Seizures in dogs

[elgerber]

Yes. agreed that generally they do just stop and then the dog is fine. If they are having several in one day, then that might be an emergency visit. Likely at that age, it's epilepsy. That is the age that it usually starts, I know this from experience, as you can see in the other thread I posted. My dog just had another on Friday night.

 

[Tattylou]

I have a cat who has seizures. I knew when I adopted him there was a question if he had a seizure as a newborn. He had his first one with me about a week after I adopted him as a kitten. I took him to the vet ER, but of course he was fine by then. Then he had another one that same day. He also had this twitch that come to find out was sort of a petit seizure. The shelter I got him from paid for him to have a full battery of tests and in the end he was diagnosed by a neurologist veterinarian with epilepsy. He’s two now. He’s on phenobarbital twice a day. He’s only had about 2 or 3 seizures in the last year and a half. The vet adjusted his medicine after each one as needed. I take him twice a year for blood medication levels and a liver panel (just to be sure no issues from the phenobarbital with his liver). Otherwise he is a happy and healthy cat and you’d never know he has epilepsy. Vet said she didn’t expect it would effect his lifespan.

 

[Just Ducky]

I very rarely, if ever, post, but hope our family’s experience can give your daughter some hope as I know firsthand how scary it is to witness a seizure.

Our dog started having seizures at about the same age. She’s so little and it was awful to experience. We were told the same thing by our vet as the other posters, this is a common age for idiopathic epilepsy symptoms to show up in dogs.

Over the next 6-12 months, her seizures started to become longer and occur more frequently/closer together, which can be dangerous. While we were initially hesitant to medicate, after consulting with a vet who specializes in neurology, we made the decision to start her on meds (zonisamide - 2x daily, dosage is based on weight) and have had excellent results. There are a variety of meds available, we opted to start with one that had minimal side effects and wouldn’t make her too “out of it”. She is now nearly 11 and is a very loved, pampered member of our family.

While making sure she has meds every 12 hours daily is a commitment, it’s been manageable for us. The meds are not overly expensive (maybe $30 for 3 months supply - thank you Costco!) and our pup has a great (spoiled) quality of life. Her blood work is checked annually and we are still careful about using collars/not giving her other meds. In our case, we opted not to do extensive diagnostic testing as the vet felt most likely was epilepsy based on age/breed/bloodwork.

I hope your daughter’s dog responds well to treatment!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I very rarely, if ever, post, but hope our family’s experience can give your daughter some hope as I know firsthand how scary it is to witness a seizure.

Our dog started having seizures at about the same age. She’s so little and it was awful to experience. We were told the same thing by our vet as the other posters, this is a common age for idiopathic epilepsy symptoms to show up in dogs.

Over the next 6-12 months, her seizures started to become longer and occur more frequently/closer together, which can be dangerous. While we were initially hesitant to medicate, after consulting with a vet who specializes in neurology, we made the decision to start her on meds (zonisamide - 2x daily, dosage is based on weight) and have had excellent results. There are a variety of meds available, we opted to start with one that had minimal side effects and wouldn’t make her too “out of it”. She is now nearly 11 and is a very loved, pampered member of our family.

While making sure she has meds every 12 hours daily is a commitment, it’s been manageable for us. The meds are not overly expensive (maybe $30 for 3 months supply - thank you Costco!) and our pup has a great (spoiled) quality of life. Her blood work is checked annually and we are still careful about using collars/not giving her other meds. In our case, we opted not to do extensive diagnostic testing as the vet felt most likely was epilepsy based on age/breed/bloodwork.

I hope your daughter’s dog responds well to the treatment path she chooses.

This is your 2nd post in 14 1/2 years?! I’d say your first sentence is an understatement! Welcome(ish) and do try to spend more time with us!

 

[LSUmiss]

I had 2-a Dalmatian when she got older & a beagle when he was just 1. The Dalmatian lived to be 14 & the beagle only lived to be 6. But neither died from the seizure disorder. Both had cancer . The beagle didn’t have full grand mal seizures so it was awful b/c it terrified him. We went through so many meds & I remember keppra was one. I read that it happened when the alarm went off. It always happened to the beagle when he was suddenly awakened from sleep so I tried to not let that happen.

