Phenobarbital blood levels should be monitored periodically for your dog or cat to make certain that your pet is neither overdosed or underdosed with the drug.
Once the therapeutic dose for your pet is determined,
phenobarbital blood levels and liver function tests will need to be monitored at least every six months to ensure that your pet's blood levels stay within the therapeutic range (i.e. that they do not get dangerously high or low), and that the no damage to the liver is occurring.
In the event that
phenobarbital blood levels get too high, liver failure can develop, which may lead to death.
The phenobarbital dose must maintain
the phenobarbital blood level within a safe therapeutic range and be adjusted accordingly.
Not exact matches
One of the reasons a dog might continue to have seizures while on
phenobarbital is an inadequate
blood level.
I am now left with twice a day insulin shots for diabetes at 14 units each, twice a day pills of
phenobarbital for the grand mal seizures and 150 enapril for hypertension (extreme high
blood pressure).
It does not appear to affect the liver or liver enzymes (measured in the
blood) as
phenobarbital and potassium bromide can.
That said, there is some new information that over time,
phenobarbital may «teach» the body to remove levetiracetam more quickly, possibly necessitating higher dosages to maintain the same
blood levels.
Phenobarbital is metabolized by the liver and can cause elevated liver enzymes on
blood testing.
Cats that are given
phenobarbital will need to have periodic serum and
blood chemistry profile monitoring.
When your pet is first put onto this drug,
blood samples to measure
phenobarbital levels will be taken every two to four weeks until the most appropriate dosage is determined.
When
phenobarbital is started, allow 2 - 4 weeks to reach stable
blood levels.
It is also relatively easy to measure the level of
phenobarbital in your dog or cat's
blood, making it possible to be certain that your pet is receiving the proper dosage of
phenobarbital.
In order to prevent long - term side effects from
phenobarbital in dogs, Dr. Richards recommends regular
blood tests to check liver and kidney functions.
Blood work was performed and
phenobarbital was prescribed.
Your pet's ideal
phenobarbital dose is best determined through measurement of its's
blood serum
phenobarbital levels after it has been on a trial dose for some time and periodically there after.
Generally, decreases are seen in glucose and calcium levels while phosphorus and potassium are increased in affected samples.7 Even though barrier gels separate
blood cells from fluid components, they are capable of absorbing certain hormones and drugs, such as progesterone and
phenobarbital.8 In addition, centrifuging samples using a fixed - head rotor centrifuge can allow gaps to develop in the gel barrier.4 This is why it is recommended to separate serum and plasma samples after centrifugation regardless of whether a separator gel is present in the tube.
Ongoing
blood tests may be necessary
Phenobarbital, in particular, requires
blood tests every six months because it can damage your dog's liver.