Ask the Vet About Seizures (Epilepsy) in Pets
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While efforts are made to answer all questions as quickly as possible, if an immediate answer is required or if your pet is in need of urgent or emergency care, contact your pet's veterinarian immediately.
Submit Your QuestionWe Have A 3-4 Year Old Beagle. He Had His First "seizure" In June 2016. Up To This Point No Issues Or Seizures Had Ever Been Experienced. My Sister Brought Her New Puppy Over As She Was Staying To Dog Sit While We Went On Vacation. It Was Almost Like Our Beagle Was Overwhelmed, Too Excited And That Is When The Seizure Occurred. Seizure Lasted About 2-3 Minutes And He Came Out Of It And Acted Pretty Normal. Fast Forward To Yesterday. No Other Seizures Have Been Seen When He Was In His Cage And I Heard What I Thought Was Him Fighting Himself. I Came Out Of Another Room To See Him In A Seizure In His Cage. It Lasted About 4 Minutes. When He Came Out Of This One He Just Wasn't His Normal Self. Looks To Be Shivering. Was Aggressive. We Left Him Alone; Checking Frequently When At 1:30 This Morning He Was In Another Seizure But Started When He Was Sleeping. After This Seizure; Lasting 4 Minutes Or So He Seemed More With It Although Not At 100%. Still Shivering. Very Lethargic. Local Vets Are Closed Today Due To The Holiday. Not Sure If This Is "normal" Behavior After A Seizure And If I Need To Take Him To An Emergency Clinic.
Probably Best To Take Him To Local Veterinary Emergency Clinic For An Exam And Blood Work, In Case Long Term Anticonvulsant Seizure Meds Are Needed. Epilepsy(which Is Where They Seizure From Unknown Causes) Is Very Common In This Breed. As They Get Older The Seizures May Increase In Frequency, And There Is No Way To Predict When/and Or If They Will Recur. You Can Discuss With Er Vet Pros And Cons Of Starting Seizure Meds Like Phenobarbitol, Which Is Often The First Choice, As Once You Start On Them, They Are To Be Continued And Not Stopped.
We Have A 3-4 Year Old Beagle. He Had His First "seizure" In June 2016. Up To This Point No Issues Or Seizures Had Ever Been Experienced. My Sister Brought Her New Puppy Over As She Was Staying To Dog Sit While We Went On Vacation. It Was Almost Like Our Beagle Was Overwhelmed, Too Excited And That Is When The Seizure Occurred. Seizure Lasted About 2-3 Minutes And He Came Out Of It And Acted Pretty Normal. Fast Forward To Yesterday. No Other Seizures Have Been Seen When He Was In His Cage And I Heard What I Thought Was Him Fighting Himself. I Came Out Of Another Room To See Him In A Seizure In His Cage. It Lasted About 4 Minutes. When He Came Out Of This One He Just Wasn't His Normal Self. Looks To Be Shivering. Was Aggressive. We Left Him Alone; Checking Frequently When At 1:30 This Morning He Was In Another Seizure But Started When He Was Sleeping. After This Seizure; Lasting 4 Minutes Or So He Seemed More With It Although Not At 100%. Still Shivering. Very Lethargic. Local Vets Are Closed Today Due To The Holiday. Not Sure If This Is "normal" Behavior After A Seizure And If I Need To Take Him To An Emergency Clinic.
Probably Best To Take Him To Local Veterinary Emergency Clinic For An Exam And Blood Work, In Case Long Term Anticonvulsant Seizure Meds Are Needed. Epilepsy(which Is Where They Seizure From Unknown Causes) Is Very Common In This Breed. As They Get Older The Seizures May Increase In Frequency, And There Is No Way To Predict When/and Or If They Will Recur. You Can Discuss With Er Vet Pros And Cons Of Starting Seizure Meds Like Phenobarbitol, Which Is Often The First Choice, As Once You Start On Them, They Are To Be Continued And Not Stopped.
My 14 Month Old Terrier Mix Has Had 2 Seizures, One At 10 Months And One Yesterday. They Were Both While Going To A Pet Store/vet. I Firmly Believe They Were Brought On By Stress But My Vet Disagrees. Could This Be Possible? he Did Start Anti Seizure Medicine Yesterday And Now I Am Second Guessing My Decision. I Hope I Made The Right Decision And Am Worried The Pb Treatment Is Going To Alter My Dogs Personality.
