Bach Remedies for Dog Seizures

Watching a dog suffer a seizure is frightening. The animal may shake uncontrollably, start urinating, defecating or drooling, seems unaware of your presence and convulses. Call the veterinarian immediately when a dog first begins to seize. Various diseases cause seizures, and the veterinarian will do a diagnostic work-up to identify the cause. Epilepsy is a common diagnosis, and some dog owners use the homeopathic Bach's flower remedies to ease seizure symptoms. Always check with your veterinarian before embarking on any treatment for your dog.

  1. Bach's Flower Remedies

    • The Bach Flower Remedies, or essences, were developed by Dr. Edward Bach in the late 1920s and early 1930s. According to the Bach website, the doctor was convinced that illness results from a body-mind imbalance, and "symptoms of an illness are the external expression of negative emotional states." His plant-based remedies fall into seven specific groups: fear, uncertainty, loneliness, oversensitivity, despair, lack of interest in current circumstances and caring too much for others' welfare. He developed a total of 38 remedies to ameliorate specificities of these groups. The remedies are mixed with distilled water for consumption or placed directly in the mouth. They may be used in people or animals.

    Rescue Remedy

    • Perhaps the most popular of the Bach flower essences is Rescue Remedy. It consist of a mixture of five flower essences. Rock rose is for panic; clematis for those drawn into fantasy; cherry plum for fear of losing control of actions and thoughts; impatiens for those who act too quickly, and Star of Bethlehem for shock and trauma. Rescue Remedy may be found in health food stores or online.

    Application for Seizures

    • According to the Canine Epilepsy website, Rescue Remedy reduces stress along with the pacing during or after seizures. While Rescue Remedy may not help a dog, it is benign and does no harm. Since stress sometimes brings on seizures, dog owners may give their pet Rescue Remedy during thunderstorms, fireworks displays or other known stressful situations in the hope of avoiding a seizure. The site states that Rescue Remedy should not be given orally during a seizure, and instead should be squirted onto the animal's forehead. Initially, Rescue Remedy should be given for a five-day period, with a general dosage of four drops per day.

    Other Bach Remedies for Seizures

    • Dog owners may experiment with other Bach flower essences to see if they aid the conditions plaguing their animal during seizures. Essences may also be mixed, but use each one individually first to see if there are any results before adding new ones.