Lynn
My little Mggie, 2 years old had a massive seizure just a 2 or 3 days after given Bravecto. I thought she was dead for sure after I watched her bang and twist her little body against everything in the kitchen. When she stopped, I scooped her up and went the to emergency room. She spent the night there but had had another couple seizures there as well, and evidently they had no clue what to do about it. We took her straight to our regular vet where she had more seizures. I don't know what they gave her, but we took her home that night and planned to take her back the next day. She had a seizure every hour during the late afternoon and night. Mostly, she would gaze into nothingness and then just fall over, again and again. My vet said they were at a loss, so we took her the a Animal hospital in Greenville SC. It was only an hour away and she didn't have a seizure during the trip, but did as soon as we got there, And they called us after we left to let us know that she had another one. We were desperate and felt hopeless. I would have stayed with her if they had let me. She was assigned a neurologist I gave permission for neuro exam, sedation for IV catherter placement, general anestesia, Mri, spinal tap , hospitalization and treatment for cluster seizure activity and anything was needed.
She was in the Hospital for about a week. I was able to visit her once (their schedule) and the poor baby had a cone around her head. Evidently , she did not cooperate with anything they did or even eating. Nevertheless, she returned home after they gave her a larger dose of Versad to stop the pattern of the seizures, otherwise it would be imprinted in her brain and she would never be able to stop. Not the medical terminology the Doctor used. Maggie came home with a couple of different medications, Phenobarbital 15 mg twice a day and Keppra 250mg 1/2 a tablet 3 times a day. It was overwhelming to get her to take meds that many times a day. Plus right after she got home, she had a very high temperature so I took her to my regular vet and she was given an antibiotic I think. She got to the point that she wouldn't eat and would run from me. I tried to hide all of her pills in food, tuna, spam, pill pockets, salmon, hotdogs, every kind of cat food and treats on the market. I think I counted over 60 different food items. She might eat it once, but not twice. I then had to take her in for an appetite enhancer, twice. Finally, I got her meds in liquid form and that worked for a few days. I decided on my own to cut the keppra (3 doses daily) This became somewhat manageable but she would still fight me and at one point, I ended up squirting the medicine into her eye by mistake. Back to the vet, with more medicine to take. After at least two months, I spoke with the vet, and told her how difficult the whole thing was for Maggie. She said that if it was the Bravecto that caused the seizures, It would most likely be out of her system. I took her off Phenobarbital and we have not looked back. She never had a seizure after leaving the Animal Hospital in Greenville and has not had one since. Almost a year and a half.
I went to the right place at the right time and saw the right doctor and it saved my baby. The total cost was over $5000, the best money I ever spent. I thought about it and was sadden that a lot of pet owners would not be able to afford that, or would not have a top rated animal hospital that was close by and I feel so sorry for them.
DON'T GIVE YOUR PETS BRAVECTO! It may not affect your pet at all or it may kill them.
I cannot prove it, but I know that's what did it.
I am so grateful to my vet, the amazing Doctor at the Greenville Hospital, and most of all to God. Did I mentioned that I prayed every single day that Maggie would survive.