Phenobarbital Alternatives for Treating Dogs with Seizures Naturally
Does your pet dog ever get seizures or suffer from some type of epilepsy? If they do, there is a good chance that you have already heard about the drug phenobarbital, which is one of the more commonly prescribed anticonvulsants that are prescribed for dogs who suffer from these unfortunate conditions. And if you have heard about phenobarbital, you may have wondered whether or not it is safe for your dog to be taking and if there are any natural alternatives that they can take instead. With that being said, here is everything that you need to know about phenobarbital and how it interacts with your dog. On top of that, you will also discover the number one natural alternative to phenobarbital and how it can help prevent seizures within your dog.
Phenobarbital: Is it Safe?
One of the most commonly prescribed drugs for dogs who suffer from seizures, phenobarbital is widely accepted and used across the country to help treat and prevent your dog from having seizures. It works by helping to calm down the neuronal activity that happens within your dog’s brain, which will in turn help to treat any acute seizures, as well as help prevent any future seizures from happening. On a side note, phenobarbital is also commonly used to help treat young children who suffer from seizures as well. On top of that, it is also prescribed to help children who are having a variety of sleep issues, to aid in the withdrawal of drugs, and even to help with anxiety.
One of the main reasons why phenobarbital has become so popular within the veterinary world is due to the fact that it is considered to be generally safe and dogs seem to be able to tolerate it very well. While there are going to be some certain side-effects that can potentially occur, they will typically be of the milder kind and will normally disappear after treatment has gone on for a few weeks. However, there is going to be a smaller percentage of dogs that can have considerably more serious side-effects when they are taking phenobarbital.
Normally administered as a tablet, phenobarbital is also able to be injected into the muscles of your dog or even intravenously. Just be sure that you keep in mind that phenobarbital has not been approved by the FDA to be used on animals.
How Phenobarbital Works in Dogs
Phenobarbital is actually a nonselective central nervous system depressant. To help you to better understand exactly how it works on your dog, you must first understand exactly what a seizure really is.
In the absolute most basic sense, seizures are generally going to be caused by some type of misfiring by the neurons that are located in the brain. It is these neurons that are sending all of the electrical signals within the brain, muscles, spinal cord, and the nerves within the body as well. The information that is being sent is going to be what controls all different aspects of your dog’s body, especially when it comes to their movement. When your dog is suffering from a seizure, their neurons that are in their brain are going to be firing together rapidly, but in a completely uncontrolled manner.
When this happens, it is going to send all different types of mixed signals throughout their body, which is ultimately going to cause the symptoms that will in turn be recognized as that of a seizure.
While there is a very large tendency to associate any types of seizures with epilepsy, there are also a couple of other factors that can cause them. Those factors include:
- There is a sudden decrease or spike in your dog’s blood sugar levels
- Your dog has low levels of oxygen in their blood
- Your dog has tumors or some type of brain damage
- There is some type of liver or kidney condition
- They have experienced a sudden trauma
- They are intoxicated
- They have a very high fever or an extreme infection
When it comes to epilepsy, it is going to be characterized by having continuous and recurring seizures. So just know that just because your dog is suffering from seizures does not automatically mean that they are suffering from epilepsy.
Phenobarbital is able to help prevent seizures from recurring, as well as to help treat a seizure if it is taken while your dog is actively seizing. It does those as it works to depress any type of central nervous system activity, hence it is often times referred to as a central nervous system depressant. On top of that, it is also able to calm the neurons from continuing to rapidly fire, which is the main reason for a seizure to start.
Just a quick note though, that while phenobarbital is a nonselective central nervous system depressant type of drug, it is not going to actually target the specific individual neurons that have become affected during your dog’s seizure.
The Side Effects of Phenobarbital
While Phenobarbital is generally considered to be safe and very well tolerated by most dogs, it does have the potential to produce some side-effects within your pup. Some of the more common types of side-effects that you can expect to see include:
- Excessive thirst and hunger
- An increased amount of urination (however, this is more than likely caused by the increase in the amount of drinking that your dog will be doing)
- Weight gain from an increased appetite and excessive eating
- Restlessness and lethargy
- Will become much more excitable
- A weakness or complete loss of coordination with their back legs, which is more commonly known as ataxia
These are all symptoms that come with taking Phenobarbital and will typically tend to last anywhere from a couple to about four weeks, eventually wearing off as your dog gets further into their treatment.
