Seizures in dogs - Answered by Dr Van Lienden

[Cazzerrella]

My dog was perfectly healthy until he was 6. Then he started to take fits.
The first time ir happened we thought he may have been bitten by a snake or ate poison. He never frothed at the mouth or defecated. We had him at a vet with in ten minutes.
They couldn't work out what was wrong with him initially. We had him on a drip over night . By the morning he was his old self.

Seems he is hypoglycemic.
It always seemed to happen after he had exercised a lot ,used a lot of energy or was excited. It usually happened over an hour after the event or sometimes even longer but he would always be resting when it happened. He had three fits in three months.

Next time he took a fit I gave him some honey, some bach rescue remedy to calm him down and a cold pack on the lower half of his back and just nursed him.. I was right onto it.

The fit lasted 10 to 20 seconds and wasnt as severe as the other ones because I acted on it right away.
The vet wanted me to put my beloved high energy foxy on valium. I wouldn't have that. Now I make sure he gets fed small amounts of low gi food( rice pasta meat oats etc,)and often and if he has really exerted himself a tiny amount of glucose or honey. He hasnt had a fit for a long time now.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-...poglycemia.htm

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, Cazzarrella!

We had a dog that had one grand mal seizure--happened in the middle of the woods after a long day of running. Although the vets were never able to give us a definitive answer about why it occurred, their guess was that it was hypoglycemia, as well. So after that we always made sure he'd eat a snack now and then when exercising and he never had another seizure

I think for these kinds of seizures, snacks sound a lot better than valium, on so many levels. I'm glad it works so well for your dog!

[shadowbaby]

I just took my dog to the vet this morning as he had a huge seizure. He was in status epileptis (seizure longer then 15 minutes). By the time we got him to the vet he had been seizuring for 30 minutes, it took the vet another hour and alot of drugs to get the seizure to stop. He is obviously still there being medicated but my big concern is that he could have brain damage, Anyone ever have this happen and I am right to be afraid that he may not be the same? My heart is breaking.

[hazelrunpack]

Sorry you're going through this, shadowbaby. I'm afraid your best bet is to talk to the vet about this. He can best assess the possibility of brain damage. Medication can also cause changes in behavior, so there likely will be some adjustment period. But ask your vet about causes and prognosis.

Good luck with your furbaby and please keep us posted on his progress, k?

[leeshie]

It's been a while since anybody has replyed on this forum. I grew up with a black lab mix - I currently have an ACD mix. The black lab still lives with my parents - she'll be 14 this coming January. My dad just called me this morning and told me they had to bring her to the vet because she had a seizure this morning. She's never had a seizure before. They gave my parents some medication to give her if it happens again, but told them if she does have another seizure that lasts over 5 minutes that they need to bring her to the emergency vet located in the next town over. A little background on their dog..... like I said, she's almost 14 years old. She has had horrible skin allergies almost her whole life - where she gets these blisters, patches on her skin. For a period of time, she visited a skin allergist (for dogs) twice a week for allergy shots. A few years back - I would say about 3 or 4 - she got a horrible liver infection. Nobody could figure out where she got it or how she picked it up - she never leaves my parents' house or yard. She almost died from it, but recovered. She has never been quite the same since - and you can tell. She also has those fatty growths/tumors pretty much all over her. One is the size of a tennis ball and getting bigger. They don't cause her any pain though or limit her activities - she still runs, plays, jumps, etc. My parents elected not to have them biopsied because they didn't want to to run the risk of putting her under - given her age and fragility after the liver infection. A couple of months ago, she started falling down and had trouble standing and eating and her head tilted to the side. My parents weren't sure if she had a stroke - but the vet diagnosed it as Canine Vestibular Syndrome (vertigo/stroke of inner ear), gave her some medication, and about 2 weeks later she was better - except her head still tilts slightly to the right side.

