[LeahT]

Seeing all the hype about Blue Buffalo and other natural dog foods we asked our vet about switching both of our girls over to something else, but he said that most of the research behind grains causing health problems is somehow funded by these dog food companies themselves. It makes sense to me, since it’s pretty much the same with human food products too, but I’m not all that convinced.

We recently lost our black Lab just a few months after her 13th birthday. She had had seizures for years, but we were told that with her age and being a purebred she was prone to epilepsy. She also had a surgery just a few weeks before the seizures began to remove a tumor in her neck that was dangerously close to her spinal cord, so we always assumed that something might have gone wrong with the surgery. Her seizures weren’t bad enough for Phenobarbital up until the very end, but she had been on Neurotrophin PMG (from Standard Process). It seemed to help for a while, but shortly before she passed away her seizures started getting closer together.

Now though, our Jack Russell Terrier is beginning to have seizures. She has had maybe 5 over the past 3 months, and although they are not extreme, I can see the same signs in our Jack as in the early stages of our lab. It seems to be too much of a coincidence to not somehow be related to the food they both ate. We are going to try the Neurotrophin with her as well, but we were planning to try changing her dog food as well. Our vet recommended Purina or Pedigree, and she has been on Pedigree for most of her life. Based on what I have found I definitely need to take her off Pedigree. We also have an appointment with a new vet next week, so we are trying all the options. All the research I have been doing on dog food is a little overwhelming though, so I was hoping someone could direct me toward a brand to try with her?

Thank you!
-Leah

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi LeahT –

You vet obviously knows very little about nutrition, this is expected – vets receive minimal education concerning nutrition and what they do receive is funded by the big name corporations like Nestle (Purina), Mars (Royal Canin and Pedigree), Colgate-Palmolive (Science Diet) and Proctor and Gamble (Iams and Eukanuba). Purina and Pedigree are two of the lowest quality dog foods available. Personally, if I were in the situation you are in I would find a new veterinarian.

I would recommend checking out the following articles/videos from Dr. Karen Becker. Dr. Becker is a holistic veterinarian who is very knowledgeable about species-appropriate nutrition and alternative therapies:

“Treating Seizure Disorders in Pets”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/11/03/treating-pets-seizure-disorders.aspx

“Pet Seizures and Diet”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/22/pet-seizures-and-pet-dog-cat-food-diet.aspx

“Holistic Medicine Cures Estie of her Seizures and Allergies”

healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/03/11/holistic-medicine-saves-estie.aspx

[theBCnut]

I have nothing to add except to say that HDM gave some EXCELLENT advice.

[LeahT]

Thank you for the links! I read through them and they are all very helpful.

We have been going to the same vet for years, and my parents for many years before now, but I have been wondering for a while if he is sort of out of touch with more current practices. We had taken our lab to another vet about an hour from here, but he brushed her seizures off as being something genetic. He was the one who recommended we try Neurotrophin, but didn’t seem to have any concern about her food. I will definitely be getting her thyroid levels checked as well.

From what I read in those our Jack needs a diet without carbs, low in fat, and high in protein. I would love to put her on a raw food diet, but I honestly don’t know enough about it that I would trust myself to do that. I would rather, at least until I do some additional research, find a dog food brand to try with her that suits that diet.

I have also read online somewhere (I can’t remember if it was this site or somewhere else?) that there might be some link between seizures and rosemary in dog food. Does anyone know if there is any real evidence behind that?

So, does anyone have any recommendations for low carb, low fat, and high protein dry dog food? And possibly one that falls into that criteria that does not have rosemary? I’m not even certain what is considered “low fat” and “low carb” for dog food, but I found a few through this site that seemed to fit that: Back to Basics, Dried-N-Alive Chicken Formula, Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural, EVO Turkey and Chicken Formula, Primal Freeze-Dried Beef Formula, and ZiwiPeak Dehydrated Venison. I’m not sure what would be the best, but the freeze-dried/dehydrated seemed to have the lowest carb content.

