Customer Reviews

Canine Epilepsy: An Owner's Guide to Living With and Without Seizures

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To all of you that have a pet that suffers from seizures this book is a must have. I am rating this book as a life saver.
I have a baby , Lucilu who showed her fisr sign of Epilepsy over a year ago. In the past year we did and tried everything immaginable we did brain scan, spinal tap to R/O tumor. They put her on Pb and Kbr and every few months had to increse her doses, she became hyothyroid from the med's, elevated liver enzymes and more. I also contacted a holistic vet who recommended an array of natural product, all seemed to help, but we were still having seizures.
I started to surf the net for information, and learned of Caroline Levin "Thank God". Caroline hit it right on the nose get Lucilu off grians either consider the BARF dirt or cook for Lucilu. After thousands of dollars and much heartache , Caroline
was right on the money, lUCILU HAS NOT HAD A SEIZURE SINCE THE INCEPTION OF HER NEW FOOD PLAN, ALL THANKS TO CAROLINE LEVIN.
... Lucilu and I will be forever grateful to her, and wish her and her family much happiness and success!

Sincerly,
Laurie & Lucilu

I have personally dealt with cushings disease, diabetes, blindness, deafness, IBD, hypertension, arthritis, pain, discomfort, antibiotic treatments which were as disabling as they were helpful, incontinence, emotional issues (loss of confidence, fear of noises), inability to stand or walk, from my canine companions. I have found that alternative treatments and medicine definitely have their place for every living creature. In order to understand where to start, no matter what ailment, this Book will lead you in the right direction. I have read many holistic/alternative health care books and this Book is laid out with such an easy to read/comprehension fashion, and yet contains so much helpful information.

Ms. Levin's Books not only explain the disease and treatment, but give an excellent explanation of how these things come about; afterall, Prevention is the key. She also gives multiple choices of things which can be done to assist you. Her Books are so comprehensive, you can clearly see that it is a Labor of Love.

I have utilized homeopathic medicines, herbs, glandulars, supplements, traditional medicine, and TTouch. It is difficult for our western style of thinking to accept that which we cannot explain. There is so much greatness everywhere which cannot be explained. If you can remain "open" and have "faith" then you can watch little miracles happen when utilizing other modalities of therapy, alternative medicines and lifestyle changes for your pets; which are all reviewed in her Book. Sure, western medicine definitely has its place, we have so much to be grateful for. I feel that there is a good place to be with kindness and appreciation of all things. One brief personal experience; our Lab, who could no longer stand up or walk for weeks, miraculously stood up and walked after one session of TTouch, which this Book touched on briefly; but, again, choices you make can make a difference.

This Book is what a good future holds for how we treat our companion animals. It is the reference point for where we start to understand and change our standards of treatment of a whole host of ailments. Bravo, Ms. Levin. May life allow you to continue with your grand contribution to all. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."..Gandhi - Respectfully submitted, Cindy McDevitt

In July of 2005, we rescued two dogs that were 9 years old. They were a brother and sister team and couldn't be separated. We fell in love with them immediately. Two weeks afer bringing them home, the male began having the most intense grand mal seizures that I have ever seen. We put him on medication and it slowed the number of seizures but had no effect on the intensity.
I began looking on the internet to see what information I could find and there it was "An Owner's Guide to living with or without seizures". It took me several months to go through the book, as I found it difficult to understand the relationships between all the parts of the body, hormones, etc. However, it got me extremely interested in a natural food diet and alternative therapies.
It took another month or so to do more research and then actually put the natural food diet into place. Now, after 6 weeks of feeding natural foods to both dogs, the male has seizures that sometimes aren't recognizeable. They are mild and the duration is less than a minute.
The purpose of this narration is that if it weren't for Caroline Levin's book and love for animals, our dog would still be suffering with grand mal seizures, not to mention my husband and I and his sibling. Not only that, but their skin is so soft, whereas it was always rather brittle before.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs help with canine epilepsy and were as frustrated as we were. Thank you so much for the time that it took you to research this disease and offer your knowledge to us. It truly was a "godsend".

"Canine Epilepsy" is phenomenal and I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

This book details countless aspects of canine epilepsy: brain function, new research on cell membranes, diagnostic tests, seizure triggers and cycles, customary medications, holistic treatments, emergency situations and so much more. At nearly 200 pages, it's quite a book!

