Will my dog still have seizures on medication if she really has epilepsy?

My dog had a several seizures about 2 months ago and we put her on PB. She's been taking a really low dose, about 8mg's a day and she has not had another one. The vet said she would still have seizures on the med's if she really has epilepsy. Is this true?

Just like with human seizure meds have to be adjusted or changed so yes there is a chance that even while on PB she may have a seizure.

No, it's not true. You need to work closely with your vet, and keep accurate records of the seizure activity. A dog will have seizures if the medication dosage is not correct. It can also be a case of the dog is doing fine on the dosage for a period of time, and then the seizures start again as the body adjusts to the dosage the dog is on. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do for epilepsy is medication. Good luck

Not necessarily if you got lucky with the dosage the first time around. A lot of times there's a substantial amount of trial and error while the vet figures out the dosage and medication types that work for the specific dog. In your case, maybe they got it right the first time and you've been good about making sure to give her her medication every day. Even on the proper medication and dosage, it is still possible to have a seizure, but I know several epileptic dogs with seizures that are very well controlled on medication, to the point where they only very rarely or never seize any longer.

She may just have a mild form.

If the dog is on the proper dosage to control the level of abnormal brain activity then her seizures should cease and be able to be controlled with that amount. The Lower the dose possible the better. Same goes for humans.It is possible that if your dog goes through any drastic changes major gains or drops in weight, or illness then it is possible for the medication to have not as strong of an effect on controlling the seizures. So it is important that you keep your dog at a steady weight to prevent this problem.Also with some anti seizure medications tolerances can be built up over long periods of time making the given dosage less effective. It is important to talk to your vet about adjusting dosages to keep your dog neurologically in the clear. Which means you need to watch for signs that could indicate her medication isn't as effective as before.Good Luck!

Not at all. I think you must have misunderstood your vet. Dogs with epilepsy may continue to have seizures on the medication until your vet is able to find the correct dose. Since phenobarb is potentially toxic in too large a dose, vets will start at the lowest dose for the dog's weight and slowly increase the dose until the dog is at the lowest dose that will control the seizures. Over time, the epilepsy may become worse or the body may become used to the dose. The dog may have breakthrough seizures when this happens and the dose will need to be increased in order to control the seizures. Because of this, many dogs do not have control on the first dose that the vet tries. Also, pheobarbitol is not effective for every dog and while it is the first drug of choice for most vets they may need to try a different medication if the seizures cannot be controlled on PB.

If the meds have stopped the seizures, it is working.You must have misunderstood the vet. Geez, Louise.