Until this morning, she's been doing well. She has a healthy appetite, she plays, she's generally happy. Unfortunately, she's also almost 14 years old and I know deep down that the end is nearer than any of us want to admit. I wish she could outlive me, but I know that's not the case. We got her as a 3-4 week old puppy - her litter was found in a warehouse and all the pups were sick so they were taken from their mother to help them survive, and she's been the best dog anybody could ever ask for. Smart as a whip, a puppy til the end. I've since grown up, moved out on my own and have my own 1 and a half year old puppy. Because I don't see her on an every day basis like I used to, I have particularly noticed how much she has aged in essentially the past couple of years. She can't see as good, she's partially deaf, she's clumsy, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Now with the seizure thrown into the mix (on Christmas Eve - no less), I guess what I'm trying to do is prepare myself. I know that it's inevitable that my parents are going to be faced with a lilfe-changing decision sooner rather than later. At what point are you able to decide that it's time to end your best friend's life? I know that sometimes it gets to a point where you're keeping them alive more for your own sake than for theirs, but how do you finally make that decision? My family was an absolute wreck a few months back when she had the Vestibular Syndrome, thinking the worse - that she had had a stroke and that we'd have to put her to sleep because she couldn't even stand up on her own, but then she recovered from that.

I'd like to think this stroke was just a one time thing and that she'll go on to live another 14 years, and I guess only time will tell. I suppose I don't really have a question or answer to anything previously posted on this forum, but I just had to get my story out - it helps reading things others have posted. It makes you feel less alone.

I was not there to experience the seizure first hand, but my dad did mention that she was foaming at the mouth - he did not say that she had lost control of her urine or bowels though - so I am assuming it wasn't one of the really bad ones. They have to bring her back to the vet to get some things checked out later because she needed to fast for them, and my dad said that since the seizure and trip to the vet, she's been nervously pacing and won't settle down and rest. Is that normal? Usually when she gets home from the vet, she sleeps, but he said she is just very anxious. I'm nervous to go over there tonight with my own dog - I don't want to cause her any unnecessary stress. Would it be best to leave my dog at home on Christmas? If anybody still reads this thread, I'd appreciate any thoughts on the matter.
Thank you,

[hazelrunpack]

Sorry to hear about your folks' dog, leeshie It's sad that they age so quickly

It isn't too unusual for a dog to pace after having a seizure--the brain activity is still settling back to normal. So that isn't too surprising. But, IMO, it probably would be a good idea to leave your dog home when you visit tomorrow, just to keep the excitement/stress level down in your folks' dog.

With luck, this will be the only seizure your mom and dad's dog has and your holiday celebrations will be incident-free!

[kirstybrady]

today I found out my dog has epilepsy. We was in the garden at my aunties and suddenly he dropped to the floor, being tense, shacking and foaming at the mouth. he tried walking but his feet were curled and just kept falling over until he couldnt no longer. This went on for 20 minutes before we could get him to the vets. He was like this for just over 2 hours until the only way to stop it was too knock him out. Thankfully he hads finally stopped and will come home tomorrow. Their putting him on tablets for epilepsy. It was a horrible moment especially because this happened a year ago due to a reaction from an antiobiotic after his face ballooning after being stung. He's a strong dog after suffering from distemper as a puppy and being beaten resulting in his nerveous system being damaged and trouble walking. Fingers crossed the tablets work ok. I never knew epilepsy in a dog could be so bad until I had to witness this and believe people should be more aware.

[hazelrunpack]

I'm sorry you and your dog are going through this, kirstybrady Please keep us posted!

[Rgeurts]

Hi kirstybrady,

I'm so sorry you are going through this with your furbaby. Are the vets just assuming it's epilepsy? Have they completed any tests to rule out some of the common medical conditions? A 2 hour long seizure is not at all common, and would either be cluster seizures, or Status Epilepticus. In either case, it's very severe and definitely could be life threatening. It sounds like your pup has been through a lot. One thing I would really be concerned about is the reaction to the antibiotic. Some antibiotics have been known to cause seizures and meningoencephalitis in both dogs and people. Does your pup have an immune system disorder? Has he ever had a reaction to vaccines (or had a recent vaccination)? Do you use flea/tick treatments? These are all causes of seizures in some dogs. One thing you mentioned was that his nervous system was damaged from abuse. Have you had any tests done to confirm that? Or is it just assumed by the way he acts? Also, has your vet completed a bile acid test to rule out a liver shunt or test for hypothyroidism? Both of those can cause seizures as well.

This is a copy of a web page I have bookmarked (I have a puppy, a little over a yr old now) who has an immune-mediated disease, most likely brought on by vaccines-or at the very least-severely aggravated by them. He as grand mal seizures, had meningoencephalitis and several other issues.


