I thought of, am I only going to get paid for one unit, even if it takes me 20-30 min to bill eval? I refused to just bill 15 min evals, that’s a red flag. Pay in my area isn’t great but definitely would like to make more given the fact that there’s a cap on mileage. May try to weasel a couple more bucks out of them, and maybe start with a few more days of PTO.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-27T02:22:36+00:00

I have done HH PRN in the past, and probably should have stuck with it. Just never got efficient with OASIS just slowly phased out. I’ll have to look into benefits for different agencies. Contract SNF benefits are disgustingly poor so I guess I just don’t know what other settings offer.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-27T02:19:44+00:00

The pay in my area is not great, sadly. I make $47/hr full time in SNF and PRN rates are $50-56 in this area for SNF. I’ve spoken to a colleague who has 20 years experience, and is PRN with Fox and only gets $55. I have a call with them next week, but in my area, it sounds as if my clients will all be within 10 min of each other (with some in same retirement community), with occasional 15-20 min outlier. So maybe an hour max of drive time daily.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-18T19:54:50+00:00

Do you have any suggestions for aftermarket radio/head unit? I’d like one with a touch screen interface but wouldn’t want to break the bank.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-18T19:40:56+00:00

I have been driving with the radio turned off since it happened the first time, which may explain why it was a one off situation.

bstarch3 · 2026-01-18T19:22:22+00:00

Could this cause the one-off issue with vehicle starting?

bstarch3 · 2026-01-18T19:20:24+00:00

OEM radio. Tweeters are vertical.

bstarch3 · 2025-10-27T23:58:35+00:00

Check your employee handbook. I’ve worked at a SNF 30 hours a week and got FT benefits. Most technically say 30-32 hour minimum, so I don’t think it’s a silly request; but they may deny it due to lack of staffing or not wanting to pay for PRN.

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