My dog suffered a seizure this morning. To say that it was scary is an understatement. I was terrified.
I took her to the vet immediately, where they took some blood to run some tests. The vet did not seem terribly worried… I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. That is, was he not worried because this is not life threatening, or was he not worried because he just doesn’t care? My gut tells me it was the former, which puts my mind at ease some.
If you’ve ever had a pet suffer from seizures, I’d be interested to here about your experiences.
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My dog Symon is a Jack Russell/Beagle about 4 years old, 35lbs and has been having seizures for roughly the last two years. The first time it happens can be very traumatic; but I think the vet pretty much responded the same way to me as they did to you above.
From my understanding, the seizure is not really life-threatening unless they have continuous (little or no recovery time between siezures) or multiples (two or more siezures over a short time period). Just because he had one doesn’t mean that he’ll have more, but in Symon’s case he did have more and he takes medication for it.
The Vet originally put him on phenobarbital which I think is usually the first preferred choice. The pheno worked great for approximately 6 months (no seizures) until he got really anemic and sick. His neurologist said that it could be a side effect of the pheno, so they weaned him off of it hoping he would just not have any more seizures. He got healthy, but then started having seizures again (6 in one day). They started him on Potassium Bromide; which he’s been on for the last 1-1/2 years. Every so often (4-6 months) he’ll still have a siezure or two, and they’ve upped his dosage. He had one approximately 7 months ago, and I was just thinking that maybe it was done, but then last night he had two and I had to call the vet…
I wish you the best of luck.
Thanks for sharing your story Brian. It’s somewhat comforting to know that the seizure itself is not life-threatening.
As it turned out, my dog ended up having another seizure later in the same day. I returned to the vet where they prescribed phenobarbital but told me I should not give it to her yet. I think they basically wanted to get an idea for the frequency of the seizures. Fortunately, there haven’t been any more seizures and I haven’t started her on the medication. I’m hoping that it was a temporary thing.
One good thing has come out of this situation. The thought that she might die that day made me realize how important she is to me, and how I take her for granted at times. I’ve started spending more time playing with her and giving her more attention. For now, I can hope there are no more seizures, but I’m actually grateful for the 2 she had already.
It’s a wonder that with all the technology we have these days that we still seem to be in the stone ages with regards to biological sciences. We can treat the symptoms in many cases (often at the expense of other side effects), but not remove the cause.
Anyway, thanks for your story and I also wish you the best of luck with Symon.
Thanks for sharing both your stories Peter and Brian.
My dog Prince, is a collie of a little over 9 years old. Ever since he was born, he has always had seizures. We never thought it was a big deal because my father had a dog that used to have seizures too and they are more common in larger dogs anyway.
So when things started to get out of hand, we took Prince to the vet and he prescribed phenobarbital which worked pretty well. He would have a seizure about every 5-6 months which isn’t too bad. But then, he started having them again, so we started to give him 2 tablets a day. Then, we finally got to 2 1/2 a day which has worked very well for about 8 months now.
So this morning, all of a sudden i heard this banging from the laundry room where Prince was sleeping, and he was having a very bad seizure. He continued to have 2 more, but now he seems to be stabilized and is resting. Hopefully, he will be better by tomorow.
Well anyway, i wish you both the best of luck, and thank you for letting me share my story.
Thanks Jen.
This weekend my dog had 2 more seizures. The first one happened when no one was home. I think we walked in the door just minutes after it had happened. She was wet with drool and urine and some furniture was knocked out of place. Then later that night she had another one. This time, she was on the couch (yes, we let our dog up on the couch with us). I was able to catch her before she fell off, but I took a pretty good punch to the face from her flailing paws (the force behind it can be quite surprising).
My wife and I soothed her as she came out of it and I think that made it less scary for her (I imagine she must have been scared when it happened and she was alone). This brings her total seizure count to 5 in just over 2 months. Our vet still advises that we don’t put her on the phenobarbital yet.
I’ve been trying to determine what might be the cause. She’s not getting into anything (chemicals, etc.). We’ve changed her food since the first seizure. But I’ve also read that any dog food you can get in the grocery store is not really very good, and will probably contain preservatives like BHA that can cause seizures in dogs. Even the more expensive brands (Science Diet, Eukanuba, etc.) contain these same preservatives (or so I’ve read). So I’m considering switching to something like Merrick, Innova, or Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul. They are harder to find and more expensive, but much better for my dog’s health.
I wish you the best with Prince and thanks for sharing your story.
My toy fox terrier has had 2 siezures in 2 weeks… they are mild, his body gets stiff and his eyes dialate. He is aware of us, but scared and his eyes water and his jaw clenches. I think I’ll take him to the vet today. I’m worried about cancer…
How old is your fox terrier, Molly?
I was really surprised to learn how many dogs have seizures. My dog has continued to have them, but we’ve decided to start her on the seizure medication. My vet has said that she’s too old for it to likely be epilepsy, but that’s not very comforting because we don’t know what (besides a brain tumor) might cause seizures, and we can’t afford the expensive tests and MRI’s to find out. But (I hate to say it) it is slightly comforting to know that it’s not as uncommon for dogs to have seizures as I had thought (and it’s often times unknown what the cause is).
One thing that I am suspicious of is diet. Could it be that all that processed dog food is worse for dogs than we consumers realize? Are there preservatives and/or chemicals in these foods that could be building up in our dogs bodies, causing them to have these seizures? I’ve read alot about going to a more natural diet, and the BARF diet (mmmm… appetizing acronym). I think we’re going to try switching to a more natural dog food, like “Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul”. I’ve read good things about it. At the very least, even if it doesn’t affect her seizures, I will know that I’m feeding my dog more healthy meals.
The quest for answers continues…
Hi - Glad I found this site. An adorable little dog came to my door yesterday. Jack Russell mix I think. She had an owner I’m sure - she’s been spayed, nails clipped etc. She is a true joy and very well behaved and loving. I was thinking I’ll call the local vets and pound to see if anyone has listed her as lost. She slept with me last night and had two seizures. Scared me to death I’ve never experience anything like it. Took her to vet this morning they wanted to do extensive ad expensive blood work - I’m not willing to spend this kind of money on a dog someone may claim. Just wondered if anyone’s vet had given medication without appropriate blood work. I’m feeding her Science Diet same as my other dog. Peter mentioned in an earlier msg even you better foods contained BHA I checked my science diet ingredient list and couldn’t find a BHA wonder what it stands for - any help would be appreciated.
I have had greyhounds AKC and NGA and now 3 Italian greyhounds.
I know meds are a big problem, because they have no fat content. (this was in June.
My 11 yr old male went on a med that containted both penicillin and pain elements and within 8 hours went into his first seizure. Yes, my children and I freaked out and cried and cried. NOthing seemed out of the ordinary after the vet immediate vet visit. That night 5 hrs. later he had another milder on (of course on the couch, we too believe what is good for us is good for them!) None since that time. Today at feeding am time, he had another one and there was no reason, as he is not on any meds or food change. I am wondering if this is an age thing? I just read on a natural homapathic treatment other IG’s have had seizure, is this common?
I agree with you on the foods and chemical things put in both human and dog that there must be some effects!???!
I know you all love your dogs and thanks for this info, I was truly lost.
Excuse my spelling errors-My (ME) spell checker brain is out on Saturdays!
@Rita
I wonder if someone abandoned that dog because of the seizures? I certainly hope not, but there are some people that would do such a thing.
Anyway, the blood work is the first step (or at least it was with my vet) when evaluating a dog with seizures. My understanding is that this measures the amount of a certain hormone to determine if the seizure was caused by epilepsy or another disorder. I’m not sure whether your vet (or any vet) would prescribe medication without first checking the bloodwork to better identify a cause for the seizures, but I understand your hesitation to spend money on a dog that you might only be baby-sitting.
Also, I’m not sure if they can give out this information, but you might check with your town clerk to see if you can find out who has registered that type of dog in your area. Perhaps from there you could try calling those people to see if they are missing their dog?
BHA - Here is a good resource that explains what it is (essentially it’s a preservative): http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa082101a.htm
Does Science Diet include BHA? I’m not sure. This site lists BHA in the ingredients for the Adult Original Dry dog food:
http://www.doggyfriend.com/store/store_detail.asp?p=591
But the Science Diet website lists “mixed tocopherols and citric acid” as the preservative:
http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCTprd_id=845524441760616
I’m not sure if that’s the same thing as BHA.
@Jo S.
Did you continue to treat your dog with that medication? Did the seizures stop if/when you discontinued treatment?
As for food, we’ve switched to a more natural food in the hopes that it might be better for our dog (even if it’s not the cause of the seizures). It’s certainly a little more expensive, but I suspect it’s a small price to pay (especially if it saves us later trips to the vet).