Meningitis is most often caused by an infection, (viral, bacterial or even fungal), but some drugs can also produce symptoms. These include:
Antibiotics--ciprofloxacin/Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole/ amoxicillin/metronidazole/penicillin/cephaleixn
Immune system--OKT-3 monoclonal antibody/immunogobulin/azathioprine
Anti-convulsive--carbamazepine
NSAID--ibuprofen/tolmentin/sulindac/naproxen
Antituberculous--isoniazid
Intrathecal (drugs injected into the spine)--methotrexate/cystine arabinoside
Uricosuric (drugs that eliminate excess uric acid)--allopurinol
Vaccines--hepatitis B/mumps
Anti-heartburn/GERD--ranitidine


Read more: About Drugs That Cause Meningitis Symptoms | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4569851_dr...#ixzz1K5leuCWK


Just a few things to maybe discuss with your vet. Good luck to you both
And please let us know how he's doing!

[Shaykeija]

Aww I am sad to read this. Best wishes for your pet

[MyBuddyGus]

i have a pitbull his name is Gus he is 3 years old.. i got him from a shelter out here in connecticut... i say a year after i had him he had his first seizure.. took him to the vet they said he was epileptic and they put him on meds which didnt work.. since then he has had seizures on and off for the past year i say one every 2 - 3 months.. i went on a work trip which he had 2 out of the 4 days i was gone.. and its been 3 months since then and yesterday he had one.. and today he had 2 more..which is the most he has ever had. im sorry im typing like this i am just trying to get this all out. i am still shaking because when i see it i start crying and it just hurts to watch i love this dog so much . i dont know what to do i have brought him to numerous vets which have just sucked money out of me and not given me an answer.. now my girlfriend lost her job and i am supporting the whole house and i am looking for a an emergency vet that will take some kind of payment option and am getting no help.. just looking for an answer if anyone could help me thank you

[Rgeurts]

Hi MyBuddyGus, welcome to the board
Sorry it's under such awful circumstance. Was it phenobarbital they had him on? There are a few differents meds for seizures, pheno is usually the first choice. I would say if the pheno didn't help, it may be something more serious than epilepsy. Does he have any other symptoms at all? How is his coordination? Does he seem to have any neck/shoulder pain or a limp? Has he had a fever? You said he came from the pound, so I'm assuming you don't have any history such as previous head trauma?

I have a baby with seizures as well. He had Meningoencephalitis, which is what started the seizures initially, but he now has scarring and a bit of brain damage, so he has them more frequently. He, however, showed no clinical signs of meningitis except the seizures, which we have been told by a couple of vets, is rare. It took a very caring (and smart) vet to test him for it. If yours only had one every 2-3 months, it wouldn't be necessary to put him on meds. But having several in a few days is bad. One thing I will say is that it's going to be expensive to find out what's wrong. The first thing I would do is a CSF tap if they continue. That would rule out (or, as in our case, confirm)Meningitis. Please let us know how he is doing and pictures are always welcome! Good luck to you both

[GrandmaCuddles]

I am having the same problem....I have a 7 year old Chihuahua who is having seizures. The Vets have not given us anything for them yet. He is very overweight and I feel awful about it. He gained the weight after I got sick and couldn't walk him anymore. I can only walk with a walker and I do take the dogs for a walk, but it isn't far and its slow, but it is the best that I can do. I hired the little girl next door but he is scared of her and would not go with her...he tugged and tugged and I was afraid that he would get away on her....so I am at my wits end. I have cut back on how much food he gets, but it is hard when you have more than one dog. What do I do?

[Boeriemore]

My Dachhond started getting seizures when two years old.
He is now six and still the problem exists.
Three months ago after two days of fits, he was placed in hospital where
his fits continued. His dosage of Potassium Bromide and phenobarbitones
were increased and he was give valium. After a few more days he returned home where he did not recognise me or his home.
Anyway, his increased dosage has been maintained since then, for three month fit free, until yesterday. He's had six episodes since then.
The medication is not helping to break this cycle of fits.
I should possibly get some valium for him and hopefully this will help to stop the trend, hopefully for another few months.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
(all required tests have been done on a regular basis, at great cost.)

[MaxaLisa]

I have no personal experience, but I would check the thyroid values and see if he is hypothyroid, and also check for tick disease.

[Boeriemore]

The Vet has been testing the Thyroid and all he has ever come into contact with are fleas, not ticks, but thanks for the reply.

[MaxaLisa]

There are things that you can do with the diet that can help seizures. I would pop over here: http://www.ourdogsonline.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4201 and have a homeprepared diet formulated. There's an extremely good chance that will decrease the seizures, and, with some dogs, they have stopped.

