Seizures in dogs: what you need to know as a dog guardian.
Seizures in dogs can arise due to a number of underlying
disorders the dog might be suffering from. As a dog guardian, it is your
responsibility to understand what might be the causes, symptoms and treatment
for such a disorder. The purpose of this article is to make you aware of
everything that you must be aware so you can detect the seizure at its earliest
and get your pup the help he or she needs.
Seizures in dogs have been observed to be the most common
neurological issues. This generally occurs when the cerebral
cortex of the dog’s brain starts to function abnormally. However, as I
mentioned before, there may be other diseases which can lead to seizures.
Seizure in dogs and humans are also referred to as epilepsy. If the dog is suffering
from a case of idiopathic epilepsy, the underlying cause is generally inherited
and not known. As a part of the dog care process, it is imperative that you
understand what is seizures in dogs, how to tell if your dog has seizure, what can trigger seizure in dogs, and how to cure seizures in dogs?
Seizures in dogs, causes:
Seizures in dogs can either be due to exposure to a
trauma or toxin which causes neurological issues in dogs, presence of a
brain tumor or genetic abnormalities, underlying problems with the dog’s organs
or blood etc. In some cases, seizures occur but the causes may not be
identified or might be unknown. In such cases, the seizure is referred to as
idiopathic seizure.
Seizures are also referred to in lay man terms as convulsions or fit. It is a temporary disturbance of the dog’s normal brain
activity. In most cases, these abnormal brain activities are accompanied by an
uncontrolled muscle activity.
One of the most common seizures in dogs, causes is the presence of idiopathic epilepsy. This condition is generally inherited and the
causes are unknown. Other seizures in dogs causes are the presence of liver
failure, liver disease, infections, brain trauma, brain tumor or reaction of
the dog’s body to ingesting something toxic.
Seizures do not have a definitive time occurrence. They may
occur at any time of the night or dat. It has been observed that seizures happen
most often during the times when the brain activity is changing. For example,
when the dog is excited, falling asleep, just waking up etc. Almost all dogs
appear to be completely normal in between the period of occurrence of the seizures.
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Types of seizures observed in dogs
So far, researchers have been able to identify three
different types of dog seizures. These have been classified as Focal seizures,
generalized seizures and finally focal seizures with secondary generalization.
Focal seizures or partial seizures are the kind of seizures
which affect a small region of the brain. These can manifest in a few different
ways but have been observed to generally progress to generalized seizures
during the dog’s lifetime. If the dog is suffering from partial seizure, the
effect would be observed on one side of the body, one limb, or only the face.
Grand mal or generalized seizures are the ones which affect
both side of the dog’s brain as well as the entire body. The seizures generally
look like twitching or jerking of the animal. The dog loses control of his or
her limbs and may even lose consciousness.
Stages of seizures in dogs
Seizures generally occur in three stages. The dogs will suffer
through all three stages of seizure but there is no way to know the exact
duration of each phase. As a dog guardian, you need to understand that every
phase of the seizure is different from the previous one and once your dog
reaches phase 3, the seizure will stop. Let’s go through each of the stages one
by one
Pre-ictal or aura phase:
During this time, your dog may show altered behavior. It may
seem like he or she is looking for the guardian. The dog may whine, shake or
appear very restless. This first phase of the seizure is observed to last from
a few seconds to a few hours.
The ictal phase:
This is the duration during which the actual seizure occurs. This phase may last from a few seconds to a period of about five minutes. During this phase, it may seem that the dog is mentally absent. The dog might even lose consciousness. In case your dog is suffering from a grand mal seizure, he or she may lose complete consciousness, fall over and move their limbs erratically.
It is also possible that during this period the dog may vomit, urinate
or defecate. In case the seizure continues beyond the period of five minutes,
it will be referred to as prolonged seizure. Prolonged seizure is an emergency
situation and the assistance of a veterinarian or a medical professional should
be taken immediately.
