Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 10/27/2006

Question
Hello.  My question is partly medical, partly behavioral.  My husband and I
adopted a 2 yr old Saint Bernard with Epilepsy 3 months ago.  According the
shelter where we got him, the former owners had him on phenobarbitol for
the last year or so (he started seizing at around 3 months) but apparently
were not very consistently medicating him (according to their vet).  They said
he was having seizures a few times a month.  The first week we had Oscar, he
had 2 seizures so we increased his phenobarbitol.  He had another 3 a month
later, we increased his phenobarbitol again, and then he had a cluster of 9
seizures in 24 hours another month later that we stopped with extra doses of
phenobarbitol.  We started him on KBr (a loading dose) after the cluster but it
is too early to say how that will affect his seizures.  His seizures last about a
minute and he usually loses bladder control.  He has 20 minutes to an hour
afterwards where he stumbles frantically and mostly blindly around the house
until he falls asleep.  BUT, the reason that I am writing is to discuss the last
phase of Oscar’s seizure episodes that BEGINS from 12-16 hours after the
seizures are over and he has returned to “normal”.  He becomes very hyper,
agitated and difficult to control.  He will bark at us for just about anything –
including touching him, talking to him, even looking at him and he is very
mouthy.  Although he does not appear to be aggressive (as in trying to hurt
us) the intensity of his mouthing is disturbing and often painful.  Just about
any activity during this period will escalate into him running full speed in
circles a few times then grabbing us with his mouth.  Taking him on walks is
not only really difficult (he is like a wild horse on the leash) but it also does
not seem to tire him out – although he looks physically exhausted, it seems
like his mind just can’t stop spinning - and he will pace and bark for most of
2 – 3 days.  He also seems to lose his (albeit tenuous) grasp on house-
training during this time and will pee every hour or so wherever he happens
to be.  It was quite shocking and scary the first time since he is otherwise a
mellow and sweet dog who listens pretty well.  The degree of hyperactivity
appears to be proportional to the severity of the seizures – he was much
worse for longer after the cluster of seizures.  I suspect that he usually
doesn’t have the energy (because of the phenobarbitol) to play in this way
with us although he has played energetically with other dogs in obedience
class and did become a bit mouthy with the volunteers when he got excited.  
Although I believe this behavior could be corrected under normal
circumstance (although it doesn’t come up often), during his post-seizure
bouts, correcting him (turning away saying “too bad”, closing him outside,
withholding treats, or even citronella spray in the nose) just gets him more
excited and he will chew more and harder or bark frantically.  We haven’t
tried a crate, but gating him in the laundry room didn’t calm him at all.  
Although he is extremely food motivated, it is touchy to try to use food when
he is in that state.  We have missed work and a lot of sleep because we are
not comfortable leaving him alone in the house (at 165 lbs he could do a lot
of damage to himself or the house!) Since we got Oscar, it seems like just
about everyone I talk to has had a dog with seizures and that they almost
always experience the hyperactive pacing immediately after the seizure.  I
have yet to talk to someone who’s dog displayed the later behavioral changes
though and I haven’t been able to find any mention of it online.  My husband
and I are very frustrated and confused about what to do.  Of course we are
trying to manage the seizure, but when he does have them, we have to have a
reasonable way to deal with the behavioral changes that arise days later.  I
guess, as a start, I am just trying to find out whether this behavior has been
documented and whether it is thought to be caused by the seizures
(physically or psychologically) or the medication.  If it is unavoidable, do you
have any tips on how to manage such a large dog?  We have considered
additional medication, but something like valium is too short term (~3 hrs per
dose I’m told) and if the two sedatives he’s already taking (Pheno and KBr)
don’t keep him calm during this period, I don’t have much hope for more
medication.  We are not really sure if this is an issue that could be dealt with
by a behaviorist (we’ve had one tell us that it is a medical issue not
behavioral) but it seems like we need to find a way to regain his focus when
he is out of control.  Obviously, some of these behaviors would be more
manageable with a smaller dog, and the advice of behaviorists that I’ve seen
online for dealing with overly hyper dogs doesn’t seem to apply to a dog that
outweighs you.  Any advice or referrals that you have would be greatly
appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Nancy,
Thank you for the questions, sorry to hear of your troubles. To determine if the behavior is related to strictly medical issues or strictly behavioral issues, I would suggest trying a behavior modification program and see how it affects the behavior. My suspicion is that it is due to a combination of both. But, that doesn't necessarily mean we can't reduce the behavior to some extent.

First off, buy a Gentle Leader head collar (no knock offs- Gentle Leader brand only) and buy the instructional DVD as well. It takes practice for both of you (rover and you) to use it correctly but it is the single best management tool for large (or small) dogs that are out of control.

If Rover has true clinical hyperactivity, your vet can administer a test (although I'm not sure if it would be advisable due to his other problems)  - Here is a reference from Karen Overall's book, Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals"

"Hyperactivity Due to Psychological Disturbance (0000YX05.0)
  Necessary: Motor activity in excess of that warranted by the animal’s age and stimulation level that occurs in a consistent manner and does not respond to correction, redirection, or restraint.
  Sufficient: As above concomitant with sympathetic signs (increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, vasodilation), even when at rest, in the absence of other signs or significant laboratory data associated with thyroid disease, and the dog responds to treatment with amphetamine or methylphenidate with a paradoxical decrease in motor activity.
  Concerns: Most dogs that clients call hyperactive – a diagnosis that does not depend on the dog’s exercise level compared with his or her needs. Hyperactivity is a very specific diagnosis for which specific behavioral signs have been poorly elucidated."

I would start by teaching Rover how to relax via massage and touch - not in conjunction with his out-of-control behavior but when he is "normal". Buy the books Canine Massage, A Complete Reference Manual or buy the book, Getting in TTouch With Your Dog.

In addition, teach Rover a few active skills that you can use to redirect his attention. Fetch is good for this. Start an obedience training program using a reward system - forget about physical punishers!

Buy the books,Click Here: For a Well-Trained Dog by Deborah Jones, and The Only Dog Training Book You Will Ever Need: From Avoiding Accidents to Banishing Barking, the Basics for Raising a Well-Behaved Dog
by Gerilyn J. Bielakiewicz, Andrea Mattei

Review his diet- feed a quality food that does not contain any corn products or any by-products. Look at the first four ingredients listed on the label.

Regaining his focus when out of control requires that he know a few behaviors so well that compliance is automatic. Again, a training program would be the answer. The books I mentioned would be helpful. Practice with zero distractions at first, then add a small distraction, then more distractions, etc., until he will automatically perform the behavior regardless of the distractions. All this is taking place, not when he is out-of-control but when he is "normal". When he out-of-control, perhaps you could redirect him to forage. Buy a Kong (very big one) place some duct tape over the small end. Place some treats and kibble inside, fill it up with water and a couple of spoons of chicken broth. Stand it up in your freezer and freeze it. Take it out, remove the tape and see if he will focus on the Kong instead of "going turbo" around the house.

I suggest searching for a local trainer that is certified by CCPDT. Check this web site for a trainer near you.
http://www.apdt.com

Happy Training!
AT