Phenobarbital and Liver problems
While it is a less common symptom in dogs who are taking phenobarbital, it does have the capabilities to cause some very serious liver problems in your dog and is definitely something that you will want to speak with your veterinarian about. Several different studies have shown that many of the dogs who are on some type of phenobarbital treatment will also show an increase in a certain type of liver enzyme. In most of the cases, this is no big deal and nothing that you are going to need to worry about. However, there are a small percentage of dogs where being on a phenobarbital treatment plan is able to actually cause some very serious liver damage.
This damage to your dog’s liver can then potentially cause an acute liver disease, which can lead to some other, even more serious outcomes. What this means is that if your dog is already suffering from some sort of liver problem, it is probably a better idea to not treat their seizures with phenobarbital.
But if your dog’s liver is perfectly fine and healthy and you are considering getting them started with some type of phenobarbital treatment plan, be sure that you are working with your veterinarian and that they keep an eye on how your dog is responding to the phenobarbital treatment. And be sure that you are also paying extra attention to their liver.
While you may not know how to do this, your vet will, so be sure that you are taking them in to get checkup on a regular basis. You will also want to keep your vet informed about what your dog’s diet is, their lifestyle, and even any other types of supplements or medications that they may be taking.
Knowing the Signs of Liver Disease
If you think that your dog is starting to suffer from some sings of liver problems, you are going to want to pay attention and keep an eye out for these symptoms. If they are displaying any of these symptoms, you can potentially catch the liver disease early, which would minimize the impact it would have on your dog and even treat it accordingly. Some of the signs that you are going to want to look for include:
- A loss of appetite and very rapid weight loss
- They become jaundice
- Gastrointestinal issues and vomiting
- Urine that is smelly and dark
- Stool that is pale or grey in color
- An unstable gait and weakness
Phenobarbital can Cause Your Dog to Become Anemic
Another one of the rare side-effects of taking phenobarbital, it can cause your dog to have anemia, which is a condition that is characterized by not enough red blood cells being in your dog’s blood. This will usually have your dog feeling very lethargic and more fatigued than normal.
But again, this only occurs in very rare instances.
Regardless of how rare this symptom is from phenobarbital; you are going to want to make sure that your dog is being watched for this over the first few weeks of starting their treatment with phenobarbital. If you do notice any of side-effects, be sure that you let your vet know immediately.
Many of the side-effects that come along with phenobarbital will eventually go away once your dog has been able to adjust to their new medication, which normally lasts no longer than a few weeks. However, you will need to keep in mind that there are some side-effects that are much more serious and can even lead to more serious types of conditions if left untreated. So be sure that you are paying attention to your dog to help you detect if they are suffering from any of these sever side-effects.
A Safe, Natural Alternative to Phenobarbital
With all of the potential adverse effects that come along with phenobarbital, there is a very good chance that you are seriously trying to figure out if there is something more natural that can be taken by your dog to avoid them. In fact, anybody who cares about their dog will be doing the very same thing. With that being said, it is always a good idea to try and find a safer, more natural alternative before ever starting your dog on a prescription drug treatment.
Luckily for your dog, if they are suffering from epilepsy or seizures, there is an all-natural, safe supplement that they can take to help prevent their seizures from happening. What is it you’re wondering?
Well known other than a CBD supplement of course.
While you have more than likely already heard of all the health benefits that a CBD supplement can provide for your dog, here is a closer look at CBD and preventing anymore seizures within your dog.
CBD: An All-Natural Anti-Seizure Medication
CBD is sourced from the hemp plant. It is a non-psychoactive, which means that your dog is not going to get any type of ‘high’ feeling or get hit with any type of sedation that is commonly associated with cannabis. Those particular effects are actually caused by a different cannabinoid altogether and is known as THC, which is found in the cannabis plant.
How CBD is able to help your dog with their seizures is actually somewhat similar to how phenobarbital works. While the exact method of how it works has yet to be clarified, what is known is that it does help to calm down any rapid misfiring and other electrical messes that happen within your dog’s brain while they are having a seizure.
Another reason why CBD supplements are a much better alternative to phenobarbital, is the fact that CBD has literally no side-effects other than a little laziness if you are giving your dog too high a dose. If that is the case, all you would need to do to correct it is to dial down the dose of CBD that you are giving them. Essentially, CBD supplements are going to be 100% safe for your dog, and they will essentially be getting the very same outcome as taking phenobarbital.
Just be sure that you speak with your veterinarian prior to starting any type of CBD treatment regimen.