Post-ictal phase:
This is the time immediately following the end of the
seizure. During this time the dog would seem restless, disoriented, confused or
even blind. This is the time when the dog’s brain is recovering from what just
happened and is trying to get back on track.
What do seizures in dogs look like?
If the dog is suffering from seizure, the dog will fall to one side, his or her body will become very stiff. The dog will chomp his or her jaw and started to profusely salivate. During the period of seizures, the dog may defecate, urinate, vocalize or even start to paddle with all four limbs.
In
case of dogs, the seizures have been observed to last usually from a period of
30 to 90 seconds. After the seizure ends, the dog may seem to wander aimlessly,
disoriented, confused etc.
A few other symptoms observed at the end of the seizure are
increased appetite, increased thirst and constant pacing. The recovery period
post seizure may occur immediately or it may require up to 24 hours duration.
The younger the dog, the most severe will be the epilepsy.
However, the fortunate part is that younger dogs respond better to medication.
If the onset of seizure is before the age of two, the dogs have been observed
to respond well to medication.
Types of epilepsy in dogs
Epilepsy is a general term that describes brain disorders
which include seizures as a symptom. There are many different types of epilepsy’s
which may affect dogs.
Idiopathic epilepsy
As I mentioned before idiopathic epilepsy means epilepsy
which does not have a known cause. This type of epilepsy has often been
observed to be associated with brain lesions and is more often seen in male
dogs. If this type of seizure is left untreated these can become severe as well
as frequent.
Symptomatic epilepsy
This epilepsy occurs due to damage to the structure of the
brain or due to the presence of structural lesions in the brain.
Probably symptomatic epilepsy
This type of epilepsy is used to describe a condition where
the dog suffers from recurrent seizures but no brain damage or brain lesions
are observed on scans.
Cluster seizure
This describes a situation when the dog has suffered from
more than one seizure in a 24-hour period. Dogs who have been diagnosed with
established epilepsy can have episodes of cluster seizures for a period of 1 to
4 weeks at regular intervals. Cluster seizures is more evident in case of large
breed dogs.
Status epilepticus
This type of conditioning involves the occurrence of
constant seizures or periods involving brief activity, but the dog is never
completely free from the seizures.
Other articles you may be interested in:
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What can you do if your dog is having a seizure?
If you notice that your dog is suffering from seizure, leave him or her alone unless he or she is in location where the seizure can have your dog bump into things and get injured. If you must move the dog, gently pull the dog by the hind legs and move him or her to a safer location.
It is
all right to comfort or pet your dog when he or she is suffering from seizure.
However, remember to keep your hand away from the jaws. The seizure can cause
your dog’s jaws to clamp shut and your hand might get injured if it is in the
vicinity.
Although it may seem that it is an emergency and you must
contact the vet if your dog is suffering from seizure, according to the
guidelines, an emergency veterinary care is only essential if the seizure lasts
for a period longer than five minutes or in case two or more seizures occur in
a 24-hour period. If your dog suffered from one seizure and is fine after that,
you can make a normal non-emergency appointment to have your dog checked out as
early as possible
Diagnosis of seizures
There are two major factors which enable the veterinarian to
diagnose the case of epilepsy the dog might be suffering from. These are the
seizure pattern (frequency and type) and the age of onset.
If the dog has suffered from more than two seizures in the
first week of onset itself, the diagnosis will most likely lean towards idiopathic
epilepsy. If the dog is younger than six months or older than five years of age
and is suffering from seizures, the underlying cause might be intracranial (within
the dog’s skull) or metabolic in origin. Focal seizures primarily occur due to
the presence of some kind of neurologic deficits.
The primary physical symptoms which the vet might look out
for are:
- compulsive behavior
- swelling the brain
- maintain
- weak pulse
- low blood pressure
- difficulty in breathing
- muscle contraction
- tachycardia
- seizures
- twitching and shaking
- trembling
Your vet will conduct a few biochemical and laboriously
tests to understand the nature of the seizures like
- kidney and liver tests to check for kidney and liver failure.
