In May of 2009, our 6 ½ yr old
Golden Retriever: Lola, experienced the first of her many seizures. It was so
very frightening, seeing her first seizure. I had never seen an animal or human
experiencing a seizure and I thought our precious Lola was having a stroke and
dying in front of my helpless eyes… Lola was about to eat her morning breakfast
and suddenly stopped and, looking dazed and confused, she keeled over onto her
side while at the same time emitting saliva from her mouth, combined with a
hacking cough, and a groaning sound, she would then move her legs in a very
fast and convulsive manner, as if she were running quickly… she had no control
over her urination and when she came out of the seizure, she would spend hours
being very clingy, seemingly not wanting to be left alone. That entire scene
would soon repeat itself, on an average every five days for the next year…
In utter desperation, I researched
online every symptom that Lola was experiencing. I eventually came to the
conclusion that the common denominator with other dog owners was that we all
were using Frontline Plus Flea & Tick and Heartgard Plus heartworm
medications. Researching further, I found that these very popular and
veterinarians’ highly recommended remedies were, in fact, comprised of
pesticides, which the manufacturer includes as a main ingredient in order to
kill fleas, ticks, worms, etc... Depending upon the size and breed of your dog,
continuous use of these pesticides can be poisonous to your pet, causing
seizures and possible death.
After charting every seizure for
more than nine months, I decided to stop giving Lola her flea and tick
medication. Her seizures became less frequent, however they still continued.
In May of 2010, one year after
experiencing her first seizure, Lola experienced a very frightening seizure
which led to her falling down a flight of stairs in our house… Blood emitted
from her mouth (I was just very thankful that she had not broken any bones in
her legs or neck!), and it led me to finally stopping ALL medications,
including her heartworm medication. I figured I had nothing to lose…
The seizures immediately stopped and
have not returned to date: June 13, 2017.
In conjunction with completely
stopping the above-mentioned medications, I have been giving Lola daily drops
of an herbal supplement called PetAlive EaseSure, which is advertised to help
sooth the brain, and nervous system. It can be purchased online at:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com (Amazon.com also sells this product)
along with other natural and holistic products including natural flea and tick
remedies and shampoos. I do not know with 100% certainty that PetAlive
EaseSure works in easing/eliminating seizures in pets, or if it is just a
coincidence, but I am not going to take the chance by stopping the use of this
product. PLEASE NOTE: I stopped using this product one year ago, in June of 2016, and Lola is still seizure free. I feel that PetAlive EaseSure may have been beneficial for the first few years after stopping the above mentioned flea/tick & heart worm medications but, like so many medications (natural or not), excessive use and/or the natural aging process of your dog seem to override the overall positive effects.
One thing I do know with 100% certainty is that Lola’s seizures stopped
immediately when I ceased using HeartGard Plus heartworm medication, and
she had been seizure-free for the past 8 years. Lola is now 14 1/2 years old.
I do not deny that this medication and the above-mentioned
Frontline Plus flea & tick medication, may both be very effective in the
early years of an animal's life in helping to prevent heartworm and flea &
tick infestation, however serious thought should be given to researching the
possible term limitation of prescribing and recommending these medications once
a dog lives past a certain age. In the case of Lola, it seems five (5) years
should have been her limit, and such a study might reveal different ages for
different breeds.