Thanks!

[Hound Dog Mom]

I’ve heard mixed information regarding feeding rosemary containing foods to epileptic dogs. I’ve read sources that claim it’s a neurotoxin and can trigger seizures and I’ve also read that in the form and amount it’s used in in pet food it’s not an issue. If it were me, I’d avoid it – better safe than sorry.

A “low fat” food would be a kibble having 12% or less fat, a canned food having 15% or less fat or a raw food having 17% or less fat. Dogs foods typically don’t disclose the level of carbohydrates (although you can find estimations for certain formulas on the review section of DFA) so for this reason I find it easier to focus on the protein level of the food rather than the carb level. As far as kibble goes, foods with 30% or more protein are going to be the “lower carb” foods. If you go with canned or raw foods you can find options that are much lower in carbs/higher in protein than you could if feeding kibble (although many canned foods and raw foods are high in fat so you need to be conscious of this).

[DieselJunki]

Have you thought about a dehydrated food?

Edit: Oh, well you did say dry food didn’t you. Well it starts off dry at least 😛

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DieselJunki.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DieselJunki.

[LeahT]

Thank you HDM! It seems to be pretty much impossible to find natural dog food without rosemary, extract, or oil, but I have found a few. Wysong seems to be one of the best as far as high in protein and low in carbs/fat, but I can’t find any without rosemary. I’m hoping the new vet we are taking her to next week will be able to do an allergy test so that I know a little more of what I’m looking for, but I do have a few in mind now.

DieselJunki – I have been looking into dehydrated food as well. It looks to be pretty expensive, but I’m perfectly willing to give it a try with her if it will help. Is there something you would recommend?

[paige-s]

Raw food would be excellent for a dog with seizures – and a fish formula would be beneficial as well. you could try canine caviar special needs formula. I have alot of customers at the store i work at with their babies and seizures and these 2 options have been working fantastic. i am not a vet or trained pet nutritionist, just telling you what i have seen work for others in similar situations.

[paige-s]

canine caviar special needs ingrediants: Whole Ground Brown Rice, Dehydrated Chicken, Whole Ground Linseed, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Sun Cured Alfalfa, Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Culture, Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Culture, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Culture, Sun-Cured Kelp, FOS (prebiotic), Calcium Proteinate, Sodium Chloride, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Parsley, Fenugreek, Peppermint, Taurine, Selenium, Whole Clove Garlic, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin C, Papaya, Rose Hips, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Niacin, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Potassium Proteinate, Folic Acid.

Special Needs

[LeahT]

I would love to switch her to a raw food diet, but I want to make sure I have done enough research before trying something like that. I want to get her some dry food for now that will hold her over until I feel comfortable with raw food.

I’ll look into the special needs formula though. Thanks! The ones reviewed on this site were a little too high in carbs, but I’ll see if I can find a breakdown for that formula specifically.

Right now I’m looking into possibly Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural, Taste of the Wild, or Evo Turkey and Chicken Formula, and possibly mixing in some frozen raw or dehydrated/freeze-dried. We’ll see what the allergy test says.

[DieselJunki]

I too was very nervous about starting raw. It seems overwhelming at first. I’m starting mine on it next week. I asked a lot of questions and then read some more, joined a few raw food forums and Yahoo Groups. When I finally put together a menu for a month I put it on here and got lots of wonderful feedback. I adjusted my menu accordingly (well hound dog mom helped Alot with that) and put in an order.

But before, while I was researching, I’ve been feeding The Honest Kitchen. Reading about them (reviews on this site and others as well) and going to their website seeing that they only use human grade food in their food just kind of sealed the deal for me. However it is a bit pricey. Around $95 for a 10lb box. But your dog being on the smaller side it will last you much longer than it lasts me.

Some sites you can order raw food and have them ship it to you are:
My Pet Carnivore
Hare Today Gone Tomorrow
Carnivore Feed Supply (this is a yahoo group)
Or if you live close enough you can go and pick it up and save on shipping.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by DieselJunki.

