Seizure Cease: Letter from a Concerned Dog Owner

Hi all - I recently received the following letter from a reader whose dog had been experiencing seizures. The concerned owner just informed me that her decision to stop all vet-prescribed meds for flea/tick & heartworm are working and that her dog, thus far, appears to be seizure-free:

September 18, 2015
Hi Russ,

I just read your article and this sounds like what happened to my 5 pound Yorkie.  I have been giving her Heartguard and Frontline as recommended by my vet for the past 3 years. My dog is almost 8 years old, we adopted her, and have had her for about 3 years.  She was very healthy and never had any problems until recently.
About 4 months ago, a few days after I gave her the above meds, she had her first seizure.  When I asked my vet if Heartguard and Frontline  could cause a seizure , she said probably not, so I continued giving her these meds.  Last week I again gave my dog the Heartguard and Frontline and 4 days later, she had a full blown seizure.  Labs were drawn at the vet and everything came back normal.  The next day, she had another seizure.   I again asked my vet about these meds causing seizures and I was told she probably has idiopathic epilepsy.  I am a nurse and have done a lot of reading on epilepsy.  I don't believe she has this at all- I truly believe it's the Heartguard and Frontline.  I am not going to give her these meds again.  I hope she will be alright.  Thanks for your enlightening article.  It makes me feel like I know what I am talking about and what is best for my dog.  I'm throwing these meds away and praying her seizures will stop. - A.M.

Latest Heartguard/Dog Seizure Story

Doreen Grifin was kind enough to send me the following email today (7-30-15) about her Golden Retriever Jasmine:

"Hi Russ:

I found your story very interesting and wonder what happened over the next few years.

My 8 year old Golden had a seizure one day after Heartguard Plus and then another 6 days later, so my vet put her on Phenobarbital saying it was late on-set epilepsy.

Everything was fine (24 days) until I gave the next Heartguard Plus and she had seizures 2 days in a row, 24 hours after Heartguard, even though she was on Phenobarbital!

I am not going to give her any more, even though my vet said Heartguard has nothing to do with seizures.  She has a Seresto flea collar, so I took that off as well. 

She took Heartguard with no problems for 7 years, but I believe as you do, that over time, they can develop issues with it. 

Thank you for sharing your story. Doreen Grifin"

My response to Doreen:

"Hi Doreen - I am happy to report that Lola is 13 years old and experiencing only old age related problems. She has been seizure free for six years since I totally stopped giving her any of the Heartguard flea & tick and heart worm medications. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Phenobarbital. 

I have been giving her a half tablet (recommended dosage via Vet is a full tablet) of Carprofen which helps her sleep better (and me!) during the night as it is a pain relief aid for her bad hips. Thus far she has had no ill effects of this medication which I have been giving her for the past 6 months. I hope that you and Jasmine have a seizure-free future! Take care and big hugs for your Golden Jasmine from Lola and me :-) Russ"