Hard To Say If Seizures Stress Related, But Your Dog May Have Predisposition To Seizures, Which Is Common In Dogs. Many Possible Causes From Metabolic To Infectious/tick Born To Unknown Origin Called Epilepsy. Decision To Start On Seizure Meds Is Individual Decision, And Varies From Vets To Even Veterinary Neurologists. I Usually Only Start Dogs On Seizure Meds If They Have More Than One Seizure Monthly, Or There Is Any History Of Cluster Seizures, Having More Than One In A Short Time During A Day. If You Are Concerned, Ask Your Vet For Referral To Veterinary Neurologist In Your Area. Most Dogs Do Fine On Long Term Seizure Meds As Long As Periodically Monitored And Having Blood Levels Checked, Liver Enzymes, Etc. To Make Sure No Side Effects And Drug Reaching Optimal Levels In Blood.
My 14 Month Old Terrier Mix Has Had 2 Seizures, One At 10 Months And One Yesterday. They Were Both While Going To A Pet Store/vet. I Firmly Believe They Were Brought On By Stress But My Vet Disagrees. Could This Be Possible? he Did Start Anti Seizure Medicine Yesterday And Now I Am Second Guessing My Decision. I Hope I Made The Right Decision And Am Worried The Pb Treatment Is Going To Alter My Dogs Personality.
Hard To Say If Seizures Stress Related, But Your Dog May Have Predisposition To Seizures, Which Is Common In Dogs. Many Possible Causes From Metabolic To Infectious/tick Born To Unknown Origin Called Epilepsy. Decision To Start On Seizure Meds Is Individual Decision, And Varies From Vets To Even Veterinary Neurologists. I Usually Only Start Dogs On Seizure Meds If They Have More Than One Seizure Monthly, Or There Is Any History Of Cluster Seizures, Having More Than One In A Short Time During A Day. If You Are Concerned, Ask Your Vet For Referral To Veterinary Neurologist In Your Area. Most Dogs Do Fine On Long Term Seizure Meds As Long As Periodically Monitored And Having Blood Levels Checked, Liver Enzymes, Etc. To Make Sure No Side Effects And Drug Reaching Optimal Levels In Blood.
Yes I Have A Pitt Bull, Boxers, Hound Dog, Mixed He's 4 Years Old And In The Past Two Years He's Had 5seizures ,He Had One And Then Want A Year And Then Had Two, With A Week, The Two Seizures He Woke Me Up Flipping Around My Room So I Got On The Floor And Grab Him And Held Him His Muscle Then Tightened Up And He Look Confused Like He Didn't Know What Was Going On It Last About 15 Min ,And Then He Puked And Was Fine, He Lays Around A Few Days After Them And He Know When It's Happening To Some How Make It To Me In He Knows I'll Help Him, And The All Last About 15 Mins Each Time And He Always Is A Ware Of My Voice And Any Time I Speak To Him He Looks At Me Like He Know I'm Talking To Him He Just Don't Understand What's Happen, Ever Secent He Was A Puppy He Always Pukes Alot And Eat Grass, I Read All About Seizures In Dog And The Difference Thing That Cousin Them And I Still Just Anit Sure What Type He Is Having, My Dad Took Him To The Vet After That Bad On He Had Where He Was Flipping Around My Room, The Said The Do Some Test And Get Back To Us And I Never Hear Anything From Them And The Seem To Stop And It's Bee 5 Months Sent He Had One And About 4 Days Ago He Had One, Out Of No Where He Was Asleep And Woke Up And He Made Is Way Up To Me Cuz He Was Lay On My Bed When It Happen And He Just Trembled And Shook And Had Tight Muscles And He Had No Balance And Just Looked Confused , And It Last About 15 Mins Then He Go Up And Was Fine And The About 2 Days When By And He Had A Nether One, Same Symptoms And He's Just Been Want Alot Of Attention And Be Lazy, He Hasn't Really Acting The Same Useless He's Only Like That For A Day But It's Been About 2 Now And Hes Been Running And Playing And Eating But How He Just Want Attention And To Be Close To Anyone And He Look Like Sad Or Worried Or Stress , So I'm Just Trying To Narrow It Down To What Seizure It Could Possibly Be Or If It's Epilepsy
Many Types Of Seizures. I Would Not Try And Over Analyze Their Variation. Any Dog With Intense Or Frequent Seizures Like This Need Full Workup At Local Vet Including Cbc/chemistry Blood Work/urine Analysis/tick Serology, Heartworm Test And If Needed A Liver Function Bile Acid Test. If All Of This Normal, You Would Need An Mri, Etc At A Neurologist To Better Characterize The Pathology In The Brain. But At This Age, Epilepsy Is Most Common, And While Not Curable, Is Manageable With Long Term Meds Like Phenobarbitol Or Potassium Bromide, To Name A Few
With The Profusion Of Flashing Led Collars For Dogs, Is There A Risk Of Triggering A Photosensitivity Epileptic Seizure In A Dog That Otherwise Shows No Indications? The Dog In Question Is A Press Canario.