[LeahT]

I had looked at The Honest Kitchen, but that was another one that used rosemary as a natural preservative. There might not be anything behind the connection with rosemary and seizures, but I would like to try finding something without rosemary for now.

I will definitely check out those other sites though. Thank you!

I have been reading about Darwin’s raw, and those don’t seem to have rosemary. They are also running an introductory offer for 10 pounds for $14.95, so I thought I would try that with her. She has become a bit of a picky eater since our lab passed away, so I want to try finding a smaller amount before investing $90 in something she won’t eat.

The problem is though that I live in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky, so there aren’t all that many natural dog food options offered around here. Even Feeder’s Supply, Pet Smart, etc. has a limited selection and most of that is Blue Buffalo. Chances are we will have to order whatever we feed her online.

With the cost of any store bought raw I’m still hoping to maybe feed her half raw/dehydrated and half dry. Hopefully I can narrow down the dry foods I am considering once we get an allergy test.

[Laura C]

I’m wondering if you found a food for your dog. My dogs seizures are becoming worse. She’s on phenobarbital and just added KBr to her regimen. I’m certain a better food would help her…wondering if you could recommend one.

[Dori]

If you live near a Pet Smart, they carry Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw. It is a very good commercial raw diet that takes all the guess work out of your preparing raw yourself and wondering how to balance it all out. I feed commercial raw foods and Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is one of the foods in my rotation. Others I use are Primal Raw, Stella & Chewy’s Raw, Darwin’s (fabulous food and one of the raw foods with the lowest amount of fat that I have found), Vital Essential’s Raw, Answers Detailed Raw. There are quite a few others, just wanted to give you some ideas. Some are more difficult to find, but as I said Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw is sold at Petco and Petsmart and a lot of small pet food stores also.

I have read on occasion on this site that some dogs that are prone to seizures are having difficulty with rosemary. So as HDM stated, I too would avoid it. Why take chances.

Also, please go with a grain free food. Dogs have no need for grains, potatoes, rice, corn, soy and, in fact, these ingredients cause many different issues in dogs. Switching to raw made a world of difference with my three dogs.

As HDM stated, traditional vets are not nutritionists. Pay no attention to their advice on feeding unless you are going to a holistic, homeopathic vet. They are very hard to find. And certainly do not feed your dog any of the foods that the traditional vet sells. Very little actual quality (if any at all) real food in what they sell. Pedigree, Purina, Iams are also terrible foods. Lots of fillers and very little quality proteins.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 5 months ago by Dori.

[pmsuperstar84]

LeahT, I live in Lexington and work at a holistic pet health store. We do special orders all the time for stuff we don’t stock on the floor. In fact, I special order my cat’s raw diet from one of our distributors. I know there are a tiny handful of stores like us in the state but they should be able to order as well. What were you looking for?

[Rachael D]

I just switched My dog and cats to a grain free diet. My cat was having grand mal seizures. after thousands of dollars at the vet just to be right back where we started I decided to try this approach after much research. I have them on Orijen brand dry food “six fish” flavor and supplement with fish oil or coconut oil a few times a week. So far so good!

[Kimberly C]

I want to try raw for my seizure dog, but am highly concerned about the quality of the commercial ones. However, I don’t want to prepare it myself. I have researched and researched soooo much and spent a small fortune on dog food, homemade diets, etc. My dog loves the homemade cooked recipes I cook for him, but hates the supplements I have to add to balance it out. He doesn’t seem to thrive on anything…..he scratches, has ear problems, chews his feet, you name it. So, the only option I seem to have left is raw, although it does scare me……guess I’m looking for support and reassurance.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Kimberly C.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Kimberly,

What supplements are you adding that you feel he doesn’t like? What are you feeding him currently? Where are you getting your recipes?

Have you identified his food intolerances? It sounds like he’s reacting to something.

You’re doing right by him.