In Chapter 1, Ms Levin begins by comforting and supporting the dog owner. She acknowledges common feelings of grief and explains how some people get stuck in a phase of denial or hostility. ... Levin explains things in compassionate and understandable language, which is very unlike texts written for vets. How wonderful it is that she has written especially for us - the dog owners!

... "Canine Epilepsy" provides tons of practical and insightful information. Ms Levin has written an IMPORTANT book and it's going to make some people jealous.

The book has lots of useful information, epecially for someone just starting out taking care of an epileptic dog. One problem is it's several years since the book was published, therefore not up to date with regards to the latest medications and dietary information.

the prompt response to get this book was first class, and the aid it gave us was good for the benifit of the Dog.

Living with a dog with Epilepsy for almost 2 years now, this is truly the best book on Canine Epilepsy that I've seen to date. You did an outstanding job of research and presentation.

I have already loaned my copy of this book to a very close friend, whom I am sure when she is finished will be purchasing
one and recommending to friends also.

I have heard nothing but positive and absolute wonderful comments concerning this book! These comments come from people like myself, who are living and dealing with Epilepsy on a daily basis. The one comment I hear frequently, is that we all wish we had this book in the beginning; it would have saved us much time and heartache.

As an owner of epileptic dogs, I've spent the last 6 years reading everything I can on this disorder. I was extremely disappointed when I read "Canine Epilepsy, An Owner's Guide to Living With and Without Seizures". In my opinion, this book devotes too much space to discussions on diet, digestion, metabolism, kidney disease and "other disorders" unrelated to epilepsy and omits information on canine epilepsy that may be beneficial to people who are trying to learn about this neurological disorder.

An example is Chapter 7 which is titled "Antiepileptic Drugs". Information regarding the two first line medications is provided including doses, the mode of action and side effects, however, information on second line medications such as Felbamate, Gabapentin, Valproic Acid, Zonisamide, Clonazepam and Clorazepate is either missing or not as comprehensive.

In another chapter, the author explains the difference between primary epilepsy and secondary epilepsy (seizures caused by other diseases/disorders such as distemper, hydrocephalus, liver shunts, encephalitis etc.), however there is no information about these diseases/disorders nor does she explain what tests should be performed to rule them out as a cause of seizures.

Throughout the book the author also discusses diet in relation to seizures. I did not feel that the references cited supported her theory that grains can cause seizures in dogs.

If you are looking for comprehensive information about seizures and canine epilepsy, I would recommend one of the books written by veterinary neurologists such as "Clinical Syndromes in Veterinary Neurology".

My two year old German Shepherd/Rottweiler mixed dog had his first seizure last December. After another seizure episode this week, he has now been diagnosed as an "idiomatic" epileptic and will require seizure therapy for the rest of his life. As an owner of a now "special needs" dog, I have sought out to educate myself regarding his condition. I came across this book in my search but have found it to be a disappointment. The author does not solely focus on canine seizures and spends too much time discussing alternative therapies, alternative diets, other medical conditions, etc. The theme of the book focused more on "bucking" everything my vet has told me (I have every confidence in my vet and the staff at MedVets in Ohio) in favor of alternative therapies, diet, etc. I was looking for practical information regarding treatment, epileptic drugs, drug reactions, what to expect, etc. but this information was covered (briefly) in a few chapters (Chapter 4, 6, 7, & 10 for a total of 34 pgs). The remaining 8 chapters (and 120 pgs) were of little benefit as they were devoted to ""Dealing with Loss", "The Doctor-Client Relationship," Normal Canine Structure & Function," Dietary Therapy," "Alternative Therapies," "Additional Health Concerns," etc. I was slightly hesitant to purchase this book based on the fact that (per the "About the Author" section) Ms. Levin is a RN by education; her medical background is as a registered nurse. Although she states that she managed an ophthalmic veterinary clinic, but I don't see how running a vet clinic (a business) qualifies her to author a book regarding canine epilepsy. After purchasing this book, I can see this is the case. The majority of the book did not provide me any useful information and I will be continuing my research on canine epilepsy elsewhere. If you are looking for canine epilepsy resources, I would only recommend a cursory review of this book via your local library. In my opinion, it was not worth the purchase price.

Living with an epileptic dog can be very difficult. Ms. Levin has gathered a lot of information that can be very helpful. She discusses standard medications as well as alternative treatments that have helped many of these dogs.

This book includes references, a glossary, & sources for additional information and support.

I recommend this book to owners of epileptic dogs.