I Dont Understand This Question At All
Yes I Have A Pitt Bull, Boxers, Hound Dog, Mixed He's 4 Years Old And In The Past Two Years He's Had 5seizures ,He Had One And Then Want A Year And Then Had Two, With A Week, The Two Seizures He Woke Me Up Flipping Around My Room So I Got On The Floor And Grab Him And Held Him His Muscle Then Tightened Up And He Look Confused Like He Didn't Know What Was Going On It Last About 15 Min ,And Then He Puked And Was Fine, He Lays Around A Few Days After Them And He Know When It's Happening To Some How Make It To Me In He Knows I'll Help Him, And The All Last About 15 Mins Each Time And He Always Is A Ware Of My Voice And Any Time I Speak To Him He Looks At Me Like He Know I'm Talking To Him He Just Don't Understand What's Happen, Ever Secent He Was A Puppy He Always Pukes Alot And Eat Grass, I Read All About Seizures In Dog And The Difference Thing That Cousin Them And I Still Just Anit Sure What Type He Is Having, My Dad Took Him To The Vet After That Bad On He Had Where He Was Flipping Around My Room, The Said The Do Some Test And Get Back To Us And I Never Hear Anything From Them And The Seem To Stop And It's Bee 5 Months Sent He Had One And About 4 Days Ago He Had One, Out Of No Where He Was Asleep And Woke Up And He Made Is Way Up To Me Cuz He Was Lay On My Bed When It Happen And He Just Trembled And Shook And Had Tight Muscles And He Had No Balance And Just Looked Confused , And It Last About 15 Mins Then He Go Up And Was Fine And The About 2 Days When By And He Had A Nether One, Same Symptoms And He's Just Been Want Alot Of Attention And Be Lazy, He Hasn't Really Acting The Same Useless He's Only Like That For A Day But It's Been About 2 Now And Hes Been Running And Playing And Eating But How He Just Want Attention And To Be Close To Anyone And He Look Like Sad Or Worried Or Stress , So I'm Just Trying To Narrow It Down To What Seizure It Could Possibly Be Or If It's Epilepsy
Many Types Of Seizures. I Would Not Try And Over Analyze Their Variation. Any Dog With Intense Or Frequent Seizures Like This Need Full Workup At Local Vet Including Cbc/chemistry Blood Work/urine Analysis/tick Serology, Heartworm Test And If Needed A Liver Function Bile Acid Test. If All Of This Normal, You Would Need An Mri, Etc At A Neurologist To Better Characterize The Pathology In The Brain. But At This Age, Epilepsy Is Most Common, And While Not Curable, Is Manageable With Long Term Meds Like Phenobarbitol Or Potassium Bromide, To Name A Few
With The Profusion Of Flashing Led Collars For Dogs, Is There A Risk Of Triggering A Photosensitivity Epileptic Seizure In A Dog That Otherwise Shows No Indications? The Dog In Question Is A Press Canario.
I Dont Understand This Question At All
What Kind Of Blood Tests Are Done? What Are They Called? And How Much Should I Expect To Pay? For The Tests.
For Seizure Disorders, Minimal Data Base Should Be Cbc/chemistry Blood Tests, Possibly Thyroid Profiles, Urine Analysis, As Well As Possibly Testing For Tick Born Diseases.
What Kind Of Blood Tests Are Done? What Are They Called? And How Much Should I Expect To Pay? For The Tests.
For Seizure Disorders, Minimal Data Base Should Be Cbc/chemistry Blood Tests, Possibly Thyroid Profiles, Urine Analysis, As Well As Possibly Testing For Tick Born Diseases.
I Adopted A Senior Chihuahua (we Believe He Is Around 10 Years Old But Unsure Of His Exact Age) Two Years Ago. Since Then He Has Had Three What I Believe Are Seizures. they All Start With Him Waking Up Screaming And His Body Appears To Be Paralyzed. They Only Last About A Minute And He Pants And Is Very Lethargic Afterwards. Since They Are Very Infrequent And Usually Happen On Days When He's Been Overstimulated I Haven't Been Too Concerned About Them. three Days Ago He Began Whimpering, Panting And Screaming When I Would Touch His Head And Chest But Never In The Same Spot And His Body Temperature Felt Hot To The Touch. he Has Had Dental Problems And We Had To Remove Most Of His Teeth. An Abscessed Mouth Doesn't Seem To Be The Issue This Time. granted He Is Very Dramatic/spoiled... over The Holiday Weekend The Pain Seems To Have Worsened. He Wakes Up Screaming His Head Off And Calms Down To A Whimper When I Comfort Him. after The Screaming Episode He Appears Stiff In His Neck (which Looks Like It Is Swollen Or Maybe He Has Just Gained Some Weight) And He Is Leaning Slightly To The Side When Standing. His Head Is Tilted And Appears Stiff Sometimes And Then He Has Moments When It Looks Like Nothing Is Hurting Him, Usually After He's Been Awake For A Few Minutes. he Will Not Jump Or Raise Up On His Back Legs Like He Usually Does. no Certain Spot On His Body Seems To Hurt Him When I Touch It After He Has Calmed Down Which Concerns Me That This Is A Series Of Mini Seizures Or A Possible Stroke.