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly C. It sounds as though your dog is having food intolerances/sensitivities. First off he should be on grain free foods. Avoid corn, soy, white potatoes, rice and all poultry. That’s for starters. You also mention that your dog has seizures. Very important is to avoid any foods that contain rosemary in any form.

I have three small dogs all of which are on commercial raw dog foods. One of my girls has a multitude of food intolerances which is what led me on the road to raw feeding about three years ago. I started by eliminating all the ingredients I mentioned above. I feed commercial raw foods. I’m not inclined to make my own because, well…. truth be told I just don’t feel like doing it. Here is the list of commercial raw food companies that I have researched to death over the years and that I trust. Primal Raw Pronto, Primal Raw Formulas (these are Primal’s complete and balanced foods…you don’t have to add anything to them in the way of supplements). Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Dog Foods, Vital Essential Raw Foods, OC Raw Dog Food, Answer’s Detailed Raw Frozen. I also from time to time have on hand their freeze dried foods (they’re raw and you can feed as is without hydrating). As for dehydrated foods, the only one I use is The Honest Kitchen’s Zeal formula. The others contain some type of poultry or white potatoes that I choose not to feed. I feed what is called a rotational diet. I rotate different brands and different proteins within the brands with the exception of any and all poultry. I also do not feed any commercial treats. For the most part they all contain some sort of grain and there have been way too many recalls of dog treats for me to take a chance with my dogs. For treats I feed them little pieces of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I puree them. Sometimes they’re cooked from our dinner. For the most part since I use them as treats for them I’m not particularly concerned about how much nutritional value they get from the fruits and veggies. The enjoy them, as they would a commercial treat, and that is my intent in giving them to them. If they get some nutritional value from them, even a little, that’s great; if not, that’s not the purpose I give them the treats. Of course you know you can go on google and just google what fruits and vegetables you can feed your dogs or go in reverse and type in what fruits and veggies you should not be feeding your dogs. Always, of course avoid onions, grapes, raisins. As for fruits, never feed anything that still has it’s pit or seeds. They tend to be toxic. As for apples I always don’t feed the peel. Apples are sprayed continuously to detract worms. They are also highly waxed to appear pretty for the consumer. I think I read somewhere, but don’t now remember where, that the skin of an apple has more bacteria than any other fruit on the market. That would probably hold true for cucumbers on the market due to the same reasons. I feed both but I peel them. Hope any of this has helped you. If you have any other questions, please ask.

Please remember to check any and all foods you feed your seizure dog so that you avoid rosemary in any form. Studies have shown (in people so far as no study has been done in animals as of yet) that if one has a predisposition to seizures, rosemary can trigger a seizure.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[Kimberly C]

The most recent diets/supplements I’ve had him on are PetDiets.com and BalanceIt, both recommended by my vets. One of my vets suggested taking him off chicken to see if he was allergic. I took him off the white chicken for a while and it seemed to help some, and when we put him back on the white meat he seemed to itch more. I’ve also tried the “Honest Kitchen”, numerous premium canned foods, dry dog foods (which he absolutely hates) and have use some recipes from Dr. Pitcairn’s book (except I lightly cooked the meat) and Janie Knetzer’s book, “Home Cooking For Sick Dogs”. Some of the vitamin/mineral supplements I used with these have been “Vitalmix” which I bought from Purely Pets, and Drs. Foster and Smith multivitamin. The list goes on and on, but these are the main ones.

[Kimberly C]

Hi Dori….looks like you have a dog similar to mine…is yours a Maltese? I have a Maltipoo. I’ve had other dogs in the past, both big and small, but have never had a dog with seizures until I got my maltipoo. He is almost 4 years old and most of his problems started about 2 years ago…..it has been one heck of a rollercoaster ride and many trips to the vet, however, I wouldn’t trade him for anything…..he is such a joy to have even with all the challenges. I was glad to hear you mention not giving him grains because that seems to be such a controversial subject. I’ve been wanting to try him on raw food, but like you, I don’t want to prepare it myself. The Raw Instinct sounds like a good start as well as using a rotational diet…..just makes sense.

