epilepsy is a very common disease in both dogs and cats and I have treated hundreds of these patients, most with excellent results (not all, though). Usually for cats phenobarb works well as a single drug treatment, twice a day and though some cats are a bit 'stoned' for the first week or so, most return to totally normal behavior and activity. The dose usually started is a low end dose and then increased if the patient continues to have 'too frequent' seizures... what does that mean? It means that all epilepsy cases are assumed to still have a seizure now and then (many thankfully never have another seizure while on meds), but there is an 'acceptable' seizure frequency (usually one mild one every 2-3 months is considered exceptable, though it would of course be nice if no patients ever had another seizure again). Most seizures do not adversely affect cats or dogs unless they are extremely violent or last for a long time (meaning over a few minutes). Long seizures can result in high body temperature, sometimes so high (over 107F) that the brain will start to be come damaged. . This is why you should always rush your pet in if they are seizing continuously. But we rarely ask our clients to bring in their pets if the seizure was a short one and if they seem OK afterwards.. there is little we are going to do about it afterwards and blood work is almost always normal. Another exception to this non-intervention is if your pet is having 'cluster seizures; (a lot in a row- several in a short period or even in a day).. then we recommend hospitalizing and monitoring closely so we can give injectable medications instead of oral ones to helps stop the cluster. So to answer your questions, putting your cat on phenobarb MAY, and with luck, WILL prevent all future seizures, but there is certainly no guarantee. Seizures are 'too often' if they are violent (then even one is too often) or more frequent than one every 1-2 months. There is nothing else you can do to minimize the risk of seizures other than medication. You can minimize the risk of secondary problems during a seizure by making sure your pet cannot fall into a swimming pool or down a long flight of stairs by keeping your pet away from such areas at all times (hard to do keep cats from stairs, though). Seizures can look painful, but from what most people that have epilepsy say, it is usually not painful.. .just scary and eventually annoying (when they are finaliy used to having them)... and disorienting. I have no idea what nuroclav is... must be either a misspelling or some brand name of another drug (maybe a brand name for midazolam or valium I have not heard of?).

The thing is, if conventional testing does not find a cause for the seizures after all else has been ruled out, and brain lesion is what's left by exclusion..........what would be your course of action if it were confirmed? Chemo would probably only be palliative and buy time. Would you opt for that in a thirteen year old cat just to extend his life with questionable quality? If the answer is no, then would you be willing to spend four figures just to have a positive diagnosis about which you would take no action anyway? I would, and have spent that much on a cat whose treatment had a good chance of cure and he coud expect years of qualty time left, but I would not spend it on a pet just to buy (probably with little quality) time. I suspect your vet is trying to be as conservative as possible to rule out everything else before you put yourself in a situation where you might have to make that choice. Honest discussion with his/her insight is called for soon. Meanwhile, controlling the seizures with medication is not unreasonable as a palliative measure if they become too bad.

Our Casey had two or more gran mal seizures last Christmas Eve, around dawn. After the second, we called to various emergency clinics and learned that there is an Animal Neurology clinic about a half-hour away. Casey was seen there that morning and the neurologist did a thorough exam and said it looks like he has a brain tumor in the right side of his brain. He put him on steriods to shrink the tumor and pheobarbitol to stop the seizures. Casey has been okay, not quite himself, but okay, since then. For the two week check up we went to out own vet and I asked her to do the thyroid test because of experiences Sylvia Texas shared with us all. Casey did have very low thyroid. Later, we were back at the neurologist and I asked if Casey could have JUST the thyroid problem, and the answer was no. He has too many other symptoms (including rage that is controlled with the proper doses of Prednisone.) So he takes the pred, phenobarb, thyroid hormone and a pain med twice a day. In humans, we use anti-seizure meds as mood stabilizers. I think that sometimes it is still used for detox from alcohol, too. From Wikipedia: "Phenobarbital is one of the initial drugs of choice to treat epilepsy in dogs, and is the initial drug of choice to treat epilepsy in cats.[26] It may also be used to treat seizures in horses when benzodiazepine treatment has failed or is contraindicated.[27]"

I also bookmarked that page too, makes me wonder what is possible. Casey you are very talented and knowledgeable about all things wood, I have followed your kitchen and waterlox floors for the last couple years. Thanks for answering. I feel like this is confession time. This whole table thing did look lighter and more orange in my dining room than I planned, and I had been toying with with darkening it a bit but really was in no rush...then I found the most FABULOUS re-sale shop with rooms and rooms of estate items at can't beat prices. So now I have run into a darker mahogany or walnut table (will be checking tomorrow) and I already have a mahogany china cabinet I need to shuffle around into the dining room for the holidays, and thought hmmm, why not move it there permanently and build around it since it is family piece and I love it. Yes, this is a V8 moment arriving a bit late in the day, after acquiring the oak set, of which I never wanted the chairs anyway (DH said to get them in case I ever wanted a matching set, which of course I don't) and I've known that all along! So now that I have sinned and Moonshadow has forgiven me, and knows I may sin again....:) let me continue on with this very boring table problem. I do have to say Nicole, that pedestal looks terrific and now I'm wavering again. If a bit of hard work could work out, should I take the chance? I will paint anything and have, but wood makes me nervous and I was going to do a gel stain 2 step glaze (1st a brown, and then a mahogany) over the existing finish and then poly, exactly against Moonshadow's recommendation. Now I think I am talking to myself, but you all can listen and add suggestions if you like! I will first check out siren table tomorrow, because it may be too dark, and being Goldilocks I might not like it, so I could come home and still consider the staining project. Maybe oak grain is okay if it is a brownish red? Or is mahogany colored oak table tops really ugly and Nicole's piece is just teasing me? I just don't know if now the grain of the oak might read zebra, or it might just be fine.