Potassium Bromide & Tummy Upsets

I noticed alot of people are googling Potassium Bromide along with other terms related to stomach upsets. I want to share my experience of giving Henry Potassium Bromide, both on kibble and on raw.

When on kibble, I would make a 'soup' with the Potassium Bromide. If I ever skipped the soup step, Henry would vomit and have loose stools. I made the soup by first putting in about 1/3 cup of canned food (Henry is 80 lbs) then I would inject the Potassium Bromide directly in the canned food, then add the kibble, and then add just enough hot (not scalding hot) water to cover the food. If I left either the water or canned food out, Henry would get sick.

Many worry their dog is not getting the full amount of Potassium Bromide and so they give it straight up, or simply inject it into a small piece of bread. I want to assure you that I have always put Henry's Potassium Bromide right into his food, and he has been able to maintain a good therapuetic level of Potassium Bromide in his blood, usually around 2.4.

With raw, I have not had to make the 'soup'. Raw meat already is very moist, so I just make a little opening with the tip of my poultry scissors and inject the Potassium Bromide straight into a piece of meat.

Henry however is not able to handle great amount of fats. I suspect it may be due to the Potassium bromide, so I do remove as much skin and fat as I can. Chicken is the base of Henry's diet cause it's more possible to remove the fat from that. With beef heart and steak (all beef basically) I find he can only handle organic, and I remove and big obvious clumps of white fat.

If your dog is on Potassium Bromide, and has achieved a desirable therapuetic level in his blood, and you are considering a diet change, you need to discuss with your vet how the new diet will affect the effectiveness of Potassium Bromide. Chloride levels vary in different kibbles and in raw. Just a little change in the amount of chloride your dog consumes can have a great affect on your dogs Potassium Bromide. You need to be careful or your dog may suffer from either Bromism (basically overdose) or may not get enough Potassium Bromide to give the seizure contol you had previously.

There is also another medicine very similar to Potassium Bromide, that if your dog continues to have upset tummy with Potassium Bromide no matter what you do, is a good alternative. I forget exactly what it is called, but your vet will know. I think it is something along the lines of Naproxen Sodium Bromide?