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly. The dog in my avatar is my 15 1/2 year old Maltese named Hannah. I also have a 5 1/2 year old Yorkipoo named Lola. My girl with all the issues (she also has environmental allergies) is a 5 1/2 year old Maltipoo. Her name is Katie. She was the runt of the littler and the tiniest dog I had ever seen. She was due to be put down and so we brought her into our family at the age of 9 weeks. She had food intolerance issues right from when we got her. She also had to have knee surgery for a level 4 – 5 luxating patella at under a year old. We could no longer adjust her leg (knee) manually so surgery was the only course of action left for us. She also had to have her four front top teeth removed because her lower canines were growing straight out the bottom (not to the sides where they should be) so the top teeth were interfering with the lower canines. It’s been one thing after another with our poor sweet Katie but for all that, I will say that she has been the most loving, sweet, affectionate little dog we have ever had. With the exception of a Tibetan Terrier that I had a number of years ago all the dogs in my life and now with my husband have been toy dogs with hair. I’m allergic to animals so fur is a no go in my home.

I will mention that other than seasonal allergies that Katie still has to deal with she has remains allergy free as it concerns diet since making all the changes. She was a complete mess before. Yeasty smelly ears, scratching 24/7, horrendous breath, gas to knock you out of the house let along the room, red rimmed eyes, her eyes were always full of goop and awful tear stains. Oh I could go on and on. She was at the vet all the time. I also was taking her to an allergist. Of course she also had her orthopedic surgeon and then there was her oral surgeon. She was on Atopica back then which is a horrendous prescription allergy medication that really does a number on their organs. She was also supplemented with Benadryl. None of that actually helped by the way. So I got serious about figuring out what to do and came across this site on the web and that was the beginning for all three of my dogs nutritional health. I cannot remember when the last time Katie had to have an antihistamine. It’s been years.

[Kimberly C]

Wow Dori! Thanks for sharing……I’m definitely starting to feel more comfortable about feeding raw. However, I live in a small town and sometimes order his food online. We have a Petsmart not too far off, but we don’t get out that way much. Which flavor of the raw instinct do you use, and do you buy the freeze dried or the frozen? And I saw you mentioned The Honest Kitchen “Zeal”…did your dogs take to this flavor pretty well? My Pepe is a very finicky eater, but I’ve got to get him on a better diet. Also, what do you think of Stella freeze dried?

[Dori]

Hi Kimberly. The Honest Kitchen you can order on line. You can also order a lot of the freeze dried foods on line also. I mostly feed the frozen raw foods but if you don’t have as much access to smaller dog food stores that typically carry a variety of commercial raw foods then you can feed the freeze dried foods and when you do get to Petsmart you can stock up on the Nature’s Variety Instinct raw foods so long as you have the freezer space (I think both Petco and Petsmart only carry Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw as a commercial raw food. With all brands that I feed I rotate between the different proteins as long as they don’t contain any chicken or turkey and that includes chicken fat and turkey fat in the list of ingredients in the foods but that’s only because Katie, my Maltipoo is highly intolerant of all poultry so I feed all three dogs the same exact food. I’m not sure which online stores you order from but I think chewy.com is a very popular on line site that a lot of posters on DFA order from and $49.00 and over they offer free shipping. I’m fortunate that I live in Atlanta, Ga. with an over abundance of local pet food stores so I can pretty much buy any dog food I want to try with my dogs. Another thing you can also try is calling and/or emailing companies that you would like to try their freeze dried and dehydrated foods and ask for samples. Most companies will charge you a nominal fee for shipping and others will charge you a nominal fee for samples and shipping. It’s a good way to see how your dog does on different foods.