 

[ramee]

I'm shocked at how many people deal with this!

Honestly, I clicked on this thinking about The Flight of the Conchords episode about epileptic dogs. Didnt seem so funny now. But then I went and rewatched it...

Sorry to read about everyone’s dogs!

 

[Moliphino]

My only experience with seizures in dogs was part of the end stages of liver disease in a 13 year old dog, so I don't have any good advice but I can definitely commiserate on how terrifying it is to see it.

 

[Snowflakey]

I very rarely, if ever, post, but hope our family’s experience can give your daughter some hope as I know firsthand how scary it is to witness a seizure.

Our dog started having seizures at about the same age. She’s so little and it was awful to experience. We were told the same thing by our vet as the other posters, this is a common age for idiopathic epilepsy symptoms to show up in dogs.

Over the next 6-12 months, her seizures started to become longer and occur more frequently/closer together, which can be dangerous. While we were initially hesitant to medicate, after consulting with a vet who specializes in neurology, we made the decision to start her on meds (zonisamide - 2x daily, dosage is based on weight) and have had excellent results. There are a variety of meds available, we opted to start with one that had minimal side effects and wouldn’t make her too “out of it”. She is now nearly 11 and is a very loved, pampered member of our family.

While making sure she has meds every 12 hours daily is a commitment, it’s been manageable for us. The meds are not overly expensive (maybe $30 for 3 months supply - thank you Costco!) and our pup has a great (spoiled) quality of life. Her blood work is checked annually and we are still careful about using collars/not giving her other meds. In our case, we opted not to do extensive diagnostic testing as the vet felt most likely was epilepsy based on age/breed/bloodwork.

I hope your daughter’s dog responds well to treatment!

Thank you! When you said you are still careful about using collars - does that mean you don't treat your dog for fleas? We are really hesitant to use any flea/tick meds......

 

[Snowflakey]

Talk to your regular vet about whether, at this point, a seizure is a medical emergency. Generally, by the time they happen it's almost over and the emergency vet isn't going to tell you much that you couldn't find out the next business day.

I'm not trying to be mercenary about this but it might happen that the seizures are a symptom of something grave and expensive to treat and spending Vet ER money that you don't need to now may affect how much money you have to spend later.

Because he had two seizures in a row we felt it was right to bring him to the emergency vet. It was WELL worth the $400 it cost for them to have him the day. We learned a lot more about seizures, started him on meds and hopeful he will live a long life.

 

[gillep]

Thank you! When you said you are still careful about using collars - does that mean you don't treat your dog for fleas? We are really hesitant to use any flea/tick meds......

Not the poster you quoted but I strongly suggest you discuss with your vet. I was hesitant to give my beagle flea and tick meds too because of the seizures, but then he actually got fleas once and that's a whole other thing that you don't want to deal with getting rid of, not to mention the diseases they can spread. Our beagle was on Trifexis successfully for years while he had seizures.

 

[easyas123]

Thank you! When you said you are still careful about using collars - does that mean you don't treat your dog for fleas? We are really hesitant to use any flea/tick meds......

I don't say it's for everyone, and each person should do what they feel is best for their pet...with that being said, I don't use flea & tick on any of my dogs. We have had one flea issue in 15 years. Gave them the pill, and a good wash. And our dogs are inside/outside farm dogs. We have had foster dogs (8 in the past 2 1/2 years) come to our home riddled with fleas and worms, and we deal with that by dealing directly with the issues and keeping them separate in a headed garage away from our dogs until they are healthy, and we don't introduce them right away anyhow.
No heartworms (get tested each year) ever. And my vet is on board with my reasonings.
Obviously its different for everyone -

 

[dvcgirl67]

Because he had two seizures in a row we felt it was right to bring him to the emergency vet. It was WELL worth the $400 it cost for them to have him the day. We learned a lot more about seizures, started him on meds and hopeful he will live a long life.

I know you found the other thread on this....there's good advice there too. I will just tell you that I have my Airedale is 9 years old...and she had her first seizure when she was one year old. I work with dogs for a living, and have seen seizures in dogs before, and it's much different when it's *your* dog. Also, we all likely end up at the emergency vet with the first seizure or two....it's scary and it can take some time to get meds right...etc. We took Phoebe to the emergency vet that first time and they kept her overnight for observation.

