Seizures in Dogs

[allie&mattsmom]

****UPDATE 3/19 - POST 29****Our lab just had a seizure today. I am so shaken up by it. He was absolutely fine one minute and the next minute he's in a full blown seizure. Do any of you have dogs that have had seizures and if so how often do they get them? Are they on medication for them? I'm so afraid to leave him alone now thinking he's going to have another one. I keep thinking what if he had been at the top of the hardwood stairs when he had this. All these what if's keep going through my mind. He's a big dog - 91 pounds, and I had to keep him from knocking himself into furniture during this episode. I'm literally sick to my stomach. Seeing him like that about did me in. We did run him to the Emergency Animal Clinic today afterwards where they confirmed he did have a seizure. Tomorrow I will make an appointment with our regular vet. I always get great information here so thanks in advance for any information you may be able to share.

 

[VolleyballQt07]

My dog has seizures too. In fact, she had one Friday night. She has them every once in a while.

When they are having seizures, theres really nothing you can do to help them. Just sit on the floor with a towel[in case of foaming] and just pet him and just get him relaxed. He'll get out of it within like 5 minutes.

I'd definatley schedule an appointment with the vet to see if there is anything wrong with him!

Prayers and Pixie Dust!

 

[suzimar57]

my friend's lab has seizures too - has been having them for years - i'll email her and ask about Shadow (her dog) and get back to you here

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Yes, our lab mix has seizures. She's on medication for them now and she doesn't have them too often (less now that we limit the beef in her diet, which can be tied to seizures). It's very scary for sure and I always think of the "what-ifs".

 

[kaw1218]

we had a husky who used to have seizures. She had them quite frequently. After many tests we found she was also diabetic, so some were caused from low blood sugar. The doctor did have her on medication to slow the seizures down. When it was working, she did go a few months at a time without them.
I do suggest that you keep anyone away from the dog while she is seizing and immediately after. each time our dog seized she got dioreinted and was scared. Once she growled at me. so from then on we would just talk her through it. but didn't get too close, because she was never herself during them.

 

[Disney Deb]

Our cocker spaniel had seizures every once in a while. It is horribly frightening to witness, so I feel for you. Our vet did NOT want to give her medication unless the seizures were more frequent then once per month.

Hope this helps.....

 

[allie&mattsmom]

My dog has seizures too. In fact, she had one Friday night. She has them every once in a while.

When they are having seizures, theres really nothing you can do to help them. Just sit on the floor with a towel[in case of foaming] and just pet him and just get him relaxed. He'll get out of it within like 5 minutes.

I'd definatley schedule an appointment with the vet to see if there is anything wrong with him!

Prayers and Pixie Dust!

Thanks for your reply. That's what I did today. I just sat by him and tried to keep him as calm as I could and pet him. I had to sort of hold him to try to keep him from flopping around as much as possible. Not too easy with such a big dog. I do have a question for you. When we're not home, we usually let Jake have the run of the house. Do you think it would be best if we start putting him in his pen when we leave? Would he be "safer" in there if he were to have a seizure if we were gone? His seizure today was so violent it was unbelievable. I honestly don't know which would be better. But then I think he doesn't have a lot of room in his pen. I just don't know what to do. Maybe I'll talk to the vet tomorrow about it.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

my friend's lab has seizures too - has been having them for years - i'll email her and ask about Shadow (her dog) and get back to you here

Thank you. I appreciate it.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Our Golden, Sandy, had epilepsy. He was on phenobarb, and it helped him.

DH just said to search for dogs and epilepsy and you will find some great mailing lists for support.

 

[suzimar57]

just spoke to my friend - her 14 year old lab starting having seizures 2 years ago - first time, dog acted weird (only clue) - had seizures every 3 months or so for a year - dog is on phenobarbitol now (had blood test, got RX based on weight & age), has only had 1 seizure past year - she suggests if your dog has seizure again, reassure quietly, don't overwhelm with lots of people, don't let it walk, it might urinate - after, don't let dog on high couch or bed (might fall off) - also, keep dog out of extreme temps (very cold outside or very hot) - this might trigger a seizure

 

[Debi]

I had a black lab/husky mix, and seizures are common in both breeds. Denny was about 2 when he had his first seizure, and it was pretty violent also. We also sat on the floor with him, petted him, and talked calmly to him (told him he was a good boy, etc.).

We took Denny to the vet the next day (his first seizure occured in the middle of the night), and the vet started him on medication. Although this didn't eliminate the seizures completely, it definately did reduce the severity of them. Since Denny only had one seizure before he started on medication, there's no way to know if the meds reduced the frequency of them or not.

