From long experience of a fitting dog, I'm less anguished during a seizure now than when my Boxer dog Gregory took his first fit more than three years ago. In the early days I worried his legs would break as they thrashed about violently, I thought he might swallow his tongue, or even die during a fit. In short time I realised Gregory's fits were predictable, in frequency, duration, and pattern. And I learned how to cope with worst case scenarios. From day one I kept a diary of his fits, which occurred every 14 days or so, almost to the day. Invariably there'd be three separate fits, extending overall to half an hour or so followed by a couple of hours of Gregory pacing the floor, panting, drinking, and eating everything in sight. The fitting stage was similarly predictable and the onset would always start with his eyes twitching and head rolling, he'd lose his balance and lie on the floor. Seconds later his legs would start moving violently as if in full running mode, this jaws would open and close violently (called 'champing'), he'd froth at the mouth, he'd be wide eyed and looking bewildered. This fitting phase lasted about a minute but seemed much longer, and was always followed by Gregory lying very quiet and panting. The panting would stop after about ten minutes and he'd go very quiet and we knew another seizure was imminent. The whole experience would be repeated twice more, sometimes three times, and about fifteen minutes after the final fit Gregory would look brighter and try to stand up. At this stage he'd be very unstable, sometimes for several hours. In time we knew what to expect before, during and after a fit, and planned to cope accordingly. Three things are common to sufferers: * Temperature increases during a fit and leads to excessive drinking later, which in turn leads to frequent urinating which is difficult for a disorientated male dog standing on three legs! Two things helped overcome the worst of these problems: - Instead of fresh water we put ice cubes into his bowl, which Gregory licked and which reduced both temperature and thirst without need for frequent urination. - We'd always place him in a girdle type harness when the fitting stopped. We chose a sturdy type with heavy fabric slats around the body. This meant we could support him during the wandering phase and make sure he didn't stumble when one leg was cocked! * Many dogs gain weight as a result of medication used to control seizures which can be difficult to shed. More frequent exercise helps, as does calorie counting and feeding fat free meat. Most meat contains hidden fat which can be removed by leaving the meat to cool after cooking and removing the fat layer that builds on the surface. * Some proprietary dog foods contain chemicals which can cause or exacerbate seizures. We began checking contents on everything we bough, main food or treats, and found some improvement in frequency and ferocity of fits. You'll find some manufactured foods contain many different chemicals and colouring, some contain none. Ask your veterinary surgeon to recommend a chemical and colouring free product for you or feed only fresh meat with fat removed.
Witnessing a dog or other pet having a seizure can be frightening, especially when it's your pet that loses control, falls over, chomps its teeth, salivates, drools, whines, paddles its paws, and possibly loses bowel and urination control. Eyes can enlarge (dilate) and your pet is unresponsive. Seeing a seizure happen to your dog or pet, you might panic and feel helpless. Hopefully, your dog will never have a seizure experience. But, this information will help you understand the possible causes of seizures, and what to do and why if your dog has one, and the various treatment options available. Epilepsy in dogs is one of many causes of seizure. Some dog breeds are more prone to epileptic seizure. However, causes for "hereditary" epilepsy are not known for certain. Included in this group are: Keeshond, Tervueren, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle, Collie, German Shepherd, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Dachshund, Labrador Retriever, Saint Bernard, Miniature Schnauzer, Siberian Husky and Wire-haired Terrier. Dogs with allergies to dog foods with chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavors can have seizures. Other causes include liver and kidney disease, tumors, poisoning, and low blood sugar. If your dog is having a seizure, stay calm. Although difficult to do, a calm, quiet, reassuring voice will comfort your dog. Remove objects that could be dangerous to or hurt the dog, or place pillows or wrap blankets between the pet and the object. Slide something soft under your pet's head, keeping your hands and face away from its head so not to risk a possible bite. Gently stroke the dog's hip or side, but be positioned on the opposite side of the feet and toenails. Muscle spasms can curl paws into claws that can rake your skin. Dim lights. Keep the environment as quiet as possible. Write down observed details about the dog's seizure to report to your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will want to know the time of day seizure occurred, time length of the seizure, time between each seizure if recurrent, if your dog urinated or defecated, if seizure hit suddenly or progressed from body twitching, when your pet regained consciousness, how long before your dog appeared normal again, and whether anything occurred leading up to the dog's seizure. Were there possible triggering events such as loud noises like fireworks, unusual items ingested or excessive activity or exercise? Some veterinarians will want to see if your dog experiences a subsequent seizure. Some will immediately perform blood tests, checking for anemia, liver and heart functions, calcium, glucose, and electrolyte levels. The veterinarian may run screens for toxins, take x-rays, or perform an electroencephalogram, although test results may not reveal reasons for the dog's seizure. Your veterinarian might wait to see if the dog has another seizure and may suggest medications. If the diagnosis is epilepsy, the dog has an excellent chance for a normal life with proper medical care and follow-up. After seizure, dogs often appear lost or drugged. This state can last a few minutes to several hours depending on the severity of the dog's seizure. Your dog may respond to you, but react slowly. Seizures are exhausting. Your dog will probably want to sleep afterwards. Check your pet occasionally without disturbing its rest. Eliminate the source of the seizures; you may be able to eliminate future seizures from occurring. If your dog's seizures are due to chemical toxins, eliminate those toxins as much as possible. In any case, feed a diet of human grade food and treats that are free from chemical preservatives, fillers and by-products. Natural approaches can help some pets, either prior to stronger medications or in addition to them, so you may be able to use lower doses. Varieties of treatment options include a natural diet, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, herbs, conventional medications and acupuncture. Sometimes, placing an ear acupuncture tack in a dog's ear will stop seizures, and this requires only one acupuncture visit. Or, your pet can be treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture.