Thanks, fellow dog lovers, for any light you might be able to shed on this problem.
I am neither doctor nor vet. All from me is anecdotal.
“Epilepsy” is the catchall term for seizures for which all other causes have been ruled out. Thus the common sense recommendation of MRI as well as other diagnostics based on blood draws, in order to rule out injury/disease.
My epileptic dog was typical, manifesting @ 2-3 y.o. with grand mals ~ x1/month until vet & I got the phenobarbitol levels balanced correctly. After that, no more seizures. But the pheno meant annual liver enzyme checks.
At seizure her spine would lock, sending her over backwards from sitting position. It seemed an inevitable event, drawn out if I tried to restrain her movements. Better to remove furniture she banged against, or quickly drag her away from large objects she was hitting & let the seizure come to its natural conclusion. In her unconsciousness, she did not like me touching her. Nor did she recognize me immediately after, causing her to avoid me & defecate in fear after she arose from the very first seizure.
A friend confirmed to me that human epileptics too, coming out of seizure, are often unaware/don’t recognize loved ones at first. So I learned to quiet media stimulants and withdraw with other pets behind a door from which I could monitor her progress. She obviously could not see well; however, I would speak sweetly until her tail would wag in recognition (or relief) and gently resume contact. Eventually going outside to run/play off anxiety with the other dog helped a lot. She seemed a bit stiff but a good nap would do her a world of good.
Once her pheno was at the correct dose & seizures halted: At odd moments, I’d catch this really weird flash from her eyes. Not just me - it weirded out others who noticed it too. I figured it was the pheno freventing a seizure that wanted to happen at that very moment. Not that I knew for sure, but it seemed almost alien. She behaved fine, no problem there.
Changing hormone levels in an ageing ~10-y.o. toy poodle could be making her vulnerable to a toxin that’s been in her environment all along. But the specifics you give of her episodes point at a recent, notable change. If nothing, not a single change in her diet or environment occurs to you - not the most insignifigant, least little thing - I would consult a different vet.
Or *sigh* if your budget is truly as compromised as mine, at least switch to a grain-free diet and absolutely no treats, bedding, toys, fabric or cleaning products made in China. Eliminate the stuff that in and of itself could be causing harm. My alpha, always of a weak stomach, began vomitting at least once a week. I switched from Purina Dog Chow to a grain free kibble. The vomitting STOPPED, leaving me to wonder what else the quality diet might be preventing... All I can think is to compare the grain free nutrition panels to the special diabetic diet you feed her.
Get Victor flea traps with no toxin exposure to Jazz, also you can treat outside house perimeter & her areas with food-grade diatomaceous earth (not the pool-treatment version, but the stuff you can buy in farming supply or gardening cntrs). DE is the powdered, fossilized remains of sea critters. Quick caution that it kills bugs thru mechanical action of drawing out moisture while also cutting them to shreds. Not poisonous at all, however you wouldn’t want sharp-edged dust in your mucous membranes and neither does Jazzy!
I wish you all the best with her. I’m really curious as to the cause of this sudden onset.
Hate to give the worst case here, but our Corgi started having heavy seizures at 5 years old which progressively got worse(more frequent and longer duration). They mostly seemed to happen overnight, vet gave him medicine to try to control them but in short time they got bad enough that it was just time....
Can only assume tumor or cancer, we just lacked finances to pursue it.
http://pets.thenest.com/miniature-poodles-dogs-seizures-5194.html
According to this article, seizures, particularly hypoglycemic seizures, are more common in miniature poodles than other breeds. Because it has been the same time of day, I wonder if her glucose levels are dropping then.