My dog is suddenly aggressive and hyper on Epiphen. Is this normal?

Question

Can Epiphen make your dog slightly hyperactive and aggressive? My vet is trialing it to see if her shuffling behaviours are seizure based She's only been on it 3 days but her play with my other dog made me a little edgy this morning as she was quite full on and that's unusual for her. Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Female | spayed | 6 years and 2 months old | 14.5 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

Phenobarbital is within a group of drugs known as barbiturates. The most common side effects in dogs, by far, are sedation, increased drinking, increased urination, and increased appetite. If the drugs were the cause of the behaviors you are witnessing, this would have to be classified as some sort of paradoxical reaction to the medication. In other words, it would be causing symptoms that are opposite to the purpose of the drug itself. Though I have not personally witnessed this, there are reports in rare instances of dogs becoming hyperactive and agitated after use of phenobarbital. While I can not say with certainty that this is the cause of the behaviors, It is definitely curious that they began at the same time as medication was started. You may want to speak with your vet about these observations and possibly choose a different medication.

My dog is suddenly aggressive and hyper on Epiphen. Is this normal?

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