This is a pretty "thick" site, but there may be clues here:
http://dogtorj.com/the-g-a-r-d-made-simple/

[Boeriemore]

I have just visited another Vet for a "second opinion"
I was told that they have treated a dog with Epilim.
Result - no more seizures.
Anyone had experience with this medication on dogs?

[Boeriemore]

I'm afraid Potassium Bromide and phenobarbitones do not help.
His ceasures are becoming more frequent and harder to break the cycle once it starts. His mouth opens and closes in a snapping manner with sticky, frothy stuff oozing out his mouth, soiling bed, couch, carpet etc.

[serenamlambe]

Hi Boeriemore -

Sorry to hear that your dog is still having problems with seizures. One of my dogs has epilepsy, so I understand how difficult it can be.

My dog, Keely, has been on a variety of medications for her seizures. The first medication that she was given was phenobarbital. It took some time to get her to the therapeutic level, however, and we had to go to a specialist to get the correct information. The therapeutic levels given by the drug company are not always what a neurologist would recommend. We had to check her blood often to make sure she was maintaining the levels. However, we still did not have any luck with controlling the seizures. The specialist also gave us a rectal valium protocol to administer when she had a seizure in order to stop the clusters from occurring. We give her one dose during the seizure, then another dose 20 minutes later, and then another dose 20 minutes after that. You should check with your vet about the dosages, however.

Next, we added the potassium bromide. It had no noticeable benefits and it made my dog extremely stomach-sick, to the point where she was vomiting almost every day. The vet took her off of it very quickly.

The next thing we tried was adding levetiracetam (Keppra) with the phenobarbital. Like potassium bromide, this one is meant to accompany the pheno for dogs with refractory (difficult to control) seizures. She was on this one for about four months or so. We enjoyed a honeymoon period of two months seizure free in the beginning, then it seemed to make things exponentially worse. She was having seizures pretty much every week after that, which was much more frequently than before she was on the levetiracetam. We decided to abandon this medication as well.

Now Keely is on another drug called zonisamide with the phenobarbital. She's doing extremely well on it and there are little side effects. She hasn't had any seizures in three months, which is the best she has ever done. There is a study about the use of zonisamide in dogs that I read about... it had a fairly small experimental group, but about 58% of the dogs reacted favorably to the medication. And, for those who did, they seen an average 81% reduction in seizures. It gives me the impression that this is an "all or none" type of medication. It has been working for Keely amazingly, so I'm glad of that at least.

Anyways, good luck with trying to determine the next course of action for your dog! Please let me know if you have any questions... I feel like I'm getting very well-versed in canine epilepsy, unfortunately!

[Boeriemore]

Hi Serenamlambe,
My Dachhond has 1ml potassium bromide daily with one phenobarbitone in morning and one in evening. Yesterday the vet gave me valiums for him.
This did not break the cycle of ceasures. They seem to stop on their own after two days, then another two days for his behavour to normalize.
I am copying your post and sending it to my vet. Thankyou.

[adriennerosen]

I would go for the MRI. If she does have a tumour it is likely a miningeoma and they are usually resectable with little problem. The treatment is not the same as epilepsy (medication) but rather surgery. No need to lose a great pet so early on. Go see a doggie neurologist and see what can be done for Roxi.
All the best,
Adrienne

Originally Posted by brown_ca

We have an 8 year old female Malamute named Roxi who started having seizures about a year ago. The first one was incredibly frightening to watch (the all are actually) and we raced her down to the vet once it was over and he ran all the tests. After her blood work we placed her back in the car and as we were driving away she had another. Now to put this into perspective, she is 90lbs and these seizures are quite violent, so we turned around and the vet came out to the car with a tec and witnessed the entire event. Once it was over she was taken in and held for 48 hrs for observation.

During observation she had one seizure but of very short duration. Once the blood work was back and all checked out fine we met with the vet to discuss options. We were advised that we could send her to Saskatoon for an MRI (we live in Winnipeg) but that even if she had a lesion the treatment would be the same as if she had epilepsy, as an operation would probably be more harmful than not seeing that she was considered geriatric.

Currently she is on Phenobarbital (240mg per day) and will be until the levels in her blood are at a certain level and the vet plans to place her on another drug and slowly take her off the Pheno, as Pheno is toxic.

Since her first set of seizures Roxi has had four more grandmal seizures, the latest two being last night (she always gets them in her sleep and never when awake).

