Puppy having seizures while sleeping

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Gingers Mom

Boxer Pal
My son and his girlfriend have a 6 month old female boxer. They've had her since she was 12 weeks. Ever since they've had her, she twitches while she sleeps. More than a normal puppy dreaming twitch. But for the last month, they've developed into full out seizures, for better words. Each and every time she goes to sleep, it can be either within minutes or 1/2 hr, she starts out twitching, then goes into very jerky motions, then goes into full out stiffness, jaw will lock wide open, gums turn pale, eyes don't twitch and she does not deficate or salivate at all. She one time, even got up and ran into the headboard of their bed. She then laid back down and went to sleep. These episodes only happen every time while she is sleeping, never when she is awake. The vet has run numerous test and so far, has yet come to a conclusion as what or why she is having these. First time they ran a blood test, everything came back clean. First thought was she was having Epilepsy seizures. Next time they ran one, it came back irregular. Possible blood poisoning. Her red blood cells were not normal shapes. They put her on "bute" first, but her seziures became worse so they've switched her to something else. I don't know what. They have not done any x-rays or MRI's. My DS and GF will be taking her to another clinic for some second opinions. They are on a very limited budget so it's not like they can have every test under the sun done. I've never seen anything like this before. I do feel that she is somewhat under weight. Her ribs don't show but she's not fat either. The vet did say to feed her more often. She's was being fed 3 times a day so they'll up it. They did say that she does drink alot. And I noticed that while she was at our house yesterday, that she doesn't seem to have complete cordination with her hind legs. Not stumbling around but just not 100% cordination. You really have to be watching her to notice it. I don't think it's just puppy uncordination but I may be just looking at her to hard and thinking she's not right. I'm looking for some insight as to what y'all might be thinking so I can try to give them some directions and question to ask the vets. I know that there a million reasons for seizures but I've never heard of any of them acting like hers. Other than these episodes she acts like a normal, full of energy puppy. Eyes are clear and bright, breathing and heart rate are normal. I do not know if her temp rises or fall before, during or after these episodes. I'm trying to give you as much information as I can think of. Thanks for any and all they help you can give me.
 

dafzichu

Completely Boxer Crazy
Are they able to wake her from these episodes fairly easily? I came across something on Google called REM Behavior Disorder, but it is a sleep disorder. I will include the link just in case it could apply.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/narcolepsy.html

I am sorry that I don't have any real information for you. It must be tough to watch her go through that and so young. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the little girl. Please keep us updated on how she is doing and if they are able to get any definitive answers from the vets.
 

mancin

Boxer Insane
Have you considered taking video of these episodes and showing them to a neurologist?
 

Gingers Mom

Boxer Pal
Thanks for the link. I'll show it to them. I'm not sure if they've ever tried to wake her while she's having one. But this sounds kinda close to it. I've only seen a video of her going through an episode, never in person so I don't know how deep she's sleeping. At least it's something they can talk to the vet about.
 

Gingers Mom

Boxer Pal
They have a video clip of an episode on their phone that they showed the vet. They have not, to my knowledge, gotten her to a neurologist yet. We all are leaning toward a neurological problem though. Thanks.
 

cocoboxers

Boxer Booster
I'm not sure if this is common in this breed (or any dog for that matter), but when you mentioned the low weight, seizures, and excessive thirst, I automatically thougt about blood sugar level. I know that these can be