- Blood sugar tests to identify low blood sugar
- liver tests to verify fatty liver
- check for infectious disease in the blood
- check for the presence of fungal or viral diseases
- check for any kind of systemic disease
Treatment options
Epilepsy in dogs is mostly treated as outpatient case. Hospitalization is not required unless the case is extreme. It is advised that the dog should not be allowed to go for swimming since occurrence of a seizure episode can cause drowning of the dog.
Dogs who are kept on a long-term
antiepileptic treatment tend to start gaining weight. Therefore, keep your dog’s
diet in check and monitor his or her weight very closely. You can also consult
your veterinarian about a diet plan in case you feel the need.
If the diagnosis shows the presence of a tumor, surgery may
be performed to remove the tumor. There are also drugs available which may help
to reduce the seizure frequency. Antiepileptic, anticonvulsant and
corticosteroid medications may be used to reduce the frequency of occurrence of
seizures. The medication given to the dog will depend on the underlying health
conditions of the dog has as well as the type of epilepsy he or she is
suffering from.
Living and managing epilepsy
Treatment at the earliest is of utmost importance. As I
mentioned before, younger dogs are at higher risk to developing the severe
forms of epilepsy. In case you suspect your dog might be suffering from
epilepsy, take him or her to the vet immediately. You and your veterinarian
together can determine the best course of treatment for your pup.
If your dog is living with a condition like epilepsy, you
must stay on top of the treatment. Never miss a dose of the medicine and never
miss a blood test.
In case your dog is being treated with phenobarbital, your
dog’s serum and blood profile must be monitored after starting therapy. Every 6
to 12 months, depending on the serum levels, the doses of the drugs will be
changed.
If you have an older dog who suffers from kidney
insufficiency and epilepsy and is being administered a potassium bromide
treatment, your vet might recommend a diet change.
Frequently asked questions about seizures in dogs:
What is seizures in case of dogs?
Seizure is the sudden and uncontrolled twitching of the muscles in a dog's body due to an exposure to a trauma or toxin.
What can trigger seizures in dogs?
Different types of plants like sago palm, mushrooms, food items like caffeine, xylitol, dark chocolate, insecticides like bifenthrin, zinc phosphide, metaldehyde, strychine, some common veterinary medications like Amphetamines, Ibuprofen, Isoniazid, Viladozone etc. can cause seizures in canines.
How to tell if your dog has seizures?
Your dog will get a far away look in their eyes. Following this, you will notice twitching, barking clenching and unclenching of teeth, defecating, urinating and maybe paddling on all 4 limbs.
How to cure seizures in dogs?
Treatment for seizures is only advised if the dog has one or more seizures within a span of six weeks. The most common drugs used to control epilepsy are potassium bromide and phenobarbital. However, these should be administered only on prescription of a veterinarian.
Are seizures painful for dogs?
Even though they look painful, seizures are not painful to the dog who is suffering from them. However, during seizure your dog may bump into something and get hurt.
What to do when your dog is having seizure?
Stay close and prevent your dog from getting hurt by bumping into things. Try to put him or her where he wont get physically hurt by the surroundings. Do not put your hand in your dog's mouth.
Conclusion
In case your dog has idiopathic epilepsy, there is
practically nothing you can do to prevent it. However, what you can do to
prevent seizure in your dog is to keep your kids away from salty treats especially
if the treats contain potassium bromide since fleas can cause seizures. If your
dog is on seizure medication, do not discontinue it without talking to your
veterinarian, as sudden stopping of the medication may aggravate the problem.
Seeing our boy or girl in the middle of the seizure can be absolutely heartbreaking. But, seizures in dogs are preventable and can be brought under control with the right medications. Therefore, do not delay in consulting your vet and do not discontinue the medications. When your dog is having seizure, he or she needs your support not panic. Therefore, do not panic and just provided all the love and comfort you can to your pup.
Once your pup has
been started on medications, keep a close eye on your pooch. In case you
observe any behavioral or physical changes, have a discussion with your vet
about the same. If you found this article informative, subscribe to my blog so
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See you in my next blog post
Shruti