What’s frustrating about this is, like most people, we are looking for answers and a permanent solution to the problem. Fact is, we don’t think there is and this is something that we have to live with and are willing to. We have heard of others having their dog put down and it frustrates us when we hear that, as they are doing it not for the dog (they say they are) but for themselves because this is a very scary and tough thing to deal with, but honestly that’s what you get when you have pets, it is a responsibility, they are truly family.

What we have written here is no solution to your or anyone else’s problem but we just wanted to let you and others know that you are not alone. We have spent many sleepless nights waiting for Roxi to have another seizure and suffered with anxiety over this issue, but knowing we are not alone helps some.

Good luck and love your dog.

[serenamlambe]

Hello again, Boeriemore -

I'm glad that you found my post helpful and it gives you a few more options to consider. However, adriennerosen may have a point... even if she was responding to a old post by someone else. Have you gone for an MRI? We saved up and did an MRI on our Keely, that's how we know it is most likely epilepsy. She didn't have any swelling in the brain and there was no noticeable tumor or brain damage. They also did a CSF test - spinal tap - at the same time and nothing showed up on that one either. Even though we didn't really get any answers from it, we feel better going the medication route when we know that there's not another underlying problem that needs to be addressed in her brain. Of course there is no way to know if we're doing the right thing, but the success with zonisamide is certainly making it seem that way.

Good luck to you & keep us updated on what your vet suggests next!

Serena

[Boeriemore]

Thanks, I will keep you updated once I have more news.

[darylsangel]

Hello. I had a gorgeous blonde haired 9yr old 9 lb maltese. She was a vibrant .. hyper. High strung lots of barking dog. Up until this past Saturday night. Let me take you back about 3 months ago .. she had a 3 cm tumor removed off of her underbelly that they said was cancer but vets believed they got it all. Two weeks after surgery and stich removal we went to Florida for 3 weeks. She recouped nicely . Ran and played and chased other dogs. Like a new puppy again. . Came back to Ohio and a total of almost 3 months that she had surgery she had a seizure while we were gone and 12 hours later she had passed. .. we came in from a not out last Saturday night, I noticed her on the floor and her 8 yr old daughter kissy was on the chair. But Gigit want coming to the door like she normally does to greet me. I called her name . .. no response. I offered her a treat no response. . I then knelt down and looked in her face and looked like she was confused. She was wet in her face and shaking a little and weak. I then called or emergency vets office they said bring her in. They ran full blood work. No high sugars kidney liver heart urine all was normal. So put her on a saline drip she starts to jump . So Dr. Says he wants to keep her over night. At 730am that same morning she had a bad seizure Dr. Said. . He gave her Valium and phelebarbutraite (spelling) to calm her and said let's wait until Monday morning. She may sleep it off. 8am I got the dreaded call. Gigit had passed at 1130 the night before. Dr. Cannot figure out why. He thinks she either got into something (highly unlikely, I with them 24-7) could the stress from surgery and running to Florida cause her brain to just shut down? Or could have something bit her and caused this? Never had she had any seizures before. . I lost my beloved girl Saturday night 2015

[MaxaLisa]

Unfortunately, you may never know

I'm very sorry for your loss.

[alexpaul007]

A typical seizure for Bueller involves his body becoming rigid, slight shaking or rocking, excessive drooling and his eyes often look like they're going to pop out of his head. They generally last anywhere from 2-5 minutes.

[whiskerstopaws]

I am sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sure you did all you could. Unfortunately, when dogs start having seizures after age 5 it is most likely caused by a brain tumor. See: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=42 There is no way for you or any veterinarian to know this was happening unless a CT scan or MRI was done.

[Geezer]

Originally Posted by pambandit

Hi ,,, i just wanted to tell you who have dog's with seizures that a couple of years ago my dog was having them... scary to watch... the news had stated a link between the drops for dogs that we put on them to get rid of ticks and fleas and seizures... Well it was true. I never put drops (i think i was using Frontline) on him again and NO more seizures! good luck,, Pam

My aboriginal 10 year old dog Astro just started having full blown epileptic seizures this week. He was given a chewy anti tick and flea small brick medication a few weeks ago and the vet thinks that it may be responsible for the problem.

I read in a recent post here that another dog started having seizures after taking a similar drug. So I am wondering if there is any other evidence of a problem that needs to be confronted here? Anyone?

[Geezer]

Anyone thinking of replying to my post yesterday: Sorry but it is too late. Astro passed away last night after a really nasty epileptic episode that left him brain damaged. He had to be put down around 5:30 am this morning.