Seizure? Something Else?

[*kirty*]

Going to the vet tomorrow but just wanted to hear from people who have experienced seizures in dogs.

Background info: Bruno is a 1yo Italian Greyhound who seems healthy but has had some weird medical issues - bled excessively during castration and then developed severe bruising and was very sick. Also has random episodes of pale gums and slow CRT. These issues are being investigated but we have no answers so far.

He had a 2-3 minute flat-out zoomie session at offlead park which he'd never done before. He ran back to me and I put him on lead and picked him up. He then started acting really weird - his head started bobbing and he was shaking and writhing in my arms, kinda like he wanted to be put down. So I put him down and his front legs weren't working. His back legs seemed to work but his front legs would collapse underneath him and he kept face planting. He seemed to be conscious the whole time but his pupils were dilated and he looked terrified. His heart rate was fast, his gums were pale and his CRT was non existant. I picked him up and he kept writhing and shaking and bobbing his head. There was no panting or drooling or peeing or pooing. I called my vet but they were stuck with another emergency but then it all stopped anyway. It lasted about 3-4 minutes. He wasn't tired or confused afterwards and when we got home he wanted to run and play as usual. I checked his heart when we got home and couldn't hear any irregularities.

Does this sound like a seizure? He wasn't stiff at all except when he was arching his back. It was the scariest, most horrible thing to see.

[Christina]

How alarming.

Yes that was a seizure. I wonder if he had a chemical reaction to something in the park ?

Unless he is not right & it happens again there is no point in going to the vet tomorrow.

Tell them about it when you next take him re the other issues.

A Chihuahua I had years ago had a brief fit at age 3 & I rushed to the vet. He didn't have another one for 2 years & after that about twice yearly, if that, so its not always serious or needs treatment. He died aged 16.

A poodle I owned also had a brief seizure immediately after a red back spider bite.

[persephone]

Also has random episodes of pale gums and slow CRT.

I have seen dogs with heart problems showing similar symptoms .... maybe mention it to the vet , as he seems to have some circulatory irregularities already ?

Also, if he had just expended a lot of energy ..hypoglycaemia may need to be thought of ....it ,too can cause seizures

[*kirty*]

Christina there was nothing in the patk (footy oval) and he honestly raced ariund the whole time - no sniffing or anything.

Yes we are wondering about his heart and also liver shunt. A hypo shouldnt resolve on its own I dont think. Harry's certainly dont. :)

It was just odd because everything I know about seizures says they have some loss of or alteration of consciousness. He was aware the whole time.

Edited April 28, 2013 by *kirty*

[Jumabaar]

Guessing they are looking into clotting disorders such as Haemophilia and Von Willerbrands - these may also cause neurologic signs.

[*kirty*]

We've done all the tests except VWB which is being done this week (that test is a nightmare to organise).

[Jumabaar]

We've done all the tests except VWB which is being done this week (that test is a nightmare to organise).

Haemophilia cant be tested in Australia- I ended up sending bloods O/S because even getting the VWB here took months and I gave up waiting.

[~Anne~]

Agree with the heart idea posed by Peres. It may have been a lack of oxygen temporarily to the brain?? I would be thinking the issues are all linked. I hope your vet can get it sorted for you.

Just in seizures though, I watched Monte expereince a huge range of seizures from tonic clonic to petite and focal. I can tell you that they are all very different and every dog shows some differing physical manifestations of them all.

Not all seizures involve excess saliva, drool or frothing. Dogs do not always loose control of bowels or bladder. Monte has had seizures where he has staggered like he is drunk, others where he has stood stock still and twitched, and still others where he dropped and rolled got up and ran and then stiffened up as if to go into a full tonic clonic before slowly relaxing and coming back to normal and he has of course had many, many tonic clinics where he has collapsed, frothed, lost control of his bladder (only in his last few years with this) and then run manic after the seizure.

So, as you can see, there is no one size fits all with seizure activity.

[dwynwen]

I had an akita bitch who used to have occasional episodes like that - she was eventually diagnosed with a heart problem and put on heart meds - she did not have another seizure once she was on the heart meds and lived to be 13.

[Guest Maeby Fünke]

Sorry to hear about poor Bruno... I hope you can get to the bottom of what caused it.

Oscar ate some blood and bone fertilizer on a neighbour's garden recently and he was very sick... He had a seizure (he was staggering like he was drunk) and he had to spend the day at the vet's. It was very scary and a real setback in his cancer treatment. He vomited most of it up, thank goodness, and he is fine now.

I had never seen a dog have a seizure before and I honestly thought he was going to die.

Edited April 28, 2013 by Maeby Fünke

[Kirislin]

Going to the vet tomorrow but just wanted to hear from people who have experienced seizures in dogs.

