Hi Eillen,
I’d be asking vet can you do a electroencephalogram (EEG) a noninvasive test that records electrical patterns in the dogs brain & work out does your dog have epilepsy/seizures??
In the mean time I would change her diet to lower fat around 10-14%max fat, if you’re feeding a dry kibble change to another brand kibble with limited ingredients & different ingredients to the ingredients she is eating at the moment & feed her Dinner meal a low fat home cooked meal for 1-2 months & see, does she seem better at night, feed her new kibble for breakfast & then cook some chicken breast or turkey breast & boil some sweet potato & broccolli for dinner, this way she is having a bland meal at night & its not a dry kibble sitting in her stomach…
Xray & Ultra Scan will not show if there something wrong with her stomach & esophagus or if her Pyloric Spincter flap isnt closing properly, when the Pyloric flap doesn’t close this can make the stomach acid wash back up into throat & mouth while they are sleeping & the dog gets up quickly & start swollowing & licking mouth trying to get this awful taste out of their mouth, you need to Endoscope + Biopsies when looking at the stomach & esophagus, biopsies can tell the vet so much information…
I’d try the diet change first before trying any Seizure meds or ask vet what will it cost to have a electroencephalogram (EEG) test done after she has had a seizure withine 24hrs do teh EEG test, like humans have done to work out if they have epilepsy…also the next day after she has had seizure does she sleep or seem lethargic, sick the next day??…….
When I was growing up around 11 yrs old I had a few Epilepsy fits & after I’d have a seizure I’d wake up in hospital & have a really bad headache, felt sick & was very tired…after I was put on Dilantin…Unfortunately dogs metabolize Dilantin much faster than humans do making it extremely ineffective in treating canine epilepsy for some dogs…So the only way vet can work out what medication works best is try out a few different meds but I wouldn’t be putting my dog on any epilepsy medications till the dog has had proper test done first & if he/she was having daily seizures…..
Some of these alternative drugs have shown promise in dogs with seizure disorders. These drugs include clorazepate, felbamate, “gabapentin”, levetiracetam, and zonisamide…
My dog was taking Gabapentin last year for his IBD & aniexties & then vet said give him Gapapentin for his lower back pain, vet did Xray & he has a “square” not round left leg socket into pelvis, vet thinks he might have arthritis pain, but the Gabapantin drugged him up & I also took Gabpentin this year for nerve damage & I woke up feeling soooooo dizzy like I had Vertigo it was a awful feeling, also these seizure meds can be dangerous for dogs… I’d try the diet change first & seee how she goes..
