My Dog Had A Fit *updated*

[melbell]

We were woken this morning by a strage banging sound, ran out to the dinning room and found our 3yr old staffyx having a fit. He was laying on his side shaking violently, foaming at the mouth and had wet himself. This happened for about 2 mins. This was the first time this has happened. It was awful :D

Aftter he stopped fitting my OH took him outside, he was a little shakey on his legs but seemed okay. OH went to pat him and he took of scared, started barking and running around uncontrolably. This lasted for approx 30mins, I didnt know what we were going to do as we couldnt get within 10mts of him - he actually climbed over one of our fences (just a small barier fence) to get away from us, he didnt know who we were or what was going on - its almost like his brain reset. I was so scared.

After about 30mins he calmed abit, OH threw him a bone and then click - he was back. I called him inside and whilst he was still a bit flighty he seems okay.

Now a few hours on he is okay, still seems very anxious and flighty but on the whole he seems okay.

Do I need to make an appointment for a vet to see him or can anyone give me any advise on what to to do now? Because he is dog aggressive we really need a vet that makes house calls so that can be a bit expensive and difficult to organise but if needed thats fine.

Edited July 15, 2007 by melbell

[malsam]

I wouldn't leave it to chance, but since it has recovered, u should have some time to plan out the vet house call.

[poodlefan]

You can also take your dog to the vet if you plan it and discuss it with your vet. I've seen vets clear waiting rooms to allow dog aggressive dogs in - keeps everything calm and safe.

I'd suggest a visit either to or from your vet.

[melbell]

Thank you i will organise for a check up just to be on the safe side. It was such an awful thing to see.

[frufru]

Melbel it is not unusual for dogs to be disorientated when they regain consciousness after a seizure - some are unable to see for a certain period. My boy bit me the first time he had a seizure (he is normally a gentle soul). I talk to him while he is coming out but stay some distance away and do not force myself on him - sometimes he seeks contact and other times he like some space. He will be very thirsty and hungry after a seizure and may pace around for several hours. Write down all you can remember about the seizure and make an appointment to see your vet. There is heaps of info on the net. The Canine Epilepsy web site is excellent. Good luck.

[melbell]

Thank you frufru that helps alot. It did look like he was going to bite my OH when he first came around - but in hindsight we did the wrong thing by trying to get him outside, we should have just let him recover in his own time not pushing him around. And yes he is SO hungry - even more than normal.

[Ms James]

We've got a doggy aggressive dog as well, and when we go to the vet I go into the surgery first to let them now I'm there (they know Roggie's antisocial behaviour well by now!) if the coast is clear, I can get Roggie & go straight through, if not, they let me go through a side entrance & go straight to a consult room. Vets understand doggy issues all too well, so they're only happy to help if you need a little assistance. Make sure you let them know when you ring up for an appointment.

Hope your guy is feeling better soon!

[~Anne~]

Melbell, he will definitely need to be een by the Vet so that they can determine the cause of the seizure. It may be from disease, poisoning, head trauma or it could be the start of epilepsy.

After a seizure most dogs need energy. We give ours a little jam on bread whilst on the epi list I am on they advocate ice-cream.

The post-ictal phase (after the seizure) can last for anything up to 24 hours. My Pug, Monte, only has a very short post-ictal of around 10 minutes or so. He is almost trance like and is very restless and usually crashes in to things during this time as if he is blind. He remains restless for hours after a seizure though.

[sandgrubber]

I second the idea of taking the dog to a vet . . . but you should be warned, some seizures aren't easy to diagnose. Don't expect miracles from your vet. Hope it only happens once and you'll never need to find out what it was (I had a dog that had one massive seizure at about four years of age and never seized again -- fortunately, I had a vet who said 'let's not run all the tests now. Lets just wait and see if it happens again).

If it reoccurs they'll have a better chance of diagnosing and treating.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I have a recently-diagnosed epileptic dog, Molly. My advice would be get to see your vet as soon as possible so s/he can begin to search for a cause. It could be epilepsy but seizures can be caused by many things including toxins and tumours...it's best to rule out the really awful things ASAP. It's a matter of discussing the seizure/s with the vet, doing bloods, and in some cases starting phenobarbitone immediately.

It's a steep learning curve. Molly has just gone in today for a blood draw to check her phenobarb levels...I'm hoping it's all good and settling into the desired level of drug in her system. I won't get the results for a few days as there isn't a local path lab in Darwin...apparently the bloods go interstate!

[frufru]

Hi Melbell, just wondering how you got on at the vets?

[ShellyBeggs]

Just to add another thing to ask your vet to check.......my mum's dog is a diabetic and has diabetic seizures!

Let us know how you go!!!

[EmmaKate]

My little Maltese X Shitzu had a seizure last year, she was 16yrs, pushing 17 and we had to put her down very shorly after (not just because of the seizure she had rapidly declined in health in the a few days before). She was very confused after the seizure and would not settle at all and had an even crazier look in her eye than normal (she had old age demeanture)!

Seizures can come on for many reasons, in Heidi's case she had many possible attributing factors. She was put on a hydrating drip for a day afterwards which did help restore some vigour to her.