I am very glad I found this site.
This morning my toy poodle Sophie went into a seizure, waking me up; she had been sleeping on my feet. She has had a few before, but it’s been a while since she has. Sophie is only three, and a good friend of mine said her toy poodle started a period of seizures around the age of three that lasted for a couple years. I definitely hope this is a stage, and I am also relieved to learn that this is actually quite common.
My boyfriend told me the story of his childhood dog that had seizures: One day laying by the pool, his dog began having a seizure and slipped over the edge into the pool. It immediately snapped out of the seizure, so every time the dog had one from that point on, my boyfriend would apply cold water to the dog during a seizure. I tried that this morning, and Sophie snapped out of it pretty quickly.
I’m going to notify the vet and see if starting Sophie on meds is advisable. And I will also look into this preservatives business. Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories and taken a huge weight off of my mind.
I have a sweet bichon that has been having seizures. He has been with me since July. He seems to go about 2 weeks without any seizures and than has several over a two day period. Of course, he had some over the holiday weekend. He is currently on phenobarbital and I suspect he needs a medication change/increase.
This is all new to me. I took him to the vet in July and he vet didn’t seem worried about the seizures, but since he has had several, I am worried.
I am trying not to overreact, but think it’s time to go back to the vet. Does this situation sound “normal” for a seizure dog, or is there a chance of reducing his seizures. I am worried that he will have one when I am not home. I have tried to seizure proof the house as much as possible, but think he can still get hurt.
@Jane
My dog began having seizures back in March (the reason I first posted about it). She’ll go about a month between “episodes”, where each episode usually includes several seizures over a 1 or 2 day period. Her last episode consisted of 8 seizures over a 2 day period, the most she had ever had. We decided to start her on the medication at that point. It’s been about 3 weeks since that episode, so at this point it’s just “wait and see”.
Your situation does sound “normal” for a seizure dog (from what I’ve learned). I agree, you should take him back to the vet for a possible dosage adjustment.
As for seizure proofing the house, I understand your concern. Our dog had a seizure on the couch once and would have fallen on the floor had I not been there to catch her. She also had one where she fell off the end of my bed. Luckily, she hasn’t hurt herself yet (except for some lacerations to the end of her tongue from biting it during a seizure). But I have a large staircase that she sometimes sleeps at the top of, and I’m concerned she could have one and fall down the stairs.
Hi All:
I was just searching for seizure information as our 4 year old boxer just had one and it scared the daylights out of me. I was home alone with him and our other boxer. He threw up his dinner tonight also, and was very thirsty, but seems okay now. He seems a bit nervous though. He also foamed at the mouth while having the seizure, does this sound familar to anyone? I called the emergency vet and they wanted to keep in overnight for a seizure watch. I just can’t take him there and leave him and it seems as though this seizure thing is somewhat common. I will take him to the vet tomorrow. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
@Ann
It’s very common for them to be very thirsty after a seizure. Our dog will drink and drink. As for foaming at the mouth, our dog salivates and drools a lot during the seizure, but she’s never really foamed at the mouth.
Be prepared for more seizures tonight. It’s quite possible that she will have more. Usually, a seizure watch is needed when a dog is having multiple seizures and they need to control it for the dogs own health and safety. I’m not an expert, but I would tend to agree with you that a seizure watch is not yet required. I would take your dog to the vet first thing in the morning though.
I have an 8 yr old pomeranian, who has been having seizures for the past couple of years, last summer we would see her have 3 or 4 per day, this slowed down as the weather got cooler so as they seemed to stop we did not take her to the vet, but now she has started to have them again. The weather is still cool but we see her have 2 or 3 a day, then she might miss a couple of days then they happen again. We spoke to the vet but they want to do lots of expensive tests that we cant afford. what do we do ? do we let her keep having them, will whe she die from them, it cant be a tumor if it has been going on for so long can it, it must be epilepsy, does anyone know if the meds for epilepsy are expensive, we live in Australia. Our dog drools, goes glassy eyed, vomits and goes shakey and stiff during a fit and she is aware of us while its happening and it usually lasts for about a minute.
On Sept 3rd, I posted about my bichon Isaiah. He goes 14 to 16 days seizure free and then has seizures for 3 days (give or take a day). He currently takes Phenobarbitol. I just spoke with his vet and she agreed that every 14 days is to often. She gave me a prescription for Potassium Bromide. Now Isaiah will be taking two medications. Does anyone have a dog that takes both medications? I don’t want to over medicate Isaiah, but I don’t know what else to do.
Kelley - In the US - the cost for a month’s supply of phenabarbitol for a 10 pound bichon is only $12 and the potassium bromide is $22.
I have a 3 1/2 year old Rott n Lab mix Roxy. She has been having what i think are seizures since she was 1. She averages 1 a month, and they usually last 1 to 2 minutes. But her most recent and most scary lasted around 3 minutes too long. She was in my bed sleeping with me. What woke me up was her falling out of the bed and hitting the floor. Where she landed was directly at the top of the staircase!! Her eyes get glassy and she drools, her body gets stiff but also shakes. She hasn’t lost control of her bowls, or urinated on herself. And i dont think she has bitten her tongue [ that i can tell ]. And yes her food does contain BHA. I also have 2 Rotts one is 8 /12 and the other is 4 1/2, neither one has ever suffered from seizures that i know of. But when the Rott n Lab mix does have one the others do seem very concerned for her, they sniff her alot. I never thought she was alert as to what was going on around her during the seizures but this last time when the other dogs were sniffing her she growled at them for a moment. I dont know if she was just scared or if maybe she thought they were going to hurt her. I have not talked to my vet about her seizures yet. They are very scary and i have cried during everyone of them. Sometimes there is no one home with the dogs, i haven’t seen any signs of her having them when we’re not home . But i can’t believe she only has them while in my presence.. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
my dog copper has been having seizures every 1-2 weeks since late may/early june.pretty severe lasting 2-3 minutes,lots of foaming,and very stiff legs.he was on phenobarb(it didnt help at all even when we increased the doses)and then potassium bromide.these made him very weak and thirsty and didnt help at all.so we are gradually taking him off the meds,he switched to a better food and the seizures still continue,i really am scared and worried and the vet says there are no signs of a brain tumor.
My dog was having seizures. Did the lab tests thru the vet. Told my vet that I’d read on a website that PBT, ABT perservatives in dog treats may cause it for some four paws. My vet said she hadn’t heard of it but to try it out. My dog had 2 mild seizures shortly after taking her off all treats with the preservatives and hasn’t had 1 since. It’s been 6 months and no seizures. I wish to get this message across to others. It’s not to say ALL seizures are caused by this, but it’s clear my dog’s seizures were caused by the treats. I now only give her all-natural treats with no preservatives. Try it out!
I’m sorry, the preservatives are BHA and BHT… sorry about that. I had to re-look it up since it’s been a while since I’ve had to worry about it.
Read the labels - you’d be surprised by how many dog treats have
these two ingrediants..
Update on my dog…
We’ve switched her over to a more natural dog food (the Merrick brand). She’s also on the phenobarbital (though the vet said her levels are low and that we should increase the pheno dosage). She has had 2 “episodes” since we’ve made these changes, which means the frequency hasn’t really changed at all yet. On the positive side, though, her episodes have consisted of less seizures, so I still remain hopeful.
I have considered switching her to all natural treats as well, but I haven’t made that change just yet.
Hello I have a 2 1/2 yr old boxer female two days ago she had a seizure in the morning flailing paws and foaming mouth ect. from the way it sounds pretty common. I think that she may have injested some chems. in our laundry room. She has acted sickly yesterday and today. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience? Thanks Donald
I have a 4-5 year Treeing Walker Coonhound that I rescued from a gas shelter in GA who is the love of our family. He had his first seizure in June which sounds exactly how you are describe it…terrifying. Brought him to the vet the next day and they said to wait and see if it is an isolated incident; sadly he started to have them pretty regularly after that (about 3 a month). We did the blood test which showed no poison or anything alarming. He is now currently on 1.5 mg of Phenobarbital and 6 ml of Potassium Bromide and to say the least our lives are miserable. I have let it consume me as he reverts back to no house training even after hours of play outside. I have 2 other dogs so I have to now crate when alone so he doesn’t have a seizure and the other dogs approach him and get hurt. Plus the stage after the seizure seems to be the worst part as he paces the house for hours looking to replenish his loss…they say they are very hungry and thirsty. He has become very vocal and just whines and cries all day. If I pet him to sooth him he only gets worse. It is heartbreaking.
My husband and I are that point where we may have to consider putting him down due to his quality of life being less and less. He is not the same dog on the drugs, though I am scared to take him off due to the possibility of increased seizures.
