My dog had 3 seizures in 16 hours. She's 6. Vet thinks it's epilepsy, I don't. What else may have caused them?

Question

She's never had any before and we just moved to a new house with new environmental concerns -- magnolia petals dropping, possible lead paint, cleaning products, etc. I also found a chewed turtle shell in the backyard. We're cleaning it up for her, but we have two dogs and the other is unaffected. Could it be a poison or stress? Anyone else ever had this issue? I don't want to keep her on phenyl barbitol for no reason. Thanks!

Answer 1

I am so sorry this has happened. This is called a 'cluster.'

Your vet will do a complete panel of thyroid function tests among other things. I would look at hyperglycermia along with hyperlipemia - triglyerides because both of these can cause seizures.

Anti-freeze and poison can cause seizures, but she would not get up and walk about..... she would be sick and this would show up on her kidneys and liver bloodwork.

It is not unheard of for older dogs to suddenly have seizures. It is very possible she has had a seizure and no one saw it. Now she is having more. Yes, the stress of moving and the hard work and excitement can trigger a seizure.
So, she may not have any more..... for a while.

If you choose not to put her on phenobarbital or potassium bromide, I would highly advise you to have a plan of action if another seizure occurs or if she goes into status epilepticus.

Know who to contact.... your veterinarian, another vet, or an ER Animal Clinic.

Have medication you can give her in case of an emergency. Many people give a measured sringeful of Valium rectally because it is the quickest to stop it. I have found too many vets don't weigh and give the dog enough Valium to knock the electrical pathway of the seizure 'out.' Your vet will show you. Put the syringe in far enough and push slow enough that it does not leak back out. It would be good to have a short cat urinary catheter attached to use, it is easier to get in the rectum.

Write down the date and times of any abnormal actions. Watch for focals that you may have missed before.

Some, a few, have had good success with a change of diet, especially eliminating preservatives and other ingredients that somehow cause a seizure.

Please join a group I belong to ! We all try to help each other and there is sooooo much information on the website.
We don't know it all, but we express opinions, give support, and support research. There are other medications being tested. The Pb and KBr are the cheapest for dogs.


Epil-K9's website:

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com



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Answer 2

My 6yr old lab makes herself crazy if we don't feed her on time (5:00 PM) and one day, we were waiting to feed her at 7 rather than 5 because we were going to go work out (take a jog and if she eats before hand, she pukes) but she got herself so worked up, she had a seizure! So it could be stress, not eating enough, and turtle shells carry selmanila. So it wouldn't be a wise choice to let her chew on it (that could also be the source of her ser seizures) even if you do clean it up. I would be sure to clean up the house of cleaning products and house plants (some are dangerous to animals) just make sure they are put away or out of her reach, and if the seizures contintue after all of that, it could possibly be epilepsy. If you still don't believe that is the cause, get a second opinion.

Answer 3

It could be alot of different reasons is she on any meds was she rescent put on a heartworm medication or a flea tick med that may not have been used before, it could be combination of stresses that may have occured all in a short period of time, such as meds, move, vaccination etc, She is also of an age where thyroid function problems could be occuring


It is often recommended that owners start keeping a diary to see if they can find patterns or triggers.

THis site is a good one read under "During a Seizure" about the ice pack , you may want to look at the alternative drugs such as Potassium Bromide if it continues, but a lot of info here

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm

Answer 4

Other causes of seizure can be brain injury, encephalitis, heat stroke, brain abscess or tumor, stroke, poisoning, kidney or liver failure. But these are all things your vet could and would have checked for. If you don't trust your vet's diagnosis, you should get a 2nd opinion. Your vet should have asked you to keep a record of the frequency of the seizures and describe yoru dog's behaviour before, during and after the seizures. If you try a new vet, take all this info with you to help with a diagnosis. Good luck to your dog!

Answer 5

Hmmm, it could be epilepsy (my aunt's dog has it, it's very sad). Before my childhood dog passed away she had a couple of strokes in a row... it was just from old age. But she was 17. I'm thinking the turtle might have something to do with it. Take her to another vet for a second opinion.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

I used to have a dog that had stress epilepsy. Moving could have triggered it on one and not the others. He had them every 7 hours almost to the second. Vet prescribed Phenobarbitol and that solved it, with a siezure maybe twice a year after that. Unfortunately, the phenobarbitol is for life. But if you love your pet, it is a small price to pay.

Answer 7

Go to another vet and get a second opinion.

I'd rather believe a veterinarian rather than an owner.

Answer 8

Rawhide bones have also been the cause of seizures. Also, your vet can do testing to find out what is the cause.

Answer 9

I would go with what the vet said, or if you doubt the vet, go to a second vet and get their opinion.