Natural Remedies For Dog Seizures

Let’s face it … epilepsy and seizures are becoming an epidemic in dogs. Genetics, blood sugar, electrolyte levels, liver and kidney disease, tumors … these are all reasons your dog could have a seizure. 

And those aren’t the only causes. Part of your dog’s routine health care could also lead to seizures including ...

• Vaccines
• Flea, tick and heartworm preventatives
• Other pharmaceutical meds

If your dog suffers from seizures, conventional vets will probably give him medication. While these may help control the seizures, they can be extremely harmful to your dog. And they don’t always work. 

The good news is, there are natural remedies you can try (and there are studies proving they work). 

But before you get to that part, let’s look at some of the conventional treatment options for seizures. 

The Problem With Conventional Seizure Medication 

Seizures are bursts of uncontrolled electrical activity in your dog’s brain. They can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Epilepsy is when your dog has recurring seizures.

If your dog suffers from seizures, your vet might recommend some kind of life-long drug. But these can cause a laundry list of other health problems at the same time!

Here are some of the most common drugs prescribed for dog seizures and the negative health effects they can have on your dog.

Phenobarbital

Short term effects: fatigue, lethargy, nervousness, ataxia (loss of coordination and weakness in the hind end of the body)
Long term effects: anemia and liver damage, including scarring of the liver and eventual liver failure.

Primidone

Short term effects: weight loss, lethargy, ataxia
Long term effects: hepatic necrosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis of the liver

Potassium bromide

Short term effects: irritability, vomiting, ataxia
Long term effects: bromide toxicity

Zonisamide

Short term effects: loss of coordination, depressed appetite, diarrhea, vomiting
Long term effects: hyperthermia, skin reactions, blood disorders

Not only do these drugs side effects, they also contribute to the build-up of toxins in your dog’s body. And this could potentially cause further seizures.

You want to avoid these drugs if you can. Fortunately, you can find natural remedies that do a great job of reducing the severity of seizures in dogs. And there are studies to prove their effectiveness. 

CBD Oil For Seizures In Dogs 

Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is a compound found in the cannabis plant. Most CBD oils come from hemp, not marijuana, and contain very little, if any, THC. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the compound in marijuana that makes it psychoactive (mind altering). So your dog will get all the health benefits of CBD oil but won’t get “high” from it.

CBD oil has been repeatedly tested for seizures in both humans and dogs and has been shown to work well for drug-resistant epilepsy.

In one study, 7 of 8 patients with epilepsy that was resistant to drugs saw a definite improvement within 4 to 5 months of taking CBD oil. In another epilepsy study, 84% of children being treated with CBD oil had a reduction in the number of seizures they experienced.

CBD oil can also protect the nervous system and the brain in other cases as well.

It’s been shown to help patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease by protecting the brain cells from toxicity. For older dogs, CBD oil has been shown to protect the brain from cell death caused by free radicals and toxins.

It’s important to choose the right CBD oil for your dog. For the best results, you want a high quality CBD oil that works, so make sure the product:

• Is organic, otherwise it could contain pesticides, fungicides or solvents
• Is free of additives
• Comes from a manufacturer that provides a certificate of analysis
• Has little or no THC in it

To give CBD oil to your dog, buy a product made for pets and follow the dosing instructions.

Dogs don’t build up a tolerance to CBD oil so you can give it long-term without upping the dose or worrying about long term side effects.

Homeopathy For Seizure In Dogs 

Perhaps one of the greatest assets of homeopathy is its ability to treat seizures. Luckily, there’s some research to back this claim up.

In a 2007 study, dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (epilepsy with no known cause) took Belladonna 200C. While the dogs were seizing, they got 3 to 4 drops of Belladonna every 15 minutes. Researchers did this until they saw a considerable reduction in seizure activity. They then reduced dosing to 4 times daily. Dogs that also had head shaking syndrome received 3 to 4 drops of Cocculus 6C weekly for 3 months.

The number of seizures reduced during the first 2 weeks of the study, and then became occasional over the next 2 weeks. The dogs continued getting Belladonna and had no seizures during 2 to 7 months of follow-up. 

Which Homeopathic Remedies To Use For Dog Seizures

Epilepsy is a chronic disease so it’s treated with a constitutional remedy. A constitutional remedy considers your dog’s personality, emotions and physical makeup.

The constitutional approach aims for a complete cure and offers the best hope of success. But sometimes your homeopath may prescribe an “acute” remedy as well. 

Here are some acute remedies that focus on seizures. For the best results with homeopathy for seizures, you should work with a homeopath. When choosing a remedy, your homeopath will focus on symptoms. 

Aconite

• Seizures appear suddenly 
• Your dog shows fear just before the seizure 

Belladonna

Belladonna is a good remedy for general seizures when the cause is unknown.

• Seizures appear suddenly 
• Convulsions are violent
• Your dog is very sensitive during the seizure (even a slight external stimulus will keep it going)
• Usually single seizure and not clusters (many seizures in a short time frame)
• Often useful when Calcarea carbonica is the indicated constitutional remedy

Bufo

• Seizures occur at night or during sleep
• Seizures are worse in a warm room
• Often dogs howl at the start of the fit

Cicuta virosa

• The head gets thrown back and to the side during spasms, so that the muzzle rests on the shoulder blade facing towards the tail 

Hyoscyamus

• Excessive movements of the face, before a seizure and at other times

Kali brom

Like the drug potassium bromide, Kali brom is a conventional anti-convulsant. Kali brom is the  homeopathic remedy from potassium bromide. 

• Timing of seizures is often linked to estrus
• Excitement before the start of the seizure 

Silica

Silica is the best remedy to try for seizures that began after vaccination. 

How To Give Homeopathic Remedies

When you buy these remedies, they come in tiny pellet form. 30C is the most common potency, but your homeopath may recommend other potencies such as 200C. Remedies are best dissolved in water.

• Take 3 or 4 pellets and put them in a glass dropper bottle of filtered or spring water. Try not to touch the pellets as that can alter the remedy.
• Hit the bottom of the dropper bottle against the palm of your hand 10 times.
• Use the dropper to place some of the liquid on your dog’s gums.

Note: If your dog’s in the middle of a seizure, it can be hard to use the dropper or get close to his mouth. You don’t want him biting a glass dropper by mistake. In this case, use a larger water bottle to dissolve the pellets. Hit the bottle on your hand or give it a good shake, then pour it over your dog’s mouth. You can also use a syringe and squirt the water directly at the mouth.

Do not put your hand in or near his mouth. He’s not in control of his body and could bite you unintentionally. The size of the dose is not important. As long as some of the remedy makes its way onto the gums or other mucous membranes, you’ve dosed your dog. 

Seizures can be incredibly scary for you and your dog. While your dog can’t feel any pain during a seizure, they can cause long term damage. That’s why it’s so important to find ways to manage them. 

Fortunately, you can find proven natural solutions that can help reduce seizure frequency. And they do it without the risks associated with conventional meds.