Giving Medicine

[Jean]

Blaze's mom here. Some medicines are easier to give than others. Blaze has a lot. Antibiotics and food supplements. Some flavored pastes are easily gulped down. Pills can be hidden in hotdogs, cheese, peanut butter, cooked macaroni, or coated in margarine (so it slides down easily) but my problem is giving Blaze his little dose of Keppra--preparing it is a little time consuming (Break the pill to the desired dosage--then crush it with a hammer and put in syringe then mix with water and keep mixing until dissolved THEN find the puppy). That's right, he hides from it. Must taste bitter. Of course he has to take the medication every 8 hours and it must be made fresh (since the half life is only 3.5 hours.)

Wondering if I can use low sodium beef broth to mix it. (Maybe it will taste a bit better.). Thought about smearing a bit of peanut butter or cheese on the syringe, but I bet that will only be useful once before Blaze realizes what is to come.

Also what about those second series of puppy shots? Anyone know? He was checked out healthy by two different vets only a week before his hospitalization (and that means his first series of puppy shots was a week before the hospitalization and the worming was just two days before. (Remember we still don't know why he had the seizure--everything came back "normal" and since we don't have a cat, I couldn't see springing for the toxoplasmosis test or is it possible that simply the water on his lung and the mild anemia could cause it?)

And does Advantage flea prevention have that chemical I'm supposed to avoid for little Blaze?

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

As far as I am concerned, once a dog has a seizure of unknown origin, you don't give any additional medications or chemicals. Or if you do, you spread them waaaaaay out and do them one at a time.

No shots, no flea pesticides, no worming chemicals, no nothing until you know what caused the seizure, or a sufficient amount of time has passed without a second seizure.

Also, they went straight to Keppra for a single seizure? That sounds pretty extreme. Do they plan to get him off of it at some point?

 

[Ann]

I agree with Clantyre. NO flea/tick preventatives or chemicals whatsoever! That includes Advantage and all chemical OTC repellents. For the time being, I would use a mixture of 1 part apple cider vinegar to three parts water mixed in a spray bottle. Spritz him lightly daily. It's what I use on my dogs and works just as well as chemicals. Any of the chemical treatments can trigger seizures.

Also, talk to your vet about heartworm med. We can only use Sentinel on Pixie, but you should be careful with that too. I would discuss his next round of shots with the vet -- you may need to postpone those until he's off some of the meds. It was vaccinating Pixie while she was sick that caused her seizures as a puppy.

I think you'd be safe mixing the medication in some broth. You might also try mixing it in some of the baby food in jars, or pate canned dog food that would disguise the smell. Good luck!

 

[Caro]

I don't think you should be breaking up the Keppra without checking with a pharmacist. Many epileptic drugs are slow release and breaking it up you are giving him the whole dose at once.

Tully has many pills since her hip replacement. She is the master at finding pills hidden in everything, and even the vet cannot get pills down her throat. So I now generally use human tablets instead of the veterinary version. Human pills are enteric coated so there's no taste or smell, even if I have to cut it up. Or they come in liquid forms, which are easy to squirt in her mouth or on food. Check with your local pharmacists, but most epilepsy meds come in a liquid form.

 

[Jean]

Also, they went straight to Keppra for a single seizure? That sounds pretty extreme. Do they plan to get him off of it at some point?

I thought so too, but remember, he was VERY sick and VERY little--only had the use of one lung and needed to be in an oxygen cage. I guess they weren't taking any chances.

He's scheduled for another neurological consult (amazing--who knew that they'd have neurologists for dogs?) at the end of the month and his discharge papers indicate that the plan is to keep him on Keppra until he's six months. (I don't know, I thought that once a dog was on seizure medicine, he was on it for life.)

I HOPE it's not a "trigger", but last night I found something Blaze likes so much that he'll even come out from under the bed (which I THOUGHT I blocked off, but evidently not for him--just me and any other dog I've known--including 7 pound Yorkies!). String Cheese. Now that's definitely a high value treat! Will make finding puppy so much easier--until he "catches on".

Forgot about the baby food jars of meat paste. Thanks.

 

[trini]

He's scheduled for another neurological consult (amazing--who knew that they'd have neurologists for dogs?) at the end of the month and his discharge papers indicate that the plan is to keep him on Keppra until he's six months. (I don't know, I thought that once a dog was on seizure medicine, he was on it for life.)

.

Jean, not all dogs who have experienced a seizure/s need life long medications...it depends on the severity, frequency and cause (if a cause can ever be pinpointed which much of the time it can't). But never stop the medication without consulting with Blaze's neurologist. Keeping seizures from repeating is the first priority.

Trini