My dog's seizures are almost always the same now... and while it's still not a great thing to see her go through that, we are old pros at handling it now after all of these years. I have another dog that I care for who is Phoebe's age, a welsh terrier, and he has cluster seizures that are a bit more difficult to predict and control. The owner goes to the same vet as we do. In additional to the potassium bromide and CBD oil, Moby is also on phenobarbital. The owner also keeps valium suppositories for him in case he were to continue to have seizures one after another for an extended period of time. But again, he's nine years old and so it has not affected his lifespan to date.

But fret not, for the most part your daughter will find a way to manage the seizures. I hope the CBD oil helps our dog....it's been amazing for my girl. .

 

[Snowflakey]

I know you found the other thread on this....there's good advice there too. I will just tell you that I have my Airedale is 9 years old...and she had her first seizure when she was one year old. I work with dogs for a living, and have seen seizures in dogs before, and it's much different when it's *your* dog. Also, we all likely end up at the emergency vet with the first seizure or two....it's scary and it can take some time to get meds right...etc. We took Phoebe to the emergency vet that first time and they kept her overnight for observation.

My dog's seizures are almost always the same now... and while it's still not a great thing to see her go through that, we are old pros at handling it now after all of these years. I have another dog that I care for who is Phoebe's age, a welsh terrier, and he has cluster seizures that are a bit more difficult to predict and control. The owner goes to the same vet as we do. In additional to the potassium bromide and CBD oil, Moby is also on phenobarbital. The owner also keeps valium suppositories for him in case he were to continue to have seizures one after another for an extended period of time. But again, he's nine years old and so it has not affected his lifespan to date.

But fret not, for the most part your daughter will find a way to manage the seizures. I hope the CBD oil helps our dog....it's been amazing for my girl. .

what do you use for CBD?

 

[braysmommy]

Our almost 8 yr old labradoodle started having seizures when he was around a year old. One short seizure every 4 months or so. Well last March it all changed and his seizures starting lasting longer, first time I thought he might die, and more frequently. We started on one med and even with increasing dose he was still having bad seizures. Have now added another med to the mix so 2 meds twice a day and thankfully it has been working! I would also say one has to do what they are comfortable with but I have never taken him to emergency vet even when the duration increased. I called his vet and after first really long seizure they wanted to see him but after that just a phone call to adjust or add med.
About meds I have been using GoodRx app to find cheapest option which has been Costco. CVS would be over $160 a month and at Costco around $50 using GoodRx.

 

[elgerber]

Our almost 8 yr old labradoodle started having seizures when he was around a year old. One short seizure every 4 months or so. Well last March it all changed and his seizures starting lasting longer, first time I thought he might die, and more frequently. We started on one med and even with increasing dose he was still having bad seizures. Have now added another med to the mix so 2 meds twice a day and thankfully it has been working! I would also say one has to do what they are comfortable with but I have never taken him to emergency vet even when the duration increased. I called his vet and after first really long seizure they wanted to see him but after that just a phone call to adjust or add med.
About meds I have been using GoodRx app to find cheapest option which has been Costco. CVS would be over $160 a month and at Costco around $50 using GoodRx.

Is that price for Keppra?

 

[braysmommy]

Is that price for Keppra?

My doodle is on Keppra 500mg 1 tablet 2/day ($22.49 @ Costco) and Zonisamide 2 capsules twice a day ($20.90).

 

[elgerber]

My doodle is on Keppra 500mg 1 tablet 2/day ($22.49 @ Costco) and Zonisamide 2 capsules twice a day ($20.90).

My doodle is on 750mg twice a day, and Costco could not get good RX to work after the first two fills. Switched to Hyvee and I got 2 months work for $98 this month. He is also on Potassium Bromide, but that one isn't nearly as bad.

