Interesting question.  I am on phenobarbital, but will be seeing my
neurologist the end of the month to start a new drug trial.  And by the
way I do whine, but it is more like complaining ;)

We have a dog (who doesn't have epilepsy).  When we got her she was very
over weight, so the vet told us how much food to give her.  It was very
difficult for us because she acted so ravenous when she ate, we figured
she must be starving.  This was so different from the way our previous
dog had been.  Our border collie had lived to be 14 and was the smartest
dog in the world.  We would put food and water in her dishes and not
even have to think about how much or when to fill her bowls, because she
would pick up her bowl and bring it to us when she needed more food or
water.

Our new dog,  Scout, is an australian shepherd healer mix.  She starts
to eat the food the second it hits the bowl.  I called our vet because I
was worried that she must be sooooo hungry.  He said that Scout is the
type of dog that thinks like a wild dog.  She is thinking this may be
her last meal, in other words it may be days before this wild dog can
find her next meal, so she is eating it as fast as she can.

So after the vet told us that we didn't worry about her anymore.  She
was able to lose her weight.  Now she is getting old, over 10 years old
now, she is an old lady in dog years.  When she got to this age the vet
had us decrease her food a little more so that she could lose about 5 to
10 more pounds.  They said that weight on an older dog is very hard on
their hips and joints.  So we followed the vets guidance and she lost
the weight.  When she went in for her checkup they were so proud of her
and said, oh look at that waist, she is looking good!

If the phenobarbital is helping your dog so he doesn't have seizures,
that is great.  I hope he can be your companion for many years to come.

Take care
Julie

Your vet doesn't want to change it because it's working. Yep. Typical
doctor. They had me on pheno so heavily that I went out and bought a
shotgun to do myself in. Yeah, that's a typical doc response.

If it works is one thing; if it kills the quality of life, it's time
for a different med.

Snack? Try a Dentabone. It's not only fun, it's healthy!