Did any of you ever get to this point? Are you dogs suffering after each seizure from deafness or brain injury?
Thank you.
@Dara
Be sure you have his levels checked to make sure the dosage is correct. My dog just recently had an increase in dosage. While she does sleep more than she used to, she is still happy, playful, and loving.
I know what you mean about the post-seizure stage. Whining, pacing, and drinking. And I know what you mean about it continuing or getting worse when you try to sooth him. For my dog, I feel as though she recovers much more quickly if someone is there to sooth her DURING the seizure. If she has one when I’m around, I’ll pet her and talk soothingly while she’s having one, and then once she comes out of it I try to clean her up as soon as possible (excessive drool and/or urination). I’m not sure, but I feel as though this helps her to move past it quicker.
I also sometimes try playing with her (she likes to fetch) once she regains her balance and some of the clumsiness has subsided.
I’ve never noticed deafness or brain injury. From what I’ve read, deafness or blindness can be symptoms of a brain tumor, so if you’re seeing that then you should probably consult with your vet.
Sorry to hear your story, but hopefully (like me) you will find some comfort in the fact that this seems to be much more common than you might think. I hope you never have to put him down.
Thank you Peter. It helps to know that I am not alone as in the wee hours of the night when you dog is having a seizure one feels desperate and alone.
My dog doesn’t seem to want anything after the seizure but to go outside, drink and eat. I have a hard time getting him to settle down at all. It really does help to know though that others react this way as I haven’t been able to find much about this last stage; I think they call it the Post-Ictus.
He does appear to be deaf after a seizure but it only lasts until morning. When he wakes up the next day he is his old self again. I would love to get a cat scan to check for tumor but I can’t afford the 2,000.00 they quoted me for the procedure. Very frustrating.
I will call the vet today and schedule a recheck on the blood levels.
Glad I found this website. Thank you
My Boxer “Max” is 13yrs.old. Started having Seizures 3 months ago. They have all been during the night while sleeping. The First time he had 5 consecutive seizures in a row at 1:30 A.M. in the morning. No vet or help available. Got on the computer & found a Vet in Austria. He advised me to take a ice pack or Fill plastic gal. zip lock w/ ice cubes & gently rub the ice up & down his spine & around his stomack area. This will & did bring him out of the seizure quickly & gently. Told me to find a 24 hour drug store & getsome “Benadryl” & B-100 Vitamines W/ Pantothenic Acid 100mg. I gave “MAX” 1-Tab each. Then I him 1-Tab of Benadryl each night til monday A.M. & 1-Tab in A.M. & P.M. of the Vitamin B-100. Monday A.M. the Vet did Blood work & Brain scan. Results all Negative. He Prescribed Phenobarbital A.M. & P.M. w/ General pet Multi-Vitamins (8 in 1 @ Wal-Mart) & continue the B-100. This worked til the following month & he had another seizure @ Night. I followed the same instruction the Austrian Vet had previously gave me & he came right out of it. I Started doing alot of Study & research. The other night (month after previous seizure) “Max” had another seizure, Followed the same Emergency Procedure & he came right out of it. The Austrian Vet had also told me to give him small amounts of food after the seizures because they extract alot of energy during seizures. Also, Max has a great thirst. Give them what ever water they want. After this put them on a leach & take them for a short walk, if they are willing. This will keep their joints limber & not tightning up. Let them rest afterwards. Important to keep a date & time journal of ALL seizures w/ treatments given. Reason being I Think, I have found “Max” problem. I changed monthly flea Medication to a external application brand. Max on that same day or hours following the treatment went into seizures. I have NOW stopped the application of this medication Immediately. We are watching Max very carefully. I don`t like giving Max Phenobarbital due to the adverse reaction to internal organs. Also this is NOT correcting the problem. It is Important to find the problem & correct it instead of treating a symptom (seizures). I`m also researching Natural foods & treats WITHOUT PERSERVATIVES.Stay tuned folks more to come…..My Heart, Feelings & PRAYERS go out to you all…….. Mr. Bob “D”
@Mr Bob D.
The ice pack treatment is interesting. I may give that a try the next time my dog has a seizure. And that sounds like good advice (some food, water, and a short walk) post-seizure.
Especially important: Keep a seizure journal!
That’s also very interesting about the flea medication. If you find that after stopping that treatment, please report back with what brand/product you were using.
I agree, I don’t like relying on Phenobarbital (or any drug for that matter). Keep us informed of your progress.
Best wishes,
Peter
I just found this link with some interesting information:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/epilepsy.html
Very interesting about the flea medication and I really hope that is the source of you Boxer’s seizures. I hate give my dog the anti seizure meds as well (Pheno and Potassium Bromide) but I can’t find the source of the seizures and afraid to take him off of it.
I have kept a seizure log since his first one and it does help to be able to track them. You can also note any medicine changes there as well.
Has anyone tried any natural approachs such as this multi vitamin?
http://www.cellhealthmakeover.com/productsforpets.html
or http://www.nzymes.com/
Thank God for the internet. Thank you all for all of your stories, my little Babe’ he’s a 10 lb. pomeranian, and he had a seizure once last year for 5min, and 1 other time within that week, and just now this year, around the same time of year, I am freaked because he is the absolute love of my life, I’m glad to know that it hasn’t been as frequent as these other stories; however I am praying that it won’t get any worse. God bless us all for being blessed with such an amazing creatures.
Hi everyone, my 10 year old maltese started having seizures in her sleep in March. She had two in March and for 6 months nothing. Now 1 in September and One in November and one in December. Of course the vet says probably brain tumor because of her age. I was so glad to read kellys post becasue like she said her dog has lived two more years after have seizures so it probably is not a tumor. I dont want to put her on the medicine because she has alot of energy still and is a happy dog and im afraid the meds are going to change her. Also she shows no other signs of brain tumor. Confusion, pacing, head tilting. For those pets on meds how often do your dogs have seizures? Thanks Mindy
@mindy10
I too was hesitant about putting my dog on the medication. I was concerned about her energy level dropping and that the meds would change her. I’m happy to say that she is still the same loving dog. She sleeps a little more than she used to, but not to the point where she’s a zombie or her personality has changed.
If your dog is only having an episode once per month, and if the episodes aren’t too severe, then if I was in your shoes I’d probably not start her on the medication either. My dog was having about one episode per month, but then she had a really bad one with 8 seizures in one episode and that was the deciding factor for us. Since starting her on the medication, her episodes have certainly been milder. And since we increased her dosage at the beginning of November, she has not had another episode yet (keeping fingers crossed).
Hi Peter, Thanks for your response. I was wondering how old your dog was? Does your vet think it could be a tumor to? Does he show any other signs or problems besides the seizures? I just noticed my dogs treats that she loves has BHT so Im going to stop them even though she has eaten them for years now. Its funny how you said you give him more attention I have a three year old so Lizzie doesnt get as much attention as she use to but today I bought her a new toy. Also after she has one in the middle of the night im up and playing with her for an hour hoping she won’t have another one. Now everynight I wake up around 6 times checking on her. I need to really get some sleep!! Mindy
@mindy410
My dog is about 6 and 1/2 years old.
My vet did not say he *thinks* it’s a tumor, but he did say that this is certainly one possibility. He did say, though, that he thought she was too old to get epilepsy (that is, she would have had it when she was young), so that certainly isn’t very comforting. But I think there could be other reasons besides a tumor, and my dog has not had any other problems besides the seizures.
I’ve switched my dog to a much more natural dog food (I get the Merrick brand), and just recently we switched over to more natural treats as well. At the very least, I do find some comfort knowing that she’s eating healthier now.
I know what you mean about waking up in the night. I think that will eventually subside (it did for me anyway).
-Peter
My dog had his first seizure in late Oct and his second/third in late Dec. I then had him on Phb and I absolutely hate it. My dog eats a ton, urinates and deficates much more than normal. I am trying to ween him off the meds as he has been on them for a short time. He constantly whines at all hours of th enight and I cannot take it anymore.
My 6 yr old chocolate lab (Charlie Brown) has been having seizures since he was 6 months old! The 1st one was on July 4th and we thought he was dying! By the time we took him to the only vet that was opened, he was his old self again and we didn’t know what had happened. They told us about seizures and to contact our regular vet the next day. He has been on potassium bromide since then with seizures still happening on the average of every 6 weeks. We keep changing the amount we give him but when he gets too lethargic, I lower the dose. I believe it is not fair to have him so drugged up since he is normally a happy doggie who gets alot of exercise! But I get nervous everytime I’m home alone with him because I’m afraid a seizure will start! His seizures last a bit longer than others I’ve heard of….about 20 minutes from beginning to end and it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. The doctor did tell us to try to talk to him during the episodes and to take a cool cloth and rub him paws with it since a seizure will raise his body temp. I think after all these years we have finally gotten his seizures under control - it’s 1/1/08 (Happy New Year!) and he hasn’t had a seizure since last April. That is when he had cluster seizures and we had to give him Valium to stop them. He had had them once before and I made the doctor give us Valium to keep at home if they ever happened again. I was so glad we had it! But since that last seizure, we upped his potassium bromide to 8 ml and to our surprise, he’s been seizure free! I am finally starting to relax at night with him. We also switched his dog food around that time so I’m not sure if it’s the old dog food that gave him the seizures or what. The vet told us we could start lowering his dosage to see what happens which is what I wanted but now I’m not so sure….why change something if it’s working! Any thoughts?