As far as Stella and Chewy’s. I have tried it in the past and I know a lot of posters feed it. I don’t. I’m not really sure I remember the reasons for it. I’m sure my girls liked it but none of my dogs are picky eaters. They know that with me as their mom if they see food down for them they need to eat because in 20 minutes it will be gone and I won’t feed them until the next scheduled meal. I’ve always trained all my dogs meal times that way. So it’s a non issue here but as soon as their bowls are down they just inhale their food. For three teeny weenie dogs that are on the lean side they just love to eat. All three girls recently had their yearly physicals and all blood work came back great and the vet is very happy with all of their weights.

Edit: I meant to mention that Vital Essentials makes really good freeze dried foods. My dogs favorites (though they love all foods) is the tripe. But all the freeze dried foods from the companies I mentioned in a different post to you are great. I’ve used them all.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[pmsuperstar84]

Honest Kitchen is now being carried at Pet Supermarket. I prefer Stella & Chewy’s to THK though. They just make a very good product. As for Vital Essentials Raw, they are my favorite because the ingredient panel is so simple. My IBD cat is actually on the raw frozen cat version but they will be discontinuing it so the dog version is nearly identical to it except for the taurine that I will add.

[Kimberly C]

Thank you to everyone……I finally feel like I’m headed in the right direction….nothing like hearing real testimonies. Hopefully in the near future Pepe and I will have a testimony to share too :^)

[Laurel S]

Hello – Happy to have found this forum. We have a 5 year old Aussie Mix who is also seizure prone. No medication, and has had about 6 seizures over 5 years, but very serious grand mal variety. I have had good luck with removing Rosemary from his diet as well. As others have said, better safe than sorry. We have also added a supplement called Cholodine that was recommended by our vet. While he does still have seizures, I’m sure there are other triggers that we have not identified that are at work, but at least they are very infrequent since changing his diet.

As far as food, at the time (several years ago) one of the only dry foods I could find that didn’t include Rosemary was Natural Balance Ltd Ingredient Sweet Potato and Fish. Only available near us (Illinois) from Petco. We were sailing along until Del Monte purchased Natural Balance last summer. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on them closely. Recently I’ve read about several issues with their foods, not necessarily the dry, but feel it’s only a matter of time.

I too, have been looking to make a change. Heard recently about American Natural Premium made in Mequon, WI. They make several grain free options (I don’t think potatoes are considered a grain). There’s also some question whether this food is actually a part of Fromm (also made in Mequon), but for legal reasons they won’t actually claim that, however ANP was a bit more vague about it so I’m curious for sure. Fromm is a very well respected company with no recalls and family owned and operated since i think 1949. American Natural Premium, I believe, is more of a private label, not advertised, etc., and therefore less expensive.

I’m curious if anyone has used either Fromm Grain Free dry or American Natural Premium Grain Free varieties for there seizure prone dogs. Appreciate any and all info. Reading this forum it’s helpful to know others are dealing with the same issues and just trying to look out for our doggies best interests 🙂

[Laura C]

hey Laurel…I’ve learned alot in my research of seizures. Besides rosemary…dogs with seizures need not only grain free, but also low carb, which includes ALL potatoes. A raw diet is best for these dogs…Dr. karen Becker (google her) has a lot of info regarding raw. As far as commercial food, a good one is Orijen Regional Red…it is high protein, moderate fat and low carb.

Shoot me an email if you have more questions…I have a hard time coming to this site with my work hours.

[email protected]

[Michelle L]

My 5yr old chow/ shepherd mix started having seizures a year ago. We started her on Victor Dog food and have had excellent results. Recently we went back to cheaper grocery brands due to costs and they have returned. Will definitely go back to Victor. It is also made in Texss and has had no recalls that I can find.sold at supply stores.

[M W]

My 4 pound Maltese is having Petit mal seziures and also has Irritable bowel syndrome. I have him on Natural Balance Vension and Sweet Potatoe.
I’m concerned about the Rosemary in it. He is super sensitive to really any fruits or vegetables. Any ideas on a good brand of food for these two conditions. Thank you

[Sue W]

I got my first rescue dog in 2008 – and he had at least 2 – 3 seizures a week – we got him tested for allergies and then removed all the allergens from his food and environment(the best we could of course – he’s allergic to grass) And now he has 1 seizure maybe every 7 weeks. My suggestion is get him tested for food allergies – we did the whole spectrum of allergens but getting the ‘food allergens’ tested first would probably help a lot.