Seizures are extremely scary to witness, not long before Heidi's seizure I watched my partner have his first seizure which was incredibly frightening, and he too had lots of confusion and disorentation afterwards and even the next couple of days after was still slow and not his normal self. He's had a couple more since and is now on medication for epilepsy.

Epilepsy in dogs is also very managable. Or it is very possible your dog will never have another seizure again in it's life.

Good luck with your dog, I'm sure everything will be fine.

Let us know how everything goes.

[melbell]

Sorry I havent updated you all with what happened. Here is an update and hopefully someone might be able to provide me with more advise.

We took Toby to the vets and he had blood work done - that came back all okay. We started him on Phenomav 100mg 1/2 a tablet twice a day. This went okay for a couple of weeks - he had a couple of fits but they were fairly spaced out (a week or 2 in between).

Now he has started fitting again more frequently and more violently. He had a fit on Thursday morning (5am), Sunday morning (4.30) and again this morning at about 1am. This mornings was bad - he managed to knock over a dining room chair and pooed himeself. He seems okay this morning but vomited inside at about 7.30am.

I have called the vets and they are going to ring me ASAP. I dont know if its because the medication isnt high enough or is his fitting caused by something else? Im so worried but I also dont know how much longer we can keep doing this. Lack of sleep is really affecting us and Toby doesnt seem to be happy at all.

On top of that we are getting married in 5 weeks - there is no way I could expect our house sitter to deal with this while we are away - the clean up after a fit is repulsive.

Edited July 15, 2007 by melbell

[Jejuna]

Melbell,

I don't know anything about dog fits etc. having never dealt with it, but I hope you find the answers soon.

[frufru]

Melbell, pm Puggles - her dog is on a combinatiion of meds - some dogs are not controlled with phenobarbital alone. Have you been really strict about giving the meds on time? Good luck with your puppy and the wedding!

[~Anne~]

Hi Melbel,

His pheno tablets can probably be increased. How heavy is he? My Pug weighs in at approx 8.8 - 9.1 kilos and he is on 90mg of Pheno per day. His last tests revealed he was just on the lower level of therapeutic range (the correct levels of the drug in his system) which means we could up his dose a little more if need be.

When the Vet starts you on pheno there will always be an adjustment phase and they always start you on the lowest dose. The idea is to get the seizures under control on the lowest dose of drugs. Usually, the Vet will suggest a blood test to check the levels 3 months after treatment commences and then every 6-12 months or so throughout the dogs life while they remain on medication.

If your dog is heavier then mine then I would think your Vet will suggest you up the dose and test in three months. If you reach the therapeutic level of pheno and the seizures continue then they can add another drug or 2 to the mix. The most common second drug is Potassium Bromide.

Edited to add: As per above, it is vital that you medicate every 12 hours precisely. If you are sparodic in the time that his meds are given then the drug will not stay at a constant level in his system.

Edited July 16, 2007 by Puggles

[melbell]

The vet called back and she has advised to increase his medication to 1 tablet which i guess is 100mg twice a day. He is approx 36kgs. Then we go back in 2 weeks for a blood test to check the levels and increase if he is still having fits.

So we will see how we go - everyone please cross their fingers for us.

Thanks for all the info puggles you are a lifesaver. We do are very best to give him the tablets 12 hours apart but due to work commitments this is sometimes hard, do you have any tips? We normally aim for about 7am and 7pm however sometimes if we go out that can be difficult.

Thanks again.

Mel

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

The vet called back and she has advised to increase his medication to 1 tablet which i guess is 100mg twice a day. He is approx 36kgs. Then we go back in 2 weeks for a blood test to check the levels and increase if he is still having fits.

So we will see how we go - everyone please cross their fingers for us.

Thanks for all the info puggles you are a lifesaver. We do are very best to give him the tablets 12 hours apart but due to work commitments this is sometimes hard, do you have any tips? We normally aim for about 7am and 7pm however sometimes if we go out that can be difficult.

Thanks again.

Mel

Molly's time is also 7 and 7 as it's more manageable for us that way. But if you go out, it would be preferable to work around the medication times rather than dose much earlier or later. I try to be up for Molly at 7 on the weekends and sometimes it's a stretch...but she seems to have her seizures under control even if I'm a little off-schedule. With a dog that's seizing regularly, I'd be much more strict with the dosage at the right times.

What care arrangements do you have in place for his care when you get married? Most kennels can easily medicate to our schedules and only some will charge you extra...it pays to ask!

[~Anne~]

I understand the difficulties in keeping to the 12 hours. I stick to it as best as possible and for the greater majority of the time we hit our target. There is always exceptions though.

On the rare ocassion I have had to go out at say 4pm (we medicate at 5.30 am/pm) and I will not be back until say 7pm. I will give Monte half of his dose at 4pm and the other half at 7pm.

On other occassions when I have been late home and no-one else has been able to get there we just medicate late.

However, as Lillysmum said, you sometimes have to cancel plans or rearrange them if need be. If you have a friendly neighbour you may be able to leave some tablets with them for emergencies and have them medicate.