My dog got bit on the leg by something on New years day. I think it was a spider. We were walking at the park, then she started shaking her back left leg - like she wanted to get something off her leg. Then she went into anaphylactic shock and had a horrible seizure. With it being New Years Day I had to take her to the emergency vet and he was a jerk. He did give her bendryl and steroid - which is what they give for a bite. She had another seizure later that night - and then I took her to a different emergency clinic and they said she has epilepsy. Both refused to believe she had been bitten - even though she had a bite on her leg and it was bleeding!
So her regular vet said yes she probably go bit. She had a few more convulsive seizures since then and she is on valium - and since being on valium she is just having baby seizures. She is having odd behavior and I don’t know if it is the post-seizure stuff or if it is the valium. The valium ends today so I am worried about what happens when the valium wears off. Will she have another grand mal? The two I eye witnessed were horrible, horrible, horrible. She stopped breathing, her tongue was purple, teeth clamp body rigid after convulsing with teeth banging on the cement, lost bladder control, eyes bulge like they were going to pop. So I think sometimes our dogs get a spider bite or something and it makes them have seizures and I am surprised at how little literature is out there about getting bit by a spider - I think my dog got bit by a black widow - or a wasp or bee or snake.
Hi everyone
Thanks for sharing this information my dog is about 3yrs old he had his first seizure in sep which sounds exactly how you are describe it.I have taken to the vet then it was given some treatment by the vet.The vet has give some suggestions during these type of diseases.I found some sites in which they have provided complete details regarding this
http://HealthierDogs.com
http://www.Dog-Health-Care-Information.com
http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com
I am so glad this info is here i have a 4 1/2 year old australian cattle dog/sheltie mix and i think she had a seizure last night i talked to my sister in law who is becoming a vet and she said that is what it sounds like i am very worried but really dont have much money to get all of that blood work.She was just laying on the floor and suddenly tried to get up but couldnt move and her mouth kinda puffed up around the edges and her eyes got really big and glassy and she dragged herself about 2 feet to the back door where i let her outside and after about 5 minutes she totally snapped out of it and was fine. Is that what happens? I am calling the vet today to take her in to get checked out.Thanks for being here.
Well after she came off the valium - she wasn’t having seizures, but she had another one this morning. I was getting ready to leave for work and heard some noises in the living room. It was like a door banging noise. So I went in there and she was laying in the floor with her back up against the door. Full seizure. It lasted about 2 minutes. It was a very violent seizure. She paddled her legs for about 1.5 minute then for the last 30 seconds or so, she pulled her legs up, toward her, they were all bent up and she was rigid. It was odd. I was calm this time - since I knew what it was. I just was trying to make sure her head didn’t hit the wall, and that she was breathing and I watched what she did more closely because the vets said to try to remember what she is doing- like did she paddle her legs.
Her spider bite - has healed. We are guessing (me and 3 vets) that it was a black widow bite. If it were from a brown recluse, her tissue probably would have been rotting off, or she would have more of left over area. However, she does have a scar, her hair is burned off her leg , like down her vein, where the toxin ran through her vessel down her leg. She got bit up at the top of her leg, like in the groin area where the leg comes over the abdomen. The bite area itself has healed, but where there was a long scab down her leg -which oozed for about 36 hours after the bite - her hair is gone and you can see this completely white line of skin.
So we are going to put her on Phenylbarbitol. They still think this is just related to the bite and that her seizure threshold just got lowered and we just need to get it back up.
On a good note - she came out of this one fairly quickly. After her 2nd seizure (day of the bite) she was blind and confused and wobbly legged for about 20 minutes. Today she was blind and confused and only slightly wobbly legged for about 5 minutes, and once the 5 minutes were up, she recovered really well and was really back to normal. She also did not get thirsty or hungry after this seizure.
I too was told that my dog was too old to just develop epilepsy. At six and a half, she would have already had symptoms.
I just hope she recovers. She is such a sweet dog. On Sunday I had been down in the floor doing yoga and I swear to you, she laid down and did some stretches too! I wish I had it on video.
hello:
i have a male pomeranian named bear who is three years old. For the first year and a half of his life he had about four seizures. He doesn’t have seizures anymore (which is good) but, now he has a really hard time walking, and he seems to shake all over a lot. we took him to the vet and got x-rays and nothing came up in the x-rays, and we really dont have the money for neurological work..so if anybody has any idea what might be going on Please comment back.
thank you.
Hi i have a 17 year old pom—-my luvees–to the rest of the world the one and only “Mr. Littles” He has been having these nasty fits since age 7, tested neg for all possible reasons. Usualy about every 5 to 6 months sometimes longer periods between he’ll have 2 to 3 a day for a period of 2 to 4 days (Varies). Ive learned to just talk him thru them get him into the tub as soon as i can(he loves looking handsome anyway)the water does seem to help them be shorter and just let him ride it out, there really isnt much more you can do. He is dazed and confused for approx. 20 minutes after walking laps around the house,walking into things,stumbling and panting , he gets very hungry and thirsty.i was just wondering— could the level of “my” stress be causing these awful fits to my little buddy?He seems to have them when im stressed out — and tonight he has had 3—i have been extremely stressed the past few days——also 3 months ago when he had his last fit—i was very stressed -am i nuts or could it be?
Hello,
About a month aga my dog had a seisure that lasted about three minutes. This was the first sseizure I ever saw. I took my dog to the Vet and she told me after examining the dog that the dog looked fine. She said if the dog experienced another seizure we would have to do some tests and possible medication. Last night my do had a seizure that would not stop. It lasted over one and a half hours.I took the dog to the emergency clinic were they told me they could do some tests but the prognosis looked grave. I put my dog dolly to sleep. Did I do the right thing please comment thank you Nancy Davis
@Nancy
Hi Nancy. That’s rough. I can’t say whether or not you did the right thing, but I think the vet probably would have advised you if it wasn’t the right thing to do. I’m sorry for your loss, and I think your decision is certainly understandable. I know 3 minutes is scary enough… I can’t imagine what I’d do if it went on for an hour and a half. My sincerest condolences.
-Peter
Nancy, you did the right thing. Even on the medication, life becomes unbearable for all, at least in my case. I am almost certain my dog had another seizure today.
My dog has had epilespsy for about two years; he is a 5 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. He had been doing well on Phenobarb. The original dose had to be increased in the first year due to having another seizure. Dash now has had one seizure in February. 2 weeks ago in March, he had another one. This morning, about 2am, he had another one, followed by one at 4:00am, and another at 8:30am. My husband is with him at the veterinarian right now and I am waiting to hear from him (I am at work). I am worried sick. What can this mean? Possibly only just needs an increase in Phenobarb? Try a new medication. My worse nightmare is that he has a brain tumor. I am sitting here on pins and needles. Thanks. Jan
I have recently put my dog on a bromide for her seizures — the cure seems worse than the seizure — has anyone else had a problem with too much potassium bromide? she has most of her coordination, she pants, and paces and her breathing and heartbeat seem extremely shallow — AND she is horribly miserable — the vet just tells me they are just sideeffects — any experience to tell me
@oldsurfrat
We noticed that when we put our dog on Potassium Bromide that she became much less active (very tired/weak). Our vet then recommended that we split her dosage and give her half in the morning and half at night (vs. a full dosage once a day). That seemed to make a difference. She is still not as energetic as she was before the medication, but at least she’s not totally wiped out.
