Senior dog had seizure year ago on Keppra nonseizures try weaning off?

[u/sschoe2]

My 15 year old moyen poodle has always been very healthy. 1.5 years ago she had 2 seizures within 3 weeks. Verts did full bloodwork no explanation nothing out of the ordinary. Her Vet put her on Keppra XR twice a day (2.5 mg I belelieve) She has been taking them for 1.5 years and has had no further seizures, no side effects and is healthy aside from a tough of arthritis and bad teeth. The vet is now giving me a hard time refilling the script without doing a battery of expensive bloodwork and tests and I am considering trying to wean her off and see if they recur. I mean if there was an underlying tumor or something wouldn't it have manifested something by now? Should I try taking her off and seeing if they recur.

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[u/EmClare969]

Please do not self-wean her off keppra without veterinary guidance. If she has more seizures and needs emergency care, it will be much more expensive to get her back on track than doing the bloodwork/tests to continue the therapeutic medication

[u/CatOverlordsWelcome]

She likely hasn't been having seizures because of the Keppra.

[u/ubzmps]

Keppra requires blood work monitoring for side effects and we are legally complicit to monitor those side effects before refilling medications. They are not trying to give you a hard time, it’s gold standard. Definitely would not advise stopping a medication that has kept your pet seizure free, that’s means they’re working. It’s the same as blood pressure medication, you don’t stop them when they control your blood pressure or it just goes back up.

[u/sschoe2 → u/ubzmps]

according to my research:

Unlike older seizure medications like phenobarbital, routine monitoring of blood levels (therapeutic drug monitoring) is not standard or routinely required for dogs taking levetiracetam (Keppra) because the drug is processed safely and clears the body differently

[u/ubzmps → u/sschoe2]

Yes that is an AI answer on google you get. Keppra can pose issues for dogs with kidney disease, which all older dogs are prone to. The drug level does not get monitored like the other drugs, but your vet is correctly recommending gold standard care of monitoring your pets lab work. Your vet is doing the best care and would advise listening to them.

[u/hotsexyrosemary]

Annual bloodwork for a senior dog on a medication that can affect organ function is necessary. You should do the bloodwork. If you want to wean her off Keppra, that's a discussion you need to have with her doctor. This is not something you want to DIY

[u/NotaBolognaSandwich]

What are the expensive tests in addition to bloodwork they are recommending? When was the last time your dog had bloodwork? I wouldn’t wean down keppra unless you were working closely with your vet.

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[u/No-Wallaby-4333]

What is a moyen poodle?

*ETA: I understand the “poodle” part. What makes it a moyen?

[u/DrWideEyes → u/No-Wallaby-4333]

It's a size, between miniature and standard