How long does phenobarbital take to work on dogs?

[Joe S]

My dog is a 12 year old Golden Retriever. He has had seizures off and on his whole life. The past few days his seizures have taken on some intensity and he is having them regularly now. He has been given 98.6 mg of phenobarbital twice a day but he is still having seizures. He has only taken 3 doses so far so I don't know if it takes a few days to work or what. Does anyone know how this stuff works and how long it takes?
Thanks!
I forgot to mention. Since he has started phenobarbital (2 days ago), he has had a couple of seizures but they aren't on the scale that they were when we took him to the vet. They seem to be losing intensity. I'm hoping this works!

[BunnuvaSitch]

It can take up to a few weeks for phenobarbitol to really "kick in" and be effective. Did you talk to your veterinarian about a medication to treat siezures in the short term? The veterinarian I work for often prescribes liquid diazepam (Valium) to be administered rectally at the first sign of a seizure, for our epileptic patients. Talk to your veterinarian about your options.

[Eric B]

I have more experience on a human than a dog when it comes to a seizure disorder, but i'll give you my experience with phenobarbital. Unlike taking a couple of aspirin for a headache and it goes away, seizure drugs have a therapeutic level that can be measured with a blood test. Your vet probably gave him a starting dose based on your dogs age. It can take a couple weeks for it to be in his system at a dose high enough to take affect.

Seizure meds are very important to take at the same time each day and not miss a dose. If a dose IS missed, don't double up on the next dose since this can cause a toxic level in the dogs system (basically an overdose of medication). Don't abruptly stop giving him his medication unless the vet advises you to do so, stopping meds suddenly can also cause a seizure.

To best treat your dog, record time/date of each seizure he has to see if they are helped with medication. Track the start date and doses of medication. If you notice your dog becoming lethargic or stumbling make sure you inform your vet (his meds may be too high).

[bob ©]

phenobarb can take up to 2 weeks to fully get into the system. if your dog is still having seizures please consult with your vet about valium to have on hand.