Also, your vet may adjust her dosage up or down, so if it’s really wiping her out you might want to ask your vet about a smaller dosage and/or splitting it into smaller servings.
hi, i think my 7 year old bichon, has been having fits today. but they dont seem as dramatic as the ones here.
one leg seems to go really stiff and rigid, then the stiffness spreads to her entire body, then she begins to shake, as though shes scared. during which she is still concious, and responsive (albeit a lil sluggish). they last around 2-3minutes, after which she seems fine.
shes never had them before but today shes had 3.
the vet doesnt seem worried either, i was just wondering if you had any advice for these more peaceful seizures.
cheers x
my pug(sophia 6yr) started having seizures in March of this year. What you described, she has experienced. It’s terrifying to see her go through this, only thing to do is comfort her letting her know she is not alone. This will help. Sophia’s 1ST vet put her on phenobarbital. Side effects were not good, her immune system began to shut down, almost causing liver damage. Wanting another opinion, 2ND vet did blood work. Both red&white blood cells were very low,also showing either too high or too low in other areas. Winning her off this nasty med. putting her on KBr Sophia is doing much better.New blood work showed every thing was almost back to the normal range.This took about a month. The vet was very concerned, thinking she might not make it. He was also upset that the other vet did not do any blood testing as we requested. SO! what you should know, from my experience is if she has to be put on any med PLEASE!!!! DO NOT start with PHENOBARBITAL. It’s very dangerous. KBr is a much safer drug, still there are side effects, as in any drug. You and her will be much happier. The side effects are lots of sleep, alittle sluggish, hunger more than normal. If her seizures are not in clusters, and lasting less than 5 mins, talk to your vet about KBr maybe one and a half cc’s twice a day or even less. Reason why I’m telling you this is I have read all I could on seizures and the different medicines and their side effects there is as well as talking to our vet. I do hope this will bring some comfort to you. Wishing you and her all the best.
For those who don’t know, KBr is Potassium Bromide. It is used to treat epilepsy in dogs, either as first-line treatment or in addition to phenobarbital when the seizures are not adequately controlled with phenobarbital alone.
Phenobarbital does have side effects, which is why you’re supposed to continue having your dogs levels checked regularly, but I don’t agree that is “is very dangerous” (as the previous comment suggested). Every vet I have spoken with has said that phenobarbital is the recommended first treatment method, and my own research on the internet has confirmed this.
My suggestion is to find a trustworthy vet, and discuss treatment. If you are ever unsure, get a second opinion.
One of my poodles had intermittent grand mal seizures - about 4 a year. He hasn’t had one in about 3 years, but the last few times he acted like he was going to seizure, I used the ice pack therapy. It was like a miracle, how it stopped the seizure from materializing… never happened. He had no post-ictal stage either.
If you learn to recognize your dog’s behavior and actions when he appears to be going into a seizure state, grab the ice pack wrap a towel around it and keep it on his mid-back. Try to gently cool him down with a fan on low speed also.
Toby Lee from Animals Index
I have a ten year old yellow lab that recently started having seizure activity. She’s had multiple short lasting seizures. (10 - 12 seconds). The vet started her on Phenobaribitol which doesn’t appear to be effective in controlling her seizures. She’s had blood work / x-rays with no significant findings. The vet is now starting her on a second medication potassium or sodium bromide. I’m concerned about the adverse side effects of the medications. The vet is trying to rule out seizures vs syncopal episodes. Please advise if anybody is familiar with this.
This is a very informative webiste & I’m grateful for any information. Thanks in advance.
I have a bichon frise that is 17 months old. He started having seizures when he was 7 months old and it has been a nightmare. He had 4 seizures within a 24 hour period when he first began having them. I took him to the vet and blood work was done. The vet said his liver enzymes were not normal and wanted him to go on lactulose to bind the toxins in his liver and zentonil. The only way to see if it was a liver shunt was to go through expensive tests that I could not afford. The vet did not want to put him on phenobarb unless he continued to have the seizures. He went 10 days without a seizure then had 2 in a 24 hour period. After that he went 1 week without a seizure then had 5 within a 2 day period. The vet then wanted to put him on phenobarb. After putting him on phenobarb he went 2 months without a seizure, then had 3 within a 24 hour period. He then went a little over 2 weeks without a seizure then had 3 in less than 12 hours. By this time he was starting to have bowel movements or urinating during the seizures. The vet ran more blood work and his liver functions were normal. For the next couple of months he would have frequent seizures, every day for several days in a row, then skipping up to a week between. The vet then put him on potassium bromide and increased the dosage of phenobarb. He had gone 19 days without a seizure until yesterday and he has had 3 within the past 24 hours again. He was stung by a bee the day before his seizures started back up and he had to have shots for the bee sting. I don’t know if that had anything to do with the seizures starting back up. It’s really hard to watch him go through this. I am afraid to leave him alone because I am afraid he will hurt himself. After he seizes he runs into walls, etc. and I have to hold him to keep him from hurting himself. After that he looses consciousness for about 5 minutes but not too long ago he was unconscious for close to half an hour. My husband and I have seriously considered having him put to sleep as we hate to see him go through this. It is heartbreaking. Any advise?
When I originally posted about this a year and a half ago, the seizure episodes were about 4 weeks apart, with about 2-4 seizures per episode (with each episode lasting around 24 hours). They gradually increased in frequency, despite being on phenobarb. When she had 11 seizures across 2 days, we added potassium bromide.
These days, she has an episode every 3 - 5 weeks. 2 months ago we increased her potassium bromide dosage, which seems to have helped reduce the number of seizures per episode (the last 2 episodes have been 4 seizures vs. the 7 - 8 she was averaging before that). The down side is that she has gained a lot of weight since we originally started her on the potassium bromide and her energy level has dropped a lot.
My point is that it may take time to find the right mix. Before you make a decision to have your dog put to sleep, talk with your vet to see if there are more options. I’ve heard that there may be new anti-seizure drugs available soon. If your dog is running into walls, he may be experiencing blindness after his seizure (my dog is clumsy and bumps into things, but still seems to have her sight), so make sure your vet is aware of that as well. Obviously, making the decision to put your pet to sleep is a difficult one, so my advise would be to make sure you give it a lot of careful consideration and that you’ve explored all options with your vet (or perhaps even go to a different vet for a 2nd opinion).
hi; i have a one year old bichon maltes she weighs 5 pounds since this summer shes been having these seizures where her back legs go stiff and she pants like shes very hot and some times she ll walk like shes drunk at first i thought it was because it was hot but know i dont know. t was wondering if anyone has had a situation like this ; and if so could you please let me know and how they found the problem and what treatments thank you
Did you see any improvement with your dog’s seizures after you changed his food and his treats? I stopped giving my dog treats with preservatives in them and started giving him ones that are all natural. He has gained weight and is always hungry now. I don’t know if it’s from the phenobarb or the potassium bromide. He has a hard time jumping onto the couch or even running up the steps of the deck when he goes outside to eliminate. He loses his balance and falls sometimes. After he has several episodes of seizures in a short interval he seems to be really shakey. His head tremors like someone with palsy and his lttle legs tremble. He goes back to the vet in a couple of days for immunization shots and a check-up. I really don’t want to have him put down but sometimes I feel so sorry for him and wonder if he wouldn’t be better off if we did. We love him very much. I just hope and pray that his seizures start to go longer between episodes.
Unfortunately, the change to all natural food and treats did not seem to have any impact on the seizures. But I do feel better about feeding my dog healtier food, even if it doesn’t help with the seizures.
My dog’s symptoms sound alot like yours. Weak, has a hard time getting on the couch, etc. This is especially true following an episode. One thing I have noticed, though, is that if we take her to Doggie Day Care where she can play with other dogs and be more active during the day when we’re not around, she seems to have more energy. The stimulation that comes from being around other days and playing seems to counteract the weakness.
Has your dog ever had a seizure while at the doggie daycare? My dog is not around other dogs except occasionally when he is with his brother. My daughter has the brother to my dog. They are really wild when they are together. Has your dog ever had a seizure while awake? Mine has always had his while sleeping.
No, my dog has never had a seizure at daycare. Yes, my dog has had seizures both when awake and sleeping. I have noticed that during an episode, she does seem likely to have a seizure when she is awakened. For example, if we’re asleep and someone gets up to go to the bathroom and the dog wakes up (from the noises of doors shutting, etc.), then within minutes she might have a seizure. I’m not sure exactly what that means, just noting.
It’s been a rough few days. Over the past 48 hours my dog had 20 seizures, the most she’s ever had in one episode. So once again, it’s time to increase the medication levels and have her re-tested in 2 weeks.
Here’s another useful link. I learned that certain breeds are notorious for difficulty in seizure control (including mine, German Shepherd).
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_seizure_disorder.html
My sympathies are with you. You’re more of a person than I am. I could not handle 20 seizures in a 48 hour period. What is the dosage you have your dog on now?
We’re at 4 ml of potassium bromide twice per day. I’m not sure what the pheno. dosage currently is (I’ll have to check later).
Has your dog had any more seizures since the last episode that you posted?
No, she has an episode once every 3 to 5 weeks.
The potassium bromide is the drug that affected my dogs hind legs. When he was on pbr he had no problems getting around. We are currently giving him 4 pbr and 3 sodium bromides per day.
What did the potassium bromide do to your dog’s hind legs? My dog has had 2 seizures in the past 36 hours. It had been 10 days since his last episode.