[anonymous]

First of all, seizures are a neurological disorder, it has nothing to do with the food.
Sure there are triggers. The amount of rosemary used in processed dog food is minute and unlikely to be the culprit (imo) I suggest consulting a veterinary neurologist.
The general rule of thumb is that if the dog is having 1 or more seizures a month the dog needs to go on daily medication.
If the symptoms are related to environmental allergies and your regular vet agrees, ask for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist, for intradermal skin testing.
You can use the search engine here to search both, “environmental allergies” and “seizures”.

[Cheryl P]

My two-and-a-half-year-old border collie died this past January he develop seizures because of an ingested flea medication. But I have a question when I went to the vet, I asked about putting my dog on a grain-free diet, his reply was that it would be bad for his heart? Anyone know why he would say that? I may get another pup this summer and I want to start him off right. And I still have a five-year-old border collie at home

[Jo R]

Please ask your Vet for more information regarding the correlation between grain free dog food and a silent, often fatal heart disease. Still in research stage, but FDA and several top schools, (Tuffs, USC Davis, NC State) are involved in finding out what is the issue. For now all are recommending grain inclusive food from well established companies.

[anonymous]

I hope you find this site helpful, it is run by a veterinarian. Nothing is being sold there.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/category/nutrition/

[Patricia A]

Please consider vaccinations as a possible cause for seizures. I hope you have a vet who is up to date on the dangers of many health problems associated with those yearly vaccinations . I wised up many years ago when my chi needed surgery for a luxatting patella common in small breeds. Vet insisted on full set of shots before surgery. Her blood work was perfect until tested again on day of surgery. She had extremely low white count. Instead of knee surgery she needed bone marrow testing . Test results were immune mediated low white from vaccination. Then there was the lepto vaccination in my then 16 year old Doxie. By night his face swelled huge and had to go to emergency vet. Again from vaccination. Fast forward when I had Loli spayed and vet said kennel cough nasal was necessary. Well needless to say this healthy little puppy was now hacking and sneezing from the live kennel cough virus he gave her. Had to cancel her appt until she was over cold.
I now will only get rabies . That was three years ago and titer still shows they have immunity.
Please read: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dangerous-over-vaccination-on-the-rise/
I do believe in NECESSARY vaccinations and the NECESSARY boosters given separately until they are one year. Immunity lasts far longer then was thought. Getting a titer is the best thing you can do for your pet if you want to avoid all the adverse effects of all these vaccinations.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8572826/ns/health-pet_health/t/still-vaccinating-your-pet-every-year/#.XGsHoC3MzJ8

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,

Which Flea product did he take?? did you report to FDA

https://www.tumblr.com/drjeandoddspethealthresource/178817671296/fda-warning-flea-tick-products

When you do get a new dog DO NOT use any of these never Flea chews they’re poison,
“Frontline Plus Spot on” or “Frontline Spray” only penitrates 2 layers of the dogs skin, so it doesn’t go into the dogs blood & poison the poor dog… I do not use any Flea products, Heartworm meds, dont vaccinate after the dog is 2 yrs old

Follow “Dr John Robb Protect The Pets”
https://www.facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/
they have found a dogs vaccination last up to 7 yrs, so why are these vets over vaccinating our pets & now if you have a small dog under 50lbs – 25kg check & make sure the vaccination dose is 1/2 the amount..

