I am looking for an herb or something to give a seizureing lab that is almost 14 years old that has a diagnosis of cancer just 4 weeks ago, the seizure's have to be conected to the cancer tumor that is on his temple. The seizure's are small and very quick, he is not epileptic, they happen mostly at night/early morning. So something that would soothe and or calm him through the night.
My vet will not give me valium for him,"controled Substance" which I used for a ideopathic epilepic dog years ago. Will be changing vet's soon.

So does anybody have a suggestion of an herb I can get that is safe for a dog.

Thank You
Kay

Usually, once they are of certain size, brain tumors can be very painful. Look for signs of head ache, like rubbing his head, avoiding light or noise, or sleeping more than normal.
If he is having seizures, I'm afraid his time is coming soon.
I don't know of any OTC that can help with seizures. It is not as bad for the dog as it is for the one that is looking at it. I would not worry to much about trying to control them.
I'm sorry.

Thank You for your reply. I know he may not have alot of time left but as of right now he is still haveing fun going for walks, love's his two meals and is still a pest (giggle) for his snack at nine pm. After his dinner he still plays scoccer with his big soft ball, so I don't feel it's time to say good bye yet.
Just thought there may be some thing out there I could get to soothe him at night and help him sleep through the night.
I hate the vet's I have now, they alway's look at the bottom line for them selve's instead of what is best for the dog's, some time's I can get want, but most of the time it's a fight, and right now they want to fight.
If I move him to another vet's office now they will want to see him and rightfully so but it's not a good thing for my boy, since he is almost deaf and mostly blind, he panic's when he smell's other dog's and smell's the other dog's being upset at the clinic.
Trying to help him stay happy till the end.

Kay

According to one of my holistic dog books,you might consider melatonin at night. Magnesium could help too but not sure about dosage.Rescue Remedy can be calming.
Also Acupressure is an option and can be very soothing. There is plenty of information on the web about that and you can very likely do it yourself.
Good Luck whatever you decide to do!

there is an epil-k9 list that might have some suggestions... best of luck with your boy.

Chamomile, the herb given in Beatrix Potter books, or famous in Sleepytime tea, can be soothing at bed time.

Valerian is the herb that is the precursor to valium. Years ago, when my rescued Lab had small seizures, she responded well to valerian root capsules. I also used rescue remedy, lifting the lip only to put it on the gum, and other homeopathic remedies might help. Valium administered suppository style works faster for status epi. than the herb. That being said, valium does not last as long as phenobarb, but getting used to the side effects of phenobarb might be hard on him. I have used the liquid form for her. When she objected, I found that it tastes really bad, but it works more quickly than the capsule.

I am putting a link to a university site talking about herbs for seizures in people. The Lab would get less than an adult male human, I'd think--about the same as for a 10 yr old child. Note that some herbs should not be given with some medicines or other herbs.

Another thought is this: is he in the start of liver failure, which can have some neuro signs? If so, a liver friendly diet, home cooked or Hills L/D, can help. Has the vet done bloodwork recently?

Can you get a home call veterinarian to come to your home as a guest, as that may be easier on the old dog? When available, it can also be good for the last vet call, if you choose to use it.

Bless you and your beloved old dog.

Thank you that is just what I was looking for. Info on any herb that might settle him at night. I did give him some Rescue Remedy last night and he only had one episode at 2am this morning. Then as he ate his breakfast he started in again and I held him still so he could finish his bowl, then for the next 3 to 4 hour's if he stood and moved around he would go into his panic run and stop and shack, at about 12:30 he got up and we went out for a walk in the field and he was fine the whole time and for his dinner at 3pm, it's 4:30 now and he's still doing OK.
All test were done on him when he had the biopsy and everything came back normal,It just amazes me that a dog that has a very agressive cancer that all the test come back as if he is a healthy dog.
Sorry about the rambling.

Thank You again for your reply.

Kay

A holistic vet I know uses ProEze by Progena in addition to medications for dogs with seizure disorders. It contains valerian and magnesium, as well as other calming herbs. It is an OTC supplement and can be ordered from The Professional Supplement Center in Florida: (www.professionalsupplementcenter.com).

He also advises giving a spoon of honey after seizures. Hope this helps your boy.

There is a company, i think its called Standard Process. Check with them and see what they might reccomend. My current vet and my old vet also used their products on various animals under their care.