I have a 4 month old border collie. I answered an ad on craig’s list for a free dog. The lady said her daughters refused to care for the puppy.
Anyway, she was fine for 2 days and on the third day began having seizures, She’s had 6 in the last 48 hrs. The vet has done bloodwork which doesn’t show anything and a bile acid test to rule out a liver shunt, results not in yet. She is not the same dog I brought home 4 days ago. She just sits and stares. She can’t even stand or walk most of the time. I am terrified and heart broken, does anyone have any thoughts?
He has a hard time getting up. Doesn’t run too much anymore.
moogish1, she will probably act very disoriented for a few days after the seizure episode… this is to be expected. She will probably return to her old self within a couple of days (assuming she does not continue to have seizures). Until then, just give your dog lots of love… it’s got to be scary for her as well.
Do you know if your dog is a full breed? I’ve read that full breeds are more likely to have seizures because no new genes get introduced into the gene pool. My dog is a full breed.
Moggish1,
Didn’t the vet put her on Phenebarbitol to possibly reduce the seizures?
The vet put her on potassium bromide. She had her first dose yesterday and had I think a seizure in the middle of the night. When I woke up she was sitting in her own feces and drooling. She couldn’t walk and I had to carry her outside. She had her second dose this morning. We have her at the vet now on seizure watch and he can pretty much rule out a liver shunt, so we wait…..
Note, potassium bromide and phenobarbital are both medications that need to “build up” in the system before they are effective. In other words, don’t expect immediate results. There are other medications out there that can be given to stop and prevent additional seizures in an episode (valium, etc.) but they are expensive. Just an FYI.
Thats so sad. I know what you are going throught. Bromide can take up to 4 months to take full effect. We have been instructed to give Bugsy valium after his seizures in order to calm him down. They don’t work too well.
The vet said she had another seizure today and is now resting. He is waiting to talk with a specialist about her. My husband is upset and frustrated and ready to put her down, but I want to wait and see if the medicine helps. How long do you think before the medicine stops the seizures (at least temporarily)? How many days before she can at least function? The vet wants us to bring her home tonight as there is no one there at night.
My understanding is that it’s different for all dogs. My dog has an episode at least once every 3 - 5 weeks. Some people have dogs that have seizures daily. My advice would be to not do anything prematurely. I’ve learned that seizures in dogs is a lot more common than I would have suspected, and for some it’s easily controlled or could even be a temporary condition. Unless your vet is recommending you have her put down, I would not even begin to consider that at this point. It may take months or it may not. If you are considering putting the dog down, I would recommend getting a second opinion from a different vet (it sounds like your vet has not had much experience with dog seizures). My 2 cents.
Thanks for your ideas and support, It’s nice to know someone understands. I will give you an update on Seven’s condition tomorrow. We named her Seven to celebrate our 7th anniversary. Needless, to say, not the greatest day.
I have a 1 1/2 yr old Blue Pit who started having seizures 2 months ago. She was having them every week. Last month I put her on Pheno and she went a month with no seizures until today. She has had a total of 8 seizures today! 2 Grand mal and 6 that were not as severe. When she has them she paddles her feet, shakes, foams at the mouth, and urinates. The first one she had today she was growling afterwards which was rare and bumping into everything. The other 6 were weird, she was running around the house, trying to hide and just looked scared(after the twitching stoped and she didn’t urinate after these). I am going to take her to the vet in the morning, the ER vet wanted to much money for me to bring her in tonight.(which I really wanted to do because I am scared for her) She has never had this many, especially in one day… I am afraid she won’t make it through the night or something.
lilsmokinchic, bumping into things and being clumsy after a seizure is not unusual. Disorientation is normal too, and many dogs will pace back and forth, so your dogs symptoms don’t sound unusual to me (for a dog that’s having seizures). Though I understand your concern.
Thank you for the reply! She finally stopped having them at 12:30 am after having a total of 12. I am watching her closely though and praying they don’t return any time soon. I just wish I knew of something to help her…a more natural approch to go along with the pheno to help keep her relaxed more which might make them less or less severe. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for the support, its nice to have a place to vent!
Hey everyone w/ a seizing dog, here is a web sight to check out http://www.dogtorj.com/ . i have stanley who started having seizures at 9 mo. old went on phenabarbatol did well for a while then more seizures went to dr.podell neurologist he went on potasium bromide as well. then he got pancratitis. so we went off potasium bromide. then he went on keppra along w/ the phenabarb. he did ok for a little while but his seizures are becoming every 4 to 5 days gand mals. i have found this vet in mobile alabama dogtor J. he has a very extensive web sight. now dr. podell has put stanley on zonisamide instead of the keppra that just started today. he had to go to emerg. vet the other night he had 3 seizures and 3 of rectal vol. after that they say go to the emerg. vet. this dr. j says phenabarb and other anti seizure meds can cause seizures later. which i am really wondering if that is the case here. i have changed everything food cleaning supplies ect. this guy makes the most sense so far. but i am very hesitant and afraid of wheaning him off any meds but i must say its becoming the common denominator. i see 4 vets. i have spent an enormous amount of money figuring him out. he has had 2 spinal taps normal, mri normal, checked for addisons , thyroid , and many many more things liver shunts ect. to no eval. they say ideopathic epilepsy. well i dont believe in that there is a cause and effect for everything. it how hard are you willing to look for the reason. stanley is an amazing dog. he deserves my best try. has any one ever wheaned a dog who still seizes off all seizure meds after being on the meds for a yr? if so what were your results. i am very confused and at a loss. reg. vets say stay on the meds yet there is evidence that seizure meds can cause seizures. any ways check out dogtor J ’s web sight i found him a week ago. and am really considering following his advice. tx stanley and his mom.
Does anyone else notice behavioral changes in their dogs after starting the potassium bromide? My dog started taking the potassium about 3 months ago in addition to the phenobarb. In the past month or so he doesn’t urinate regularly. He goes to the door acting like he needs to go but when we take him out he just sniffs around and doesn’t do anything. He comes back inside and is at the door again just a few minutes later. This goes on all day long it seems. He may go until 3:00 in the afternoon before he ever urinates or has a b.m. He is only 19 months old and before he started doing this he went fairly often. Not only that but his sleeping habits are all messed up. He wants up all hours of the night and acts like he needs to go out but still doesn’t do anything. Needless to say, we are having lots of sleepless nights and it seems like we are getting nothing done other than taking him outside. It’s really frustrating. I don’t know if this has anything to do with his meds or not.
I am happy to have found this site. My 14 month old Australian Shepherd, Maddux, started having seizures 6 weeks ago. Just one, then another 2 weeks ago. This morning he had what seemed like a smaller one (less than an min.) but he has continued to periodically salivate and foam at the mouth. He would relax, sleep briefly (10 min.) and then sit up suddenly and foam and cough. He is scared and comes to me and then is settling down again. No other issues. He generally takes a half hour or so to settle down after the full seizure. He is agitated and a little woozy which from the descriptions I have read above is pretty normal. We spoke with the vet after the first one and they did not express concern and indicated that due to his age their guess would be some sort of slight genetic issue. Has anyone else experienced the seizure followed by the multiple foaming occurences?
My pug is 21/2 don’t know his exact age because I picked him up through a friend and his estimated age at that time was 10 months. I have owned him since March 2007.
This past Saturday he was layiing on the bed and all of a sudden his body started jerking, his tongue came so far out of his mouth and he started foaming at the mouth. It felt like it last 10 minutes. My fiance held him and petted him to calm him down.
Now within the last 24 hours he has had four minor seizures. He gets out of them and seems like his normal self. These seizures seem to happen out of no where.
I am home sick and have been crying because I could not find a vet that would take payment plans. Finally I called Banfield and they said they could probably work something out. My fiance and I have to find a place to live by April 1 and our wedding is May 23. We already live paycheck to paycheck and we aren’t even having that expensive of a wedding. I feel horrible because I am sure people think my wedding is more important than my dog. That is not true. My dog is our baby. I am just so stressed out and don’t know what to do.
Lana, If anyone thinks that your wedding is more important than your dog then they don’t deserve to be there in the first place! Your dog is more important.
My fiance called me tonight and said he was bringing a dog home and hung up. When he got home with him, I was shocked.
He found this guy down a long dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He wasn’t able to pick his head up. When he got here to my house I held him and lifted his head up so he could drink some water. He drank quite a bit of water and then threw it all up and starting having violent convulsions. After reading allll night, I know he’s having Grand-mal seizures. He’s had 6 so far… and they were all back to back. It was almost 2 hours ago when he had the last one and he’s STILL laying on his side with his eyes fixed and dialated. His tounge is out of his mouth and his jaws are clamped shut. I don’t know what to do. I’ve called every vet office near our town and NO ONE offers emergency services for a pet they haven’t treated before.
