When your dog starts having seizures, it can make you feel lost and helpless. There isn’t much you can do for your dog during an actual seizure, and it’s often terrifying to see them in such a state. Sometimes, even strong medications from a veterinarian can’t stop seizures from happening.
Fortunately, there are a number of natural supplements to help support dogs with seizures. These supplements aren’t a cure, but they can help reduce the number and severity of seizures experienced by your beloved pet.
Coconut Oil
Although it may seem like an unusual source, coconut oil is being formally looked at in studies as a potential treatment for dogs with idiopathic seizures. In a controlled, randomized, double-blind study using 21 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy, a diet that included coconut oil was found to significantly reduce the amount of seizures the dogs experienced.
Coconut can’t be used as the only fat source for your dog, due to the fact that it lacks essential omega 3 fatty acids, but it can be a useful supplement to help potentially reduce the number of seizures he has.
CBD Oil
The crown jewel of supplements for seizures is CBD oil. CBD oil is well known for its anti-seizure properties, and is being used where legal to help treat human children with medication resistant seizures. CBD oil is also very helpful in reducing the strength and frequency of seizures in dogs, and has very few side effects.
The best CBD oil for dogs is a high quality formula free of impurities. If you plan to add this to your dogs diet, check the oil you are using carefully to make sure that it was made in the USA, and tested for quality. Although CBD oil is great for seizures, an oil that has a lot of impurities in it may not be as helpful.
Fish Oil, Milk Thistle, And Other Supplements
Although there are many supplements being thrown about to potentially help with seizures in the dog world, none of them have been proven conclusively to help. Milk thistle has been shown to aid in healing liver cells, but the liver isn’t connected to the neurological issues associated with seizures. Fish oil has omega-3 fatty acids that some researchers theorize will help boost overall brain health, giving your dog a chance to heal itself. While this is certainly logical, no studies have shown that it is effective.
These supplements are generally harmless to try on your pet, but if you’re serious about controlling seizures, coconut oil and CBD oil should be in his bowl every day. Both of these supplements have been conclusively linked to the reduction of seizures, and both of them can be used together without ill effects. Before making any changes to your dog’s diet, speak to your veterinarian about your planned changes. Most veterinarians will be supportive of your choices for a healthier pets, and may be able to give you suggestions in terms of dosage and tolerances for your particular pet.