Follow “Rodney Habib” on his F/B page he post about nutrition, over vaccinating, diets, dog behaviour, why is your dog so hyper its probably whats he’s eating, Rodney & Dr Karen Becker are both a wealth of information to bring up a healthy dog, he’s doing a story at teh moment oldest living dogs & what they ate.. it wasnt dry kibble try & stay away from over processed dry kibble…
Look into feeding a raw diet or if you cant handle raw look at Freeze dried/Dehydrated raw…there’s heaps of good brands around..
https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib

[Lisa J]

My dog was having multiple seizures and the vet started him on Phenobarbital which worked for a couple months. Then his seizures increased to a daily basis which they switched him to Keppra 3 times a day which helped but did not stop the seizures. He began having clusters every few days so I read not to give any food with Rosemary extract as well as reaseached CBD oil for dogs. This was January 2018. So I got him the oil, changed his food to Fromm and sometimes Diamond Naturals. I still kept him on the seizure medication but I changed the food and added the CBD oil. He has not had a seizure since January 15, 2018.

Hope this helps you and any other babies. I truly believe to eliminate the rosemary helped tremdously. Much research has been done to confirm this.

[kelly C]

First time here and thank you all for all your tips and advises. Really helpful. I have a little dog that is malipoo who will be turning 13 yrs this coming June. He is a really happy and playful dog full of love and joy always. He’s been on anti seizure med since he was 2 and was diagnosed diabetic Aug 2017 ( He was 10 ) I am planning on switching his food to a new food as recently switched food is not settling too well from stomach to his BG ( Blood Glucose ) fluctuations. Thinking of switching to Orijen Senior Dog Food.
I need to look out for 2 things in his food 1) Diabetes ( low carb, high fiber )
2) Seizures ( No rosemary and grain free which i have learnt )
My question/request now is can you tell me if the ingredients listed below is good ( safe for seizures )

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Orijen Senior Dog Food

85% QUALITY ANIMAL INGREDIENTS| 15% VEGETABLES & FRUIT
Fresh chicken meat (13%), fresh cage-free eggs (7%), fresh turkey meat (7%), fresh whole herring (7%), fresh chicken liver (6%), fresh whole flounder (4%), fresh turkey liver (4%), fresh chicken necks (4%), fresh chicken heart (4%), fresh turkey heart (4%), chicken (dehydrated, 4%), turkey (dehydrated, 4%), whole mackerel (dehydrated, 4%), whole sardine (dehydrated, 4%), whole herring (dehydrated, 4%), whole red lentils, whole green lentils, fresh whole green peas, lentil fibre, fresh whole chickpeas, fresh whole yellow peas, whole pinto beans, fresh chicken cartilage (1%), whole navy beans, herring oil (1%), chicken fat (1%), fresh turkey cartilage (1%), chicken liver (freeze-dried), turkey liver (freeze-dried), fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole zucchini, fresh whole parsnips, fresh carrots, fresh whole Red Delicious apples, fresh whole Bartlett pears, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh beet greens, fresh turnip greens, brown kelp, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole Saskatoon berries, chicory root, turmeric root, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips, Enterococcus faecium. ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Zinc chelate: 100 mg.

Thank you all. 🙏🏼🐶❤️

[YorkiLover4]

Watching our dog have a seizure is one of the most traumatic things I have ever experienced. It’s very hard for anyone who has never seen a seizure to understand. Those few seconds–seem like a lifetime and you just never know if they are going to come out of it. Our pup was doing ok for awhile but then started having the seizures more frequently. We found a holistic veterinarian nearby. Surprising, but he told us that food allergies and stress can be a big trigger. Riley always had allergies and ear infections so we worked with our vet to change his diet. He is on Primal raw venison and we use a variety of freeze-dried treats such as Stella and Chewy’s and Vital Essentials. We also give Riley CBD oil, fish oil and digestive enzymes along with Keppra. He has not had a seizure in over a year. I found the information on this website helpful https://www.askariel.com/holistic-canine-epilepsy-treatment-s/1833.htm and use their Happy Paws Hemp oil and Amazing Omegas. Hope this helps someone with their dog. Seizures are so tough but we did find help for our Riley.

[Lacey S]

Have you tried feeding your dog coconut oil? Here’s an article that talks about some of the benefits, and it includes a specific study that was done on dogs with epilepsy.

[Author]

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