I’m not going to give up on this fella. I go to the room he’s in every 10-15 minutes and rub his head and whisper to him. He’s fairly healthy looking… just having all these crazy seizures. I’ll probably be up all night on ’seizure watch’.
UPDATE:
Unfortunately, The trip to the vet wasn’t a good one. The poor dog had renal failure due to ingesting antifreeze. We had to put him to sleep.
@Dana, that is unfortunate. I guess antifreeze has a sweet taste so is a particular danger for animals. But I admire you and your fiance for doing the right thing and putting in the effort to help out a poor dog. Had you done nothing, that poor dog would have suffered longer and alone.
@Lana, one thing you might try is asking friends and family if they can help you out financially for your dogs sake. If you explain to them that you simply can’t afford the medical coverage for your dog and ask if they would be willing to help, even if only with $10 - $20, then you might be able to raise enough money. Alternatively, I wonder if there are some animal groups out there that might be able to help (I really don’t know). I hope it works out for you.
@Lana The initial office visit and blood panel screening will be about $150.-$200. This is mainly to rule out any organ problems. Then the vet will probably want to get your dog on Phenobarbital. I just got 120 pills from my vet for my 75lb Golden Retriever. $18 for a 60 day supply and that is for a large dog. Please ask your friends and family if they will donate to The Save My Puggy fund instead of wedding gifts, but you need the money now so treatment can be started immediately. Good luck.
@Lana, I am not one that approves of credit cards but, alternatively, if friends and family can’t help, you may need to just get one real quick a pay it off monthly.
My Veterinarian was very sympathetic and he said that he admires anyone who takes on the problems of an animal that isn’t theirs. He only charged me for the medication that he used and the tests that were done. My total bill was only $150.00. I would do it again. The poor guy needed help and comfort. Those who do good deeds are always rewarded in time.
Hopefully someone could help me.
My beagle is 6 yrs old and we’ve noticed over the past few years she has these episodes. She falls down and her back legs become like paralyzed and her whole body shakes and her whole body becomes stiff and her eyes bulge. These can last up to 15mins. Then she is fine and just acts tired and lays down. She also has hypo-thyroid disease so she is prone to being very tired. Does anyone know if thats a seizure episode. She has only had this happen maybe 5-6 times that we’ve seen over a period of 4 years I’ve tried to explain this too the vet and they said they cant help unless they see her do it. Otherwise its a very expensive list of blood work which sadly we cant afford at the moment. I just want some comfort if anyone has seen their dog or knows of a dog that has had the same rare few episodes. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
my dog chopper is 9 month old he had is frist sSeizures like 3 day ago he doing batter but the fisrt time i seen him do it omg i did not now what too thing he was having them alot he had 35 of them in one day the vet put him on zonisamide it seem like it working he has not had one in going on 2 days now but i thought i was going to lose him he my baby and i love him so much i had him when he was 10 week old and got him off thses popole that were not good too him he know 9 month old is 57 pound and doing ok for the last 2 day but reaaly dont know nothing adout what going on with him and very very new too this and would like to read more adout it and like to talk to popole that can help me undersand what going on if
This is to Manda, 2 posts above even though she posted months ago!
Thyroid conditions can CAUSE seizures, so please if you haven’t already have your vet do the necessary tests to make sure whatever thyroid medicine you’re using is is at adequate levels. If something so easily medicated is causing your dog’s seizures, you must follow through on this one.
(By the way, I found this site searching for info to help my 8-year-old Boston Terrier, who just started having seizures in May. He had two 24 hours apart, then a third one about three weeks later. Our first vet appointment in May included the full blood work to rule out some common causes of seizures. Now we have an appointment to go back this week and discuss what our next step should be. )
I just learned about the “ice pack” trick on another site while browsing the Web tonight and I am definitely going to prepare an ice pack for the next time my BT has a seizure. It certainly can’t hurt, and if it might help then I am definitely going to try it.
My standard American Eskimo had a seizure the other day, the 2nd time I’ve seen her have one. She will turn 16 yrs old in about 2 weeks. The first time, about 1.5 yrs ago, it only lasted maybe 10-15 seconds and she was completely fine afterward. She didn’t get into anything; her gums were normal.. She just stumbled over, her eyes jittering back & forth (nystagmus), & her legs paddling. Then she got up just fine. But the other day, she let out this awful cry, as if she got hit by a car, and started convulsing. It too lasted 15 or so seconds, but this time, her gums were pale & clammy and she was rather lethargic afterward. She was outside at the time to “do her business” when it happened, do you think a spider could’ve bitten her? Her hind-end wobbles a lot more now, since she’s gotten older and she loses her balance more often.. Do you think she could have Vestibular Syndrome?
hello, my name is joann i have a jack russell terrier just 2yrs old. his name is puck , he started haveing seizure’s 1 month ago . He had 2 in 1 month then one morning he started haveing 6-9 all at one time , everytime he fell asleep. I was so scared they were getting worse he would pee himself and poop himself. so i rushed him to the vet hosp. they took blood and put him on Phenobarbital . 15mg 2x a day well it doesnt phase my dog he still is very active. he hasn’t had a seizure in weeks. they put him on a low fat diet no treats 1 cup of food a day . he weighs 30 lbs and they said he was over weight. so far everything is good , now he developed a rash ,itching, problem they say the pheno, mase be the cause. I ve noticed in the last few years all breeds of dogs are haveing seizure’s . Is something going on?? why so many diff. breeds haveing this problem?? worried that if this doesnt help in time he will be put on other meds that lay him back like he is a zombie. i have hope it will not get worse. thanks joann in florida.
My golden retriever of 17 years of age just had seizure. This was 24 hours ago and her neck and front legs are still stiff and unable to move. I live in Japan and the vet came over to my house and she is on IV and some other medication for her brain. The doc says wait 3 days to see if she recovers? Does anyone know anything about this stiffness lasting this long? She seems to know who I am and has eye contact but juts cant move. This is the worst thing that has ever happened and I just cant sleep. I am praying that she comes out of this.
I am very sorry to hear that Karina Miyama…I dont know anything…i will keep you and your pet in my prayers
-I have a mini schnouzer and he had his very first seizure 5 days ago…it was horrible..my family and i remained calmed ((thank god)) I had been gone away from my dog about 3 months i recently came back only to find him not eating any of his food my family would give him to eat…I then noticed his food was rotting-and had a horrible smell and light yellow liquid seaping((which was not what we first thought to possibly be his urine)) from the bag his food was in…though i checked the label to his found and found no BHA listed–could it still be the cause of his seizure?
i changed his food to beneful and he has not had a second seizure so im assuming that could have been the cause…our vet–along with several others we called–had no idea what the cause could have been..
Please help
Hi everyone, my dog Mags, a toy poodle, has been having seizures since she was just shy of one year old. She will be 3 yrs old in February 09. She is currently on potassium bromide and phenobarbital 2x/day for the last year. She had a seizure on February 5, 2008 and she was doing great for about 7 months with no seizures to speak of. Then yesterday morning she had a small, short seizure. I comforted her while she was seizuring and then gave her food and water. She seemed ok the rest of the day. Then again this morning, she had another seizure which lasted a little longer than the last one, about 30 seconds to a minute. She previously had a hypoglycemic episode (low blood sugar) about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I agree, it is very, very frightening and difficult to see your dog, this little creature that you love with all of your heart, going through this and you are helpless to stop it. I have never heard of the ice pack idea so I will try it out the next time (hopefully there won’t be a next time) she seizures. I thought that since she had gone almost a full 8 months without any seizure activity, that she was well on her way to being seizure free but now I am afraid that maybe they are starting again with a vengeance. I am worried sick about her. She is an otherwise very playful, happy, energetic little dog and I can’t imagine what life would be without her. I don’t even want to go there. I am thinking of increasing her potassium bromide slightly. I have also kept a seizure journal and it helps a great deal to be armed with this information when you see your vet.
Hi Wendy. Make sure you talk to you vet. If she has been on the medication for a long time, it might be time to have her levels checked again. The vet will do a blood test to make sure that the levels of potassium bromide and phenobarbital are in the therapeutic range (I would advise against increasing her medication yourself without consulting your vet first). The test is a bit pricey (I think it cost me $75 the last time we had it done), but will verify that your dosage is still correct. Good luck.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions Peter, very much appreciated. I took Mags to the vet yesterday and the vet, without doing a blood test, suggested that I increase her potassium bromide just slightly from 1/2 ml in the morning to 3/4 ml in the morning and 1ml in the evening. Thank you again Peter, it helps alot to know that others are experiencing the same thing with their dogs and to know that Mags and I are not alone. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. W
Very happy to report that Mags hasn’t had another seizure for several days now since the increase in the potassium bromide. It seems to be doing the trick, … keeping my fingers crossed and remaining hopeful and optimistic!
