AboutPatti Expertise To date, I've owned 7 dogs, all of which have lived into old age.
Having cared for them in all stages of life, I feel I can offer sound advice to other pet owners, and people considering getting a dog.
I am knowledgeable about the AKC (American Kennel Club) dog breeds, training and exercise, caring for sick and elderly pets, feeding, as well as many holistic treatments pets can benefit from.
My only request is that you write me using standard English and punctuation.
Experience My life experience in this field is more like "on the job training" rather than an actual degree in animal welfare. You may benefit from my experiences over the past 30 years.
Aside from the dogs I've owned, I'm also involved in "breed rescue" and have fostered several dogs, all of which have been adopted to wonderful "forever homes".
I find helping people who want a dog very rewarding.
He had the runs and the vet gave him Flagyl to stop it. Everything worked
out great for the first 24 hrs. It stopped the diarrhoea but he had a
seizure within 24 hrs of taking the medication. We rushed him to the vet
and asked her to look at him. She mentioned that it was very hard for her
to believe that the medication caused it. I immediately took him off of
the medication after one day. It has been 10 days now without a
reoccurrence of a full blown seizure but yesterday he has developed a head
tremor like syndrome.
My research in to the drug is that there are possible side effects if
overdosed or used on puppies or kittens that are seizure like conditions.
I am desperate to find out if the seizures are related to the drugs or if
it was an underlying condition. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it
take days, weeks or months to weed this out of their system?
Any information at all would be greatly appreciated. It breaks my heart
every time I think about this poor little guy and how the meds may have
seriously or permanently damaged him.
Answer Hi Ken,
Thank you for sending me a picture of Casey. In the many months's I've been participating in "All Experts" yours in the first picture I've received. He's beautiful.
I was able to find out that Flagyl (Metronidazol) can have the side effect of "neurologic signs" if overdosed. The neurologic signs are: staggering, head tilt to one side, dilated pupils, and bizarre back and forth eye movements called "nystagmus".
Those side effects are very much the same symptoms as seizure activity in dogs. Could it be that your dog was prescribed too much Flagyl?
My information says that these side effects will resolve in a matter of days when medication is withdrawn.
Your vet should be aware that this is a side effect which Flagyl can produce, and take note not to use it on your dog in the future.
If this were my dog, I'd call the vet and tell her about the head tremor you witnessed, see what she says. Tell her that you read about the side effects, and ask her flat out if she thinks the recent head tremor could be a side effect even though the dog hasn't been on Flagyl for several days.
Keep on eye on the dog to see if there is any more seizure activity. It might have been a side effect of the Flagyl, or maybe it's just a coincidence that the dog had a seizure after he was given Fagyl, and the two events really have nothing to do with each other.
There are blood tests your vet can use in determining whether or not chemical imbalances are at the root of the epileptic episodes.
One of my dogs developed epilepsy a few years ago. He's responded very well to treatment, and lives a normal happy and very active life. I mention that only so that you know there is plenty of hope!
If I can be of further help, please feel free to write back. Best of luck,