Background info: Bruno is a 1yo Italian Greyhound who seems healthy but has had some weird medical issues - bled excessively during castration and then developed severe bruising and was very sick. Also has random episodes of pale gums and slow CRT. These issues are being investigated but we have no answers so far.

He had a 2-3 minute flat-out zoomie session at offlead park which he'd never done before. He ran back to me and I put him on lead and picked him up. He then started acting really weird - his head started bobbing and he was shaking and writhing in my arms, kinda like he wanted to be put down. So I put him down and his front legs weren't working. His back legs seemed to work but his front legs would collapse underneath him and he kept face planting. He seemed to be conscious the whole time but his pupils were dilated and he looked terrified. His heart rate was fast, his gums were pale and his CRT was non existant. I picked him up and he kept writhing and shaking and bobbing his head. There was no panting or drooling or peeing or pooing. I called my vet but they were stuck with another emergency but then it all stopped anyway. It lasted about 3-4 minutes. He wasn't tired or confused afterwards and when we got home he wanted to run and play as usual. I checked his heart when we got home and couldn't hear any irregularities.

Does this sound like a seizure? He wasn't stiff at all except when he was arching his back. It was the scariest, most horrible thing to see.

It sounds exactly like what Iggy Mums 2 IGs have. Yes they're mild seizures, they are conscious during them and appear frightend, but once they're over they go back to the happy little dogs again. I've been looking after IM's dogs while she's in hospital, and so far Beau has had 3. I just pick him up and hold him quietly until it passes, he seems to get comfort from being cuddled while it's happening, but I try not to make any sudden movement or sound. With each one I've seen him have it's been at a time of stimulation, dinner time in his case.

[Kirislin]

I couple of years ago I filmed IMs Zoey having one, before I realised what was going on. If I can find the vid I'll post it for you.

[Kirislin]

speak of the devil poor little Beau's having one now, I'm cuddling him and typing one handed. Once again it came on at feeding time, so I can see a definite pattern. He looks to have recovered now, so it's lasted about 15mins all up. He wanted to get off my lap and he's all waggy tailed again.

I feel like his are brought on by either hunger, maybe it's something to do with blood sugar,or just excitement at the prospect of food.

I forgot to mention, my own whippet Tag has similar seizures, but his are so far apart he cannot be medicated, and I haven't worked out a pattern to his, they seem to happen at night mostly, although not always.

[SwaY]

Low blood sugar?

[dancinbcs]

It sounds similar to Exercise Induced Collapse in Labs and BCs which is now thought to possibly be a mild seizure like condition. If it occurs in 2 breeds then it is likely that it can occur in other breeds as well. Genetically the EIC in Labs is different to one in BCs as the test for it in Labs does not work in BCs.

[ness]

Yep I just found out earlier there is definitely an EIC like condition in Whippets.

[*kirty*]

I spent most of the night looking at youtube videos of dogs having seizures and I'm pretty sure it was a focal seizure. I wasn't able to get to the vet today but he has been perfectly normal ever since.

Kirislin that is so odd about Beau - as you know he was here for several weeks and never had one. Poor little guy.

If it was low blood sugar, would it resolve on its own? My son is diabetic and when his blood sugar is low, it stays low until he eats something.

ETA: it didn't look like any of the EIC episodes I watched on youtube.

Edited April 29, 2013 by *kirty*

[Kirislin]

I spent most of the night looking at youtube videos of dogs having seizures and I'm pretty sure it was a focal seizure. I wasn't able to get to the vet today but he has been perfectly normal ever since.

Kirislin that is so odd about Beau - as you know he was here for several weeks and never had one. Poor little guy.

If it was low blood sugar, would it resolve on its own? My son is diabetic and when his blood sugar is low, it stays low until he eats something.

ETA: it didn't look like any of the EIC episodes I watched on youtube.

He seems to be having them more here than he does with IM too. I'm wondering what is causing them, am I doing something wrong or is it a change within him that's causing them to be more frequent. I'm very structured in their feeding times, and 3 of his fits have been exactly when I start feeding, 7am. All 3 of her dogs were a little bit chubby so I'm feeding them less than what they normally get at home. I'm wondering it that has something to do with it so this morning I gave him 2 little pebbles of dry food as soon as we woke up, in the hope of it giving his tummy something in case he's hungry, just to see him through to breakky.

[persephone]

I'm very structured in their feeding times, and 3 of his fits have been exactly when I start feeding, 7am.

My vote here is for an anticipatory excitement/stress triggering the seizure .perhaps he is keen for his food ..perhaps it is a stressful time for him , worrying about what might happen ... and he overloads ....