HI
My name is Cathy. I have a Shepard, probably a mixed breed who is around 10. We rescued him 8 years ago, this accounts for all of the uncertainty. He had a siezure a few hours ago. It is his second one in 2 years. I took him to an emergency vet and then my own vet after the first seizure negative on blood work, both vets felt there was nothing to do.He is having severe allergy problems at this time, he was having them when he had the first seizure also. He is on Wellness food and 2 tabs of Benadry 2 times a day as precribed by the vet. I wonder if an overdose of Benadryl could be the cause of these seizures. His body gets stiff and he flails arounf for about a minute, no lose of urine, foaming at the mouth and he recovers immediaely.
Thanks for any help, I can’t rush to the vet this time as my husband has been laid off from his job. I know if it happens again I will bring him in as he is the best dog and deserves the best treatment.
Thanks
Hi, my almost 3 year old Lab Roxy started having seizures about 6-months ago. We first noticed them when she would come right up to your leg, then lock up and basically lean into to you. Of course we would calmly get to her level and just hold her up until the seizure would subside.
Her seizures weren’t of the shaking variety, just very stiff, deep breathing and eyes dilated almost looking like they were rolling back a bit. Afterwards she would go into a 15-20 minutes, sometimes longer, pace to what I called it, “walking it off.” I want to say she had between 8-10, 30 second seizures in a 3-month time period. We went to the vet and it was the typical wait and see approach.
On Nov. 15th she had a very bad seizure lasting nearly an hour an a half. We immediately took her to the E-Vet, in which she stayed for 2 night. They put her on a twice a day, tablet and a half dose of phen and to date she has not had one since.
My problem is that she will not stop whining. She will sit right next to you and whine for a hours and sometimes bark. She doesn’t want outside, she’s not in the mood to play, she doesn’t want to be petted. She has always been an anxious dog but this whining is driving me CRAZY!!! Obviously it has to be a side effect of the phen because she was never this whiny, does anyone have any tips?
Thanks
Hi Adam,
My mini wirehair Dachshund started having grand mal seizures, 4 hrs. apart New Year’s Eve and was also put on Phenobarb twice a day. He paced and whined too until the dosage was decreased and to once a day given at night. He is pretty much back to normal. If she is still whining ask your vet about possibly decreasing the dosage. Good luck
Hi, My Clyde is 10 and has had seizures for about 6 or 7 years. Phenobarbatol has controlled them almost entirely over the years but recently he has had them more often - every two months or so for the last several months. Those are the ones I have witnessed. He goes to holistic vet who says that as long as they are mild they are not as dangerous as the danger to his liver if his liver is damaged by overmedication. Anyway, with these last few seizures I have noticed that his eyes are bulging out a bit which concerns me. That will be my next question to the vet. He does aquapuncture for seizures and it looks like that is the next step for Clyde. Expensive, but he will by my only dog.
.k
My dog has been having seizures since November 2008. The best thing I can say is keep a record of what might be the cause of the seizure, it is very difficult to figure out and sometimes you won’t ever know the cause, however i do believe diet helps. ABsolutely no preservatives, I’m not even sure mixed tocopherols as a preservative is ok, definitely not BHA BHT, but best to cook for your dog if you can. It is easy - everything however should be organic. You can both eat same thing. Avoid rosemary - there are so many things to avoid it is best to cook a stew of chicken barley green beans green peas carrots celery zucchini sweet potato and barley - add a little garlic. put all in pot and boil then simmer for two hours and mush it all together ( debone the chicken of course first ) you can freeze some. Ice packs might work. Feeding ice cream might work ( if caused by low blood sugar). I’m best to avoid any harsh drugs but one never knows what is best for each situation. Try to extend time between seizures and avoid drugs if you can in the case of non-multiple seizures, and those lasting under a minute. Low music, being calm during a seizure I think all helps. Use all organic products at home, to clean and bedding. I know it can be a little nuts but it is worth it for a best friend. REad and research all that you can, knowledge is power. But if you keep a diary it could help you. Seizures happen more often at a full moon. Last night was a full month and Beca had a seizure, she had been seizure free for 3 weeks. Also, put pillows around where she sleeps, and protect your dog from stairs etc.. You do not want your dog to hurt herself during a seizure.
My dog has had a couple of seizures over the past three years and was on no medication becuase they were so rare. On Monday night for no apparent reason she started fitting at 9.30 pm and wouldn’t stop. I took her to the emergency vet who gave her diazapan and cold towels to reduce her temp (which apparently goes up with the muscle contractions). At 10.40 she finally calmed. The vet then said she had likely now got brain damage given the time lapse. We agreed to take her back in the morning and have her pts. Next morning a different vet convinced us we shouldn’t do this and to put her on meds. Since then she has had four on Tuesday and three yesterday. In the meantime she is constantly pacing, crying, bumping into furniture and getting stuck in corners. She doesn’t recognise us or know her name, she The vet has prescribed phenobarbital and says to keep increasing the dose until she calms. However, all this seems to do is make her sleepy but even in her sleep she’s twitching as if in pain. She’s had no seizures today but is still very disturbed and displaying this disorientated behaviour of pacing, vocalising, not wanting to be touched and she doesn’t know where she is or who we are. Add to this, she has been blind since she was a puppy and I’m seriously wondering what quality of life is this? I love my girl to bits but I feel I lost her on Monday. Will she ever come back from this?
Any advice much appreciated. I can’t leave her alone for a mintue, can’t sleep in case it happens again and am breaking my heart for her as she stumbles around the place banging her face.
Jenny, if it’s any consolation, my dog went through a period (usually about 3 - 7 days) of disorientation, stumbling, pacing, and whining after each seizure episode, but eventually came out of it. I think the best you can do is just try and make her comfortable and soothe her.
Hope she recovers quickly.
My dog has had 4 seizures in 3 years. The last one was last night. Afterwards it was like he was coming out of sedation, after a general anaesthetic. he seemed subdued for an hour or so but is now as right as rain. I thought the seizures were related to raised temperatures from fighting off infections. The 3 times previous he had been suffering from ear infections (cocker spaniel). Last night tho it may have been through insecticide ingestion from the gardeners spraying everywhere or even from changing his dog food. I don’t know. All in all dogs seem to forget easier than humans and just bounce back to normal. In my dogs case his quality of life is far better without medication. Each case is clearly different. i just try to keep my dog cool by pouring water on his neck and letting him get outside into the fresh air as soon as he tries to walk.
My dogs name is Daytona. he is a lab/beagle mix. weve been fighting seizures with him since February. Right after he turned 2, he started having seizures. They were about a week apart for a few months. Then, the seizures became unpredictable. one or two per week, sometimes two in one day. One day, he had one and then another one. A few hours later, he had another, so we took him in. Vet talked with us about medicines, so we decided to talk a homeopathic doctor. He gave us supplements for Daytona’s nervous system. These seemed to work because he went 3 weeks without a seizure! Then they started coming back one per week, then that one was followed by another one where his mouth and jaw would lock up, and he couldnt breathe properly. And each time he had these seizures, he always was in a dead sleep, then would wake up and begin the seizure. After an episode of back to back seizures, we took him into an emergency vet, we felt it was time to start pheno. Doctor gave him a loading dose. We came home, and he had another one a few hours later. I gave him a pheno pill. Then 5 minutes later, he started another seizure, but stopped about 5 seconds into it, and acted like nothing happened. We took him back into the hospital, he stayed overnight. No seizures. Hes now home, taking pheno twice a day. We are praying that this will help him get through this and reduce his seizures. Dogs are such amazing creatures, and it kills me to see this happen to him. But hopefully itll get better in time.
I wanted to offer a quick follow up.
It’s been just over 3 years since I first posted about my dog’s seizures. I am happy to say that her seizures are almost non-existent now. Her last seizure was several months ago (probably 4 or 5 months… I stopped keeping track). She is still on both Pheno and potassium bromide. She has developed some other problems (bladder cancer), but I’m very happy to say that she is basically seizure free now.
So for those of you who are worrying about your dogs future after having had seizures, please stay positive and know that it may not be a permanent condition.
What an informative blog. I have a German Shorthaired Pointer (he’s almost 3 yo), he’s been having siezures for the last 15 months. We have been treating by the usual methods,pheno and kbr, and he just had his 6th seizure of the day. He has 3 or 4 bouts of 10+ seizure days, maybe 60+ seizures in those 15 months. Vets seem very uninformed I have discovered. Your ongoing story Peter has given me some hope that there is a solution to his problem other than putting him down, which I was contemplating doing this morning. Thanks for the follow up information, it has been more helpful than you can imagine.