Advice please

[luvmydog2]

I have a 17 month old coonhound that has had 3 seizures in the past month. The first 2 were on the same day so we took him to the vet and after blood work found Lyme/Anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He was immediately started on Doxycycline which he has had twice a day for the past month. He is still taking the meds for another 2 weeks. We thought these tick issues were the cause of the seizures but he had another 2 nights ago. Is it possible that this tick issue could still be the cause even though he has been on meds? The vet is suggesting we have an MRI/spinal tap to check for a brain problem but this dog has NO symptoms other than this and from what I am reading brain issues, unless hereditary, are less common in such a young dog. He has had no trauma that I am aware of although he is a hunting dog and is not totally in sight when he hunts (he has an electronic collar).  The seizures have lasted less than a minute and recovery is fairly quick. 97% of the time he is a healthy active dog.  I spoke with his breeder and there is no medical issue in his line. Im not sure what to do with this....it is scary. Thanks

[luvmydog2]

Thanks ...just FYI we did use Advantix on him but we are thinking that it was in the time frame of when the old application started to get weak and the new application was given. He is in the woods twice a day and is one of those dogs that wants to be in the thickest brush he can find. Like I said, he has had no other symptoms of Lyme or either of the other 2 problems other than seizure activity. He is completely normal acting the rest of the time. The vet is planning on re-testing him for the lyme at regular intervals. Thanks so much for the reply.

[Tigereye1]

So he has all three tick diseases?? Poor boy. This is why people should use flea and tick preventative if their dog is outdoors alot- might have been avoided completely.

Yes, Lymes for certain can cause permanent neurological changes in the brain if its not caught early enough. Seizures aren't out of the question, depending on what the damage is to the brain. Anaplasmosis is very similar to Lymes, so I wouldn't be suprised if it caused the same damage. RMSF I don't know too much about.

Also, the doxy will help for now, but your pup will have lymes disease for the rest of his life, and you have to be on the lookout for relapses- lethargy, on and off limping, fever are all signs.

I would keep a log of his seizures.. once since your vet visit in a month is not that much, so I'd say he's ok for now. If he starts having more, longer, or more frequent ones, then I would consider going further with medications, treatments. If you want to do the MRI then do it, but it could just show the damage from the Lymes which we already know about. I guess if he got worse then I would consider an MRI-if I had the money.

Hope this helps