Sounds Like It Could Be More Likely A Pinched Nerve Or Disc Or Nerve Spasm In Various Areas Of Spine And/or Neck. Mini Seizures Are Always Possible, But I Suspect The Spinal Issue More Likely. You Need To Take Your Pet To Local Vet For Exam And Workup To Sort This Out And Best Treatment Plan
I Adopted A Senior Chihuahua (we Believe He Is Around 10 Years Old But Unsure Of His Exact Age) Two Years Ago. Since Then He Has Had Three What I Believe Are Seizures. they All Start With Him Waking Up Screaming And His Body Appears To Be Paralyzed. They Only Last About A Minute And He Pants And Is Very Lethargic Afterwards. Since They Are Very Infrequent And Usually Happen On Days When He's Been Overstimulated I Haven't Been Too Concerned About Them. three Days Ago He Began Whimpering, Panting And Screaming When I Would Touch His Head And Chest But Never In The Same Spot And His Body Temperature Felt Hot To The Touch. he Has Had Dental Problems And We Had To Remove Most Of His Teeth. An Abscessed Mouth Doesn't Seem To Be The Issue This Time. granted He Is Very Dramatic/spoiled... over The Holiday Weekend The Pain Seems To Have Worsened. He Wakes Up Screaming His Head Off And Calms Down To A Whimper When I Comfort Him. after The Screaming Episode He Appears Stiff In His Neck (which Looks Like It Is Swollen Or Maybe He Has Just Gained Some Weight) And He Is Leaning Slightly To The Side When Standing. His Head Is Tilted And Appears Stiff Sometimes And Then He Has Moments When It Looks Like Nothing Is Hurting Him, Usually After He's Been Awake For A Few Minutes. he Will Not Jump Or Raise Up On His Back Legs Like He Usually Does. no Certain Spot On His Body Seems To Hurt Him When I Touch It After He Has Calmed Down Which Concerns Me That This Is A Series Of Mini Seizures Or A Possible Stroke.
Sounds Like It Could Be More Likely A Pinched Nerve Or Disc Or Nerve Spasm In Various Areas Of Spine And/or Neck. Mini Seizures Are Always Possible, But I Suspect The Spinal Issue More Likely. You Need To Take Your Pet To Local Vet For Exam And Workup To Sort This Out And Best Treatment Plan
Hey There, I Have A Black Labrador In My Family (age-5 Years). He Has Had Seizures Since Two Years And It Was Quite Rare. But Unfortunately, The Frequency Has Increased From Once In 2 Months To Once Every Two Days. It Is Very Disturbing As It Looks He Is In Great Pain Everytime It Happens. i'd Like To Know If There Is A Way To Prevent Such Seizures Through Medication. best Regards
Seizure Disorders Are Unfortunately Common In Dogs, As Well As Medications For The Seizure Disorder, Which Will Be Determined By A Local Exam And Workup At Your Local Veterinarian. If Desired, A Consult With Veterinary Neurologist Can Be Offered, In Case You Want More Extensive Testing. Prescription Medications Like Phenobarbitol, Potassium Bromide, Or Keppra Are Often First Line Choices For Seizure Control, Especially In Dogs With Epilepsy, But This Needs To Be Determined By Appropriate Workup
Hi i Believe My Dog Just Had A Serizure, And She Had One A Long While Back- Maybe Three Years Ago. Should We Just Monitor Her, Or Ask The Vet.
Best To Take Her To Vet For Appropriate Physical Exam And Evaluation, And To See If She Needs Medical And/or Blood Workup
Hey There, I Have A Black Labrador In My Family (age-5 Years). He Has Had Seizures Since Two Years And It Was Quite Rare. But Unfortunately, The Frequency Has Increased From Once In 2 Months To Once Every Two Days. It Is Very Disturbing As It Looks He Is In Great Pain Everytime It Happens. i'd Like To Know If There Is A Way To Prevent Such Seizures Through Medication. best Regards
Seizure Disorders Are Unfortunately Common In Dogs, As Well As Medications For The Seizure Disorder, Which Will Be Determined By A Local Exam And Workup At Your Local Veterinarian. If Desired, A Consult With Veterinary Neurologist Can Be Offered, In Case You Want More Extensive Testing. Prescription Medications Like Phenobarbitol, Potassium Bromide, Or Keppra Are Often First Line Choices For Seizure Control, Especially In Dogs With Epilepsy, But This Needs To Be Determined By Appropriate Workup