My baby is having siezures

[tigersmom]

I woke up at 1am this morning because Tiger fell out of the bed. I jumped up and my husband flew out of bed and got on the floor with him and held him. He was foaming at the mouth, legs stiff, snapping his jaws and eyes rolled back. I freaked out and all i could do was cry. It was so horrible to see and I felt so helpless. I though he was going to die. It seemed like slow motion. It lasted about a minute. He seemed scared and confused when he came out of it. It was after 3am before he settled down and started resting. My husband and I decided to watch him and if he had another we would go to the emergency vet clinic. I kept feeling him to make sure he was breathing. He woke up at 7am. I brought him outside and he did his business. He seemed fine. He was even asking for his breakfast. He ate like normal. Then at 9:45am he had another one. It didn't seem to last as long. I would say it lasted about 30 seconds. I immediately got a blanket and put it in the truck. We took him to the clinic right away. They did bloodwork and EKG. His bloodwork was normal. Heart rythm was normal. Heart rate was a little fast but the Dr said it was probably because he was nervous. He said it is very hard to determine what causes this but if they continue he will have to be on medication. They asked us to leave him so they could watch him and see if it happens again. I called to check on him and they said he was resting and had not had any siezures. He is 6yrs old. I waiting impatiently to be able to bring him home.

 

[Kilby'sMum]

Poor Tiger. Can't imagine how terrifying that would have been for all of you. Hope things go ok at the vet. Wiggles from us to you

 

[LILYLARUE]

I feel for you so much! My staffy had her first one the third day after she came home. It was so scary! I cried through it too!

Anyways, seizures can be caused by a multitude of things. Vaccinations can cause them, flea treatments, medications, diet.......

There are tons of people here that have had experiences that could help if you give us some background. Age? Diet? Any medications or treatments given in the past month?

We can't diagnose and won't in a forum, but with our experiences, we can certainly give you some good places to start with discussions with the vet. It helps to have good questions and other's experiences to get the vet to think deeper than they may originally have. If your vet is a good one, then you coming in armed with knowledge will be welcomed!

 

[GDOGS1]

So sorry that Tiger is not doing well,hope the vet finds out what are causing his siezures.am sending Tiger some of those good ol' boxer healing (((((vibes)))))his way will be keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time




MoM & DaD of GDOGS 8/18/05 Brindle,Docked,Floppy and full of Zest

 

[kayboxer]

I know how scarey that is. My Roxy didn't have seizures, but did have a heart attack (we think two possibly). I watched her go through both, it was similar and I cried through both. (I know it is not the same health issue). It is horrible when you can't do anything to ease their suffering. You are so helpless and crying and soothing is all you can do. My heart goes out to you and Tiger. Hopefully it won't happen anymore.

 

[Gruntsmom]

Sending out lots of healing and positive vibes for your Tiger, and hopes that the cause of his seizures can be determined so you can start treatment right away. I can only imagine how terrifying this must have been for him, you and your husband. :( Please keep us posted.

 

[Swampo]

Our boy Gus (11 1/2 yrs) started having seizures last May. He had 2 really bad ones within 24 hrs and then a few smaller ones over the next 24 hrs. The smaller ones were almost like aftershocks or something. Our vet prescribed him valium and a seizure med.(phenabarbitol-I think) He had bad reactions to both. He got no rest at all on the meds. He constantly walked in circles, drank water and foamed at the mouth. It was extremely compulsive. The vet told us to stop giving the meds to see what would happen. He started acting like his normal self and stopped the compulsive behavior. He didn't have another seizure until a couple of weeks ago. Same thing...two bad ones, followed by a day of aftershocks. We just sit with him and soothe him during the seizures and then make sure he gets lots of rest after. There's not a lot of options for us, but I know that a lot of dogs do well with the meds.

 

[joeys mom]

Poor Tiger :( I hope they can figure out what is causing his siezures. Mandy ~healing ~ vibes comeing your way. Please keep us posted.

 

[tigersmom]

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate it so much.

He had another siezure at 3am and another at 4:30pm. They lasted about 4 min each. We brought him to his Dr this morning and he started him on phenabarbitol twice a day. He said it would take a couple of weeks to build up in his system. So he may continue to have them until then. He lost control of his bladder with the one at 3am. He paces around and drinks alot of water. It takes him over an hour to settle down and rest. He has also had 3 accidents in the house today. He can't seem to hold it. He has to go right away. The vet said within 60days if they are still happening that we will do bloodwork to check the levels of the medication in his system. He said some dogs don't respond to medication and if that happens he said there is nothing they can do. I am keeping a log of when and how long they last. One common factor I am noticing is that they are only happening when he is at rest. He has had a total of 4 since Sunday morning. The first one being a minute, second one 30 seconds and the last two 4 minutes.

He is 6yrs old. The only medication he is on is heartguard and advantix (whice he had both about 3wks ago). He has been on these all his life. He eats only dry dog food (Natural Choice - Venison & Whole Brown rice). He has been on this food for 1 1/2yrs, ever since he was diagnosed with pancreatitis.

I will keep everyone posted. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Robyn

 

[Cami]

If there should be another seizure have an ice pack at the ready. Here is a link to info about placement.
Using an ice pack to stop canine seizures

Here is another link with info about thyroid testing to see if there is anything amiss there that might be causing seizures.
If your dog has seizures check the thyroid for low thyroid function or hypothyroidism

Of course thyroid issues are not the only thing that causes seizures but it is a place to start. My girl had a seizure earlier this year. Thyroid checked by her regular vet and all was deemed "normal". Further testing (complete thyroid panel including TgAA) deemed her to have some thyroid issues (thyroiditis). Treatment started and no more seizures. Just a thought. I hope you get answers soon.