Seizures and allergies.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

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[Amanda and Quinn]

*Copied from the Atopic Dermatits Support Group. Join us if you're having allergy issues!*

I could kick myself for not doing this sooner.

We had our first appointment with the specialist today, and what a great fit. He's super nice, and seems extremely knowledgeable about seizures in addition to allergies, which is very important for us. (Quinn is epileptic.) In a very nice way, he explained all the things our general vet has done wrong so far. First off, of course, he said Atopica should only be a last resort in such a young dog. Second, the one steroid we've tried--Temaril--is known to lower the seizure threshold in dogs. The one and only time Quinn had two seizures in 24 hours, he was on a cycle of that medication. I wanted to cry when I realized I could have avoided that by seeing someone specialized in these medications when these problems first appeared. He also said that it probably is not a coincidence that Quinn's allergies seem to have gotten much worse when we started him on the seizure drug Zonisamide. The drug isn't used very often, so there isn't a ton of information out there, but it does seem to have that side effect. Again--both the general vet and neurologist said there could not possibly be a connection, and I KNEW there was. More proof that you should usually trust your gut, I suppose. I'm hoping that we can start the process of weaning him off that medication soon, since it didn't seem to have any effect on his seizure activity. We left the office today with a prescription for his feet, which showed yeast. We will be bringing him back for skin testing on May 8, and after that he said it is likely that we will need to start him on a serum.

If anyone is doubting whether they should do this, do it. The appointment was much cheaper than I thought it was going to be, but it would have been worth it regardless. I can't tell you how much better I feel. And if anyone needs a recommendation for a specialist in NJ, please email me for the contact info. Highly recommended.