 

[dvcgirl67]

what do you use for CBD?

https://www.ellevetsciences.com
Again....check with your vet about dosage. It's higher than what is listed on the bottle for mobility issues. It's pricey. My Vet carries it, but I buy it directly from this company directly to save a little. They have a 20% sale....only once a year from what can tell....around Black Friday.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Re Flea and tick med. Some of it may depend on where you live. We live in Lyme and other Tick Disease country. All of our dogs have had Lyme as has my DH because they are outside a lot. And this is with flea and tick preventative. (Long story but we were originally using the drops, then after one tick disease, went to the pills, then after another tick disease, went to the collar, all on our vet’s advice. With the pill they have to bite the skin in order to die; with the drops and collar it could kill them before they bite, in theory. Not sure any of it is perfection after our experiences, but we have to try. Still wearing the collar year round.) My dog has tested positive for both Lyme and Anaplasmosis. Then last summer he became quite ill. I when the vet came out to the car and said, “You have a sick little boy here, his temp is 105”. Tick disease, again. This can be just as deadly as seizures.

So none of this really hit home until my son was hospitalized with a tick borne illness. He had anaplasmosis. It was one of the scariest things I’d seen. Before our eyes, his white blood cells and platelets were being destroyed. He was having them checked every two hours and they were going down further and further. His spleen, liver and kidney values were off, and he could barely move. This, in a man. It made me realize what tick disease actually does to a smaller, or any, dog. Thankfully we have antibiotics, but damage can be done in a very short time with these tick borne illnesses and who’s to say whether that damage will reverse itself. (I’ve met someone, a person, whose anaplasmosis diagnosis was delayed, and after three years, his platelet values still have not returned to normal.)

BTW it was our dog that we could thank for getting DS to the hospital in time. DS wasn’t going to go. He was feeling lousy, but went to bed for the night. And our dog would not settle down, and kept staring into his room with concern. So I‘d said to my son, ”Hey the dog is looking for you, come say goodnight to him”, which he did. It was then that I started to look at and question DS more about his symptoms and we made the decision to head to the ER. Had we waited, things could’ve been much worse for him. Thankfully we had a doctor who recognized it for what it was right away and wasted no time in starting him on two different IV antibiotics.

It’s concerning about the Seresto collars, which is what my dog wears. But he’s had two so far (they are supposed to be changed out every six months, or more if they get wet regularly) without a problem, and I mentioned (in a pp) that my friend’s vet called the company and they said that the problem lies with the knockoffs. It is definitely something to keep an eye on, though, balancing the safety of the pet with the need for flea and tick preventative. Fleas aren’t just a nuisance, they can also transmit disease (plague, typhus, cat scratch disease, tapeworm).

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

My daughters 3 year old lab had a seizure 6 months ago. Lasted a few minutes but scared us to death. She brought him to the emergency vet and also had an ultrasound done of his heart. All blood work, ultrasounds, etc was good.

6 months to the day, which was yesterday, her alarm went off at 4:50 am and he got off her bed and started having a seizure. I ran to her room. Ugh, it is the WORST thing to experience. My poor DD was a wreck and I'm trying to hold it together for the dog. He ended up having 2 seizures which the vet now calls "cluster seizures". Again we took him to the emergency vet and they kept him for 10 hours yesterday for observation. He didn't have any more. They started him on levetiracetam (brand name Keppra. This med has little to no side effects and its a low dose.

My question to all of you is has any of you had a dog who had seizures? I am fully aware that each dog is different but I'd like to hear your experience. Do we have a chance of this dog living a long life? I just don't know what to think going forward. My DD is in law enforcement and this dog is her life. I'm just so sad this is happening. He is such a good boy.

As always, thank you for your responses.

My last dog had seizures daily, multiple times per day by the end of his life. He took daily phenobarbitol for a few years, but the medication was hard on his body and he kept needing more and more, eventually he was maxxed out and the vet told me that high doses of the medication would shorten his life, so I made the decision to wean him off the medicine, it coincided with my second pregnancy so it worked out that I would be able to keep an eye on him and his seizures were triggered by his separation anxiety so he had fewer seizures for a while.

Something to keep in mind is that flea and tick and heartworm medications can cause seizures in some dogs. My dog couldn't tolerate those medications so even though I took precautions to try to protect him from heartworms he ended up getting them anyway at the end of his life, but he was 12 years old and the vet had predicted that he wouldn't live past 10 because of the severity of his epilepsy so he was on borrowed time anyway. All that is to say that I'm wondering whether your daughter's dog's seizure coincided with a dose of flea and tick or heartworm medicine both times? Even the flea shampoo will cause seizures, had he been to the groomer recently?