Third Street Veterinary Hospital, PC

303 NE Irvine Street (Corner of Third and Irvine)

McMinnville, Oregon 97128

Office phone: (503) 472-9418

Stan Wood, DVM, Diplomate ABVP

Specialist in Canine & Feline Practice

Potassium Bromide (KBr)

Potassium Bromide is a salt that has been in use as an anticonvulsant for many years. It is safer than Phenobarbital for use in dogs with mild to moderate elevations in liver enzymes. One drawback to its use is that it can take months for a steady-state level to be achieved in the bloodstream. We thus “load” the dog with a higher dose for several days, and then place her on maintenance. It is not uncommon for a seizure to be seen during the time the drug takes to achieve steady-state; if you observe one, please call us or the emergency clinic for advice.

Commonly seen side-effects are increased appetite, thirst, itchiness and sedation. It is important not to allow your dog to overeat while on the medication. Do not feed table scraps, or change food or treats, as the action of Potassium bromide is adversely affected by having too much table salt or inconsistent amounts of table salt in the diet.

We need to check your pet’s Potassium Bromide level in her bloodstream about 30 days after you start the medication. Please schedule a bloodtest with the doctor just before her dosage of Potassium Bromide is due on the 30^th day (or as close to that as you can manage). This helps us to adjust the medication so that best control of seizures is achieved.