Like your dog, Denny had the run of the house when we weren't home. Since we're in a two story house, I was also nervous that he would fall down the steps while having a seizure when we weren't home. Ultimately, decided to do nothing. By putting up a baby gate or some other constraint, that would have made Denny even more nervous while having a seizure.

Thankfully, Denny lived an otherwise healthy life with no other health issues. He was put to sleep for other reasons at age 11.

Discuss the options with your vet. Each dog is different, so what was appropriate for Denny might not be appropriate for your dog. {{{Hugs}}}

 

[allie&mattsmom]

Yes, our lab mix has seizures. She's on medication for them now and she doesn't have them too often (less now that we limit the beef in her diet, which can be tied to seizures). It's very scary for sure and I always think of the "what-ifs".

What kind of med is she on? I'm glad she's doing better. Does it have any side effects? Beef, huh? I had never heard of that. I may have to look into his food. Jake eats Eukanuba reduced fat but I'm not sure what all is in it. Thanks for the info Tigger&Belle!

 

[kaw1218]

just spoke to my friend - her 14 year old lab starting having seizures 2 years ago - first time, dog acted weird (only clue) - had seizures every 3 months or so for a year - dog is on phenobarbitol now (had blood test, got RX based on weight & age), has only had 1 seizure past year - she suggests if your dog has seizure again, reassure quietly, don't overwhelm with lots of people, don't let it walk, it might urinate - after, don't let dog on high couch or bed (might fall off) - also, keep dog out of extreme temps (very cold outside or very hot) - this might trigger a seizure

That's what they had our dog on too.

 

[milkabum]

My cousin's standard Schnauzer had them once he was diagnosed with diabetes. Pixie dust and love from one puppy loving family to another.

 

[disneyfan67]

My father had a beautiful Akita that was a champion show dog and he started getting seizers when he was 5 or so. It really scared my mom who was at home with him at the time when his first seizure occurred. We rushed him to a emergency vet and by the time we got there he was ok. Our regular vet did a bunch of tests on him and found nothing wrong. They gave us phenol barbital (which is a narcotic) to give him when the signs of an oncoming seizure was starting. The drug seemed to help him and lesson the seizer. The best advice I remember the vet telling us, was to stay with dog and keep him calm and comfort him when he was in the grips of a seizure. I would sit next to him with a cool,damp towel and wipe his drool away and just pet him. It would take about 15 to 20 minutes and he was fine. It didn't seem to affect his life span because he lived to almost 14 years old, which is really good for a big Akita male.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

What kind of med is she on? I'm glad she's doing better. Does it have any side effects? Beef, huh? I had never heard of that. I may have to look into his food. Jake eats Eukanuba reduced fat but I'm not sure what all is in it. Thanks for the info Tigger&Belle!

Sheena takes phenobarb twice a day. She has her blood levels checked every 6 months or so to make sure that the dosage is correct. Our vet said that over 1 seizure a month is cause for medication. She's probably only had 1 in the last 6 months (that we are aware of). She goes to the floor, shakes and trembles, drools, and sometimes throws up. She allows us near her without a problem (and usually a cat checks her out since they can sense that she's having a problem. The worst if it lasts for a good ten minutes, but she sometimes takes longer. I try to keep her resting for awhile and as long as I'm on the floor with her she'll usually rest without trying to get up. But when I can't be there she tends to want up too soon. Sometimes I'll grab my laptop and sit and DIS while she's recovering.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

Thank you all so much for your information. You have made me feel so much better. I swear, this is the place to come for information of any kind.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Thank you all so much for your information. You have made me feel so much better. I swear, this is the place to come for information of any kind.

Awwww, I'm so sorry that you're going through this. Hang in there!

 

[DumboFan]

Our first beagle had them. He was never given any meds. The vet couldn't find any reason other than beagles are prone to seizures. Our new beagle hasn't had any (knock, knock).

We did realize that when Katum started to feel "funny" he would always come right up to me & not leave my side. After the first couple times, we realized what he was doing & we made sure our DD was out of his range. The only thing we could do for him was massage his legs (they would lock up) & soothe him as best we could. As soon as the seizure started to subside, he would want to go outside. It seemed to help him if he could "walk it off". He was also very thirsty as soon as it was over.

Its very scary to know there's not much that can be done for them as they go through the seizure.

 

[hercamore]

HI, those seizures are so scary! They take your breath away.

My beagle (when he was 2) started having seizures once a month till for about 4 years. Then the seizures stopped totally. . . Yay. Hasn't had one since and he's 12 now!

We did not medicate him. We considered it, but I am home during the day and the vet was on the fence about it since Sam's seizures weren't weekly.

Good luck,

herc.