Seizures in Dogs and HeartGard Plus Heartworm Medication

In May of 2009, our 6 ½ yr old Golden Retriever: Lola, experienced the first of her many seizures. It was so very frightening, seeing her first seizure. I had never seen an animal or human experiencing a seizure and I thought our precious Lola was having a stroke and dying in front of my helpless eyes… Lola was about to eat her morning breakfast and suddenly stopped and, looking dazed and confused, she keeled over onto her side while at the same time emitting saliva from her mouth, combined with a hacking cough, and a groaning sound, she would then move her legs in a very fast and convulsive manner, as if she were running quickly… she had no control over her urination and when she came out of the seizure, she would spend hours being very clingy, seemingly not wanting to be left alone. That entire scene would soon repeat itself, on an average every five days for the next year…

In utter desperation, I researched online every symptom that Lola was experiencing. I eventually came to the conclusion that the common denominator with other dog owners was that we all were using Frontline Plus Flea & Tick and Heartgard Plus heartworm medications. Researching further, I found that these very popular and veterinarians’ highly recommended remedies were, in fact, comprised of pesticides, which the manufacturer includes as a main ingredient in order to kill fleas, ticks, worms, etc… Depending upon the size and breed of your dog, continuous use of these pesticides can be poisonous to your pet, causing seizures and possible death.

After charting every seizure for more than nine months, I decided to stop giving Lola her flea and tick medication. Her seizures became less frequent, however they still continued.

In May of 2010, one year after experiencing her first seizure, Lola experienced a very frightening seizure which led to her falling down a flight of stairs in our house… Blood emitted from her mouth (I was just very thankful that she had not broken any bones in her legs or neck!), and it led me to finally stopping ALL medications, including her heartworm medication. I figured I had nothing to lose…

The seizures immediately stopped and have not returned to date: May 3, 2012.

In conjunction with completely stopping the above-mentioned medications, I have been giving Lola daily drops of an herbal supplement called PetAlive EaseSure, which is advertised to help sooth the brain, and nervous system. It can be purchased online at:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com (Amazon.com also sells this product) along with other natural and holistic products including natural flea and tick remedies and shampoos. I do not know with 100% certainty that  PetAlive EaseSure works in easing/eliminating seizures in pets, or if it is just a coincidence, but I am not going to take the chance by stopping the use of this product. 

I do know with 100% certainty that Lola’s seizures stopped immediately when I stopped using the HeartGard Plus heartworm medication, and she had been seizure-free for the past two years, and she is now 9 ½ years old. 

I do not deny that this medication and the above-mentioned Frontline Plus flea & tick medication, may both be very effective in the early years of an animal’s life in helping to prevent heartworm and flea & tick infestation, however serious thought should be given to researching the possible term limitation of prescribing and recommending these medications once a dog lives past a certain age. In the case of Lola, it seems five (5) years should have been her limit, and such a study might reveal different ages for different breeds.  

If you have any questions about my experiences, please feel free to contact me, Russ Considine, at: russconsidine@gmail.com