leighw Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My dog Holly, an 8 yo maltese x, had a partial seizure on Wednesday night. We took her to the vet and she gave us some Valium to give Holly and we were told to monitor her. She hasn't had any more seizures. Her behaviour for the week before this seizure had been concerning as she was lethargic and seemed depressed. She spent overnight in hospital on Monday as she was dehydrated but didn't seem too bad when she came home on tuesday. The vet did blood tests and everything came back normal. However, her behaviour since the seizure is quite strange and disturbing - she paces constantly and can't settle, she doesn't want to be comforted by us and is quite unresponsive, particularly to me. I have googled the post-ictus phase and it says this can last for days. Does anyone have any experience of this phase lasting this long and is there anything we can do to help her along. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 We have never had it last for more than an hour or so thankfully. I would suggest that she might be still undergoing seizure activity of the brain perhaps and that it should be investigated a little more. Is this her first episode of seizure related activity? I'd also suggest that it is not a common age for epilepsy to commence, although epilepsy can not be ruled out, and that perhaps further investigation is needed to find out why she is suffering for seizure activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighw Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks Anne. Yes it's her first seizure - very scary for us and for her no doubt. Having done my research it most experts say the post seizure period can last up to a few days and there is no correlation between the severity of the seizure and the length of the recovery phase. I was just curious if any others had experienced it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) I have a standard poodle who had seizures over a 3 year period and his post ictal phase lasted for a couple of days on some occassions with a lot of pacing, getting into inacessible places (hiding) , whinning and sometimes howling. We did not crowd him and just let him be. When a dog seizes all their muscles contract at once so it is a big work out for the body - kind of like running a marathon. Giving rescue remedy helped. At other times his recovery was only several hours - but he was always sore and did not want to go for long walks for a couple of days. His seizures were always the same but the post ictal did vary. Good Luck. Edited January 20, 2011 by frufru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 It won't be scary for her. She won't remember it and will have no idea she has suffered a seizure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockerlover Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 imo it is scary for the owner, yes indeed ,but the dog isnt aware it has had a siezure im sure . the lead up & effects from a seizure from my experiance can vary greatly from dog to dog . In the case of my beloved one ,I knew b4 he did ,one was coming & after some, he took a long time to recover . It is very taxing on thier bodies ,. Be sure to keep a record of all seizures ,time ,leanth of siezure & siverity of such . My heart goes out to you . Be sure to keep the dog away from any objects he could hurt himself on during siezure & keep him quite after each episode Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighw Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks so much for your replies, it eases my mind a little. Fingers crossed that this may just have been a one off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Post ictally, my little boy usually sleeps and is a bit quiet the next day. I remember how worried and shocked I was when I first saw his focal seizure, even though it was fairly mild. He doesn't lose consciousness, shake all over, nor is he incontinent. Now, although it still worries me I simply hold him and cuddle him until the seizure stops and he goes to sleep. Sometimes some dogs will have a seizure and never have another - I hope thats the case with your little girl. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighw Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 She's still not back to normal, however, there has been a slight improvement. She has stopped pacing, but just likes to sit and stare or go to sleep. She slept well last night on the end of my bed, with no interruptions during the night. If this is as good as she's going to get, well so be it and we will love and care for her until it her time to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 If it has been more than 3 days I would be popping off to the vet for a check up to make sure it is not something else - other things can look like a seizure. Also your dog was unwell before the partial - are you sure there is not something else going on which the seizure is a symptom of???? My dog was completely normal - except when he had the seizure - once he was over the post ictal - completley normal again until the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighw Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 I rang the vet yesterday and she said just monitor her and if she got worse to bring her in. Nothing showed up in blood tests etc before the seizure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Sorry, but if it was my dog I would not be happy with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 The fact that the dog is older also would make me think it needs further investigation. I certainly would not be thinking that 'this is as good as it gets'. :rolleyes: Even epileptic dogs don't walk around like zombies or pace all the time unless they are on medication and they shows signs of one of the side effects of phenobarbital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rottifan Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I wouldnt rule out seeing a good canine chiropractor. I have been told if their neck is out (probably is by that age from jumping up and down on things, slipping on slippery floors, using stairs/doggy doors etc) and they have pinched nerves it can put pressure on the skull...sometimes their hearing and balance can be affected and their eyes cloudy blue. After being adjusted the pain and pressure will be relieved and at least you can rule this out....cheap healthy option regardless and apart from everything else if they are in alignment then everything is flowing properly, no energy blocks and their immune system will get up and running to its maximum again. Best of luck, always a worry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djf Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 Does anyone have any experience of this phase lasting this long and is there anything we can do to help her along. Our dog has had idiopathic (meaning no brain tumour, no metabolic problems- just his brain structure is prone to seizures) epilepsy since we adopted him, aged 3 (probably why he was in the pound...). He is the sweetest boy - however when he's had a seizure (or a series of seizures) he often paces something shocking and there is *nothing* we can do to settle him. So we have often put him on our enclosed verandah with water to drink and no opportunity to injure himself and just let it happen... he either fits again or eventually has a really restful sleep (the sleep is usually our indication that he has finished that "set" of seizures). The longest Finn has done pacing post-ictally (without further seizures occurring) was about 3 days - then he had the big recovery sleep. Some good quality information is at: http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html Glad Holly is settling. With a first partial seizure in an 8 year old I would second the idea that it would be a good idea to take Holly back to your vet when she is back to herself (or if she's not back to herself very soon) for a full neurological examination - going by our boy's mental state when he's just had a seizure it would be difficult to pick up subtle clues as to whether something else was going on (many things that cause seizures can't be found in a blood test). Fits can take it out of them - but with her having been off colour beforehand I would second the advice that it would be a good idea to have her checked out again sooner rather than later. Good luck with it all. It's a scary thing to see and a worrying time - we have been living with Finn's fits for over 10 years now and we always worry about whether this time will be "the" time - but we have been very lucky and despite the severity of his epilepsy he has had a happy life and he certainly seems to like still being here. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leighw Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi everyone. I took Holly back to the surgery this morning and saw a different vet - she thinks it could be granulometous meningoencephalitis as all the symptoms point to it - she seems to be blind, but the vet said she can see but her brain is not processing properly. As she had another seizure last night and has not improved we have put her on a series of cortisone tablets. If it is GME there should be marked improvement within 48 hours. Of course, there is no cure for this disease but we have to give it a go if it means a bit better and longer life for her. If she doesn't respond, the vet thinks it is probably a brain tumour. I was all ready to say goodbye to my little darling this morning, but obviously it's not her time yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetrg Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I wouldnt rule out seeing a good canine chiropractor. I have been told if their neck is out (probably is by that age from jumping up and down on things, slipping on slippery floors, using stairs/doggy doors etc) and they have pinched nerves it can put pressure on the skull...sometimes their hearing and balance can be affected and their eyes cloudy blue. After being adjusted the pain and pressure will be relieved and at least you can rule this out....cheap healthy option regardless and apart from everything else if they are in alignment then everything is flowing properly, no energy blocks and their immune system will get up and running to its maximum again. Best of luck, always a worry If your dogs eye are cloudy there is an issue with its cornea or its aquous humour inside the eye. A chiropracter can't fix either of those and the eyes should be looked at by a vet. Any chiropracter who is telling you otherwise is asked to get sued!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Hi everyone. I took Holly back to the surgery this morning and saw a different vet - she thinks it could be granulometous meningoencephalitis as all the symptoms point to it - she seems to be blind, but the vet said she can see but her brain is not processing properly. As she had another seizure last night and has not improved we have put her on a series of cortisone tablets. If it is GME there should be marked improvement within 48 hours. Of course, there is no cure for this disease but we have to give it a go if it means a bit better and longer life for her. If she doesn't respond, the vet thinks it is probably a brain tumour. I was all ready to say goodbye to my little darling this morning, but obviously it's not her time yet. Sorry to hear your news. At least it will be a definite diagnoses. djf - your Finn sounds like my Monte. He was also a rescue but was in rescue due to his epilepsy. He is now 9 years old and we have had him since he was 2. He also suffers from clusters, even though he is on both Pb and Kbr, and he can have up to 5 seizures in each cluster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Leighw, thank you for the follow up information - I was wondering how Holly was going. Sending you healing vibes and hope Holly responds to the medication - please let us know how things go with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djf Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Take care leighw and Holly. Thank you for the update. Good immunosuppressant thoughts going your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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