Is my dog having a seizure?

Question

This has happend 3 times in the last 2 years. My yellow lab comes and lays down by me and looks at me like something is wrong. He starts to shake a little bit- so i told him to stand up and he did and walked his back legs were spread and very wobbley. Then he laid down and shook. He clenched his teeth for a few seconds- we got him to drink some water and he just laid there next to me. after about 5 min he got up and seemed back to normal- went outside and did his business, then came back and went to sleep on his bed. Is this a seizure or something different? He didnt drool and had no foaming of the mouth. His eyes were glazy however. We cleaned his ears about 45 min b4 it happend this time, could that have done something? he has had itchy ears lately. it scared the hell out of me

Answer 1

It sounds like he had a seizure.

The major type of seizure that people usually associate with epilepsy is called a grand mal seizure. (Sometimes known as a major motor or tonic-clonic seizure). In this type the dog will lose consciousness, shake a lot, and probably have excessive drooling and may urinate or defecate. This type of seizure is a serious problem and if your dog ever has one of these he should be rushed to the vet immediately.

Luckily though, it sounds like your dog may have had a less intense petit mal seizure. Either way though you should definitely call your vet and make an appointment.

My dog has had a few petit mal seizures and I took him to the vet a couple of years ago about it. He told me that my dog did have epilepsy, but that he didn't need to be on medication unless he started having them more than once a month or if they became more intense. So if this has only happened to your dog 3 times in 2 years it may not be a critical condition, but of course the vet still needs to see him.

There are a couple of other things you can do. One, create a form that lists various seizure characteristics and the next time your dog has one look for them.

I created one myself that I call a "Seizure Incident Report". Basically it's a form that has a place for the date, time, and duration of the seizure. Under that are a list of seizure characteristics and a place next to each one where I can check "yes" or "no". I also have a place for notes at the bottom of the page.

The seizure characteristics on my form are:
Loss of consciousness?
Loss of awareness / vacant eyes?
Snapping at real or imaginary people / objects?
Dropping onto side?
"Running in place" while on side?
Uncontrolled urination?
Uncontrolled defecation?
Uncontrolled salivation?
Vocalization (barking or growling)?
Dragging of back legs?
Clamping of jaws?
Disorientation?
Rapid eye motion?

If you have a paper like this in a place where you can get to it quickly when your dog has a seizure the next time, then it's easier to document all the symptons for the vet.

The other thing you should do is find out if there is an emergency animal hospital in your area. I'm talking about a place that is open 24-7-365. And if there is one, find out where it is and actually drive there. That way if you ever need to go there in an emergency you'll already know the way. If your dog ever has a grand mal seizure he needs attention as soon as possible. I've read that if a dog has a grand mal seizure, and it continues for a certain amount of time (I think it may be 20 minutes but I'm not sure) it can be fatal. You can take him to the vet too, but knowing where the emergency hospital is good too in case he has one at 3 in the morning or on a Sunday or holiday.

Answer 2

Could be a seizure. There are two types of seizure: Grand Mal and Petite Mal. With Grand Mal, the dog falls down and loses consciousness. His legs flail and he shakes and loses control of all bodily functions. A Petite Mal can be as you've described or as subtle as just a slight shaking of the head.
Have the vet run a blood panel to see if the seizures have an underlying cause or are idiopathic. If they are idiopathic, try keeping a log book and record the time, duration, severity of the seizure and what the dog was doing just before it struck. This will give the vet an good idea of how often, how severe the seizures are and what triggers them. If they become frequent, the vet will probably prescribe Phenobarbitol. Don't be afraid to put your dog on the meds. They won't change his personality after he acclimates to them, and he may outgrow his seizures, allowing him to go off the pheno after a few years. Three times in 2 years is not frequent enough to merit medication.
Keep in mind also, that although seizure are very scary to witness, they can't, in themselves, hurt the dog (unless he falls off furniture or down steps), and dogs don't swallow their tongues during seizures like humans do.

Answer 3

I seen this before. To tell you the truth my dog is epileptic he has grand mal seizures, when the dog drools and foams at the mouth. Your dog seems to be experiencing a petty mal seizure, where the dog still has control over the muscles and just shakes. It seems that your dog's seizures don't happen very often. But you might want to go to the vet so they can tell you a straight out answer. Your pretty lucky some dogs poop and pee when they are experiencing a seizure.

Answer 4

i might positioned him on the med for now after which you would be able to get a 2d opinion. The blood assessments carried out ought to help remedy the difficulty of any section effects. My mom has seizures and regrettably drugs is the only ingredient that enables her and diverse others with epilepsy. fortuitously, your canines is being prescribed one low-cost and reachable drug and not one million/2 a dozen. to no longer say that there are no longer option remedies that paintings or a minimum of help sometimes. yet, maximum human beings of the time, you will need drugs to regulate seizures. It sounds such as you will possibly be unclear he's having seizures. if it is the case, have yet another communication with the vet approximately what they look prefer to make particular to are not needlessly medicating.

Answer 5

Hi.

I am sorry to hear that. Our cat had a seizure last year and it can be very scary. Maybe you could run him up to the Vet's office, then you will know for sure. Peace of mind for you and meds if your dog needs them.

Hope everything works out.

Answer 6

From the sounds of things, it appears your dog may have epilepsy. This condition can be treated with meds provided by your veterinarian.

Answer 7

Yes it is - get him to a vet, he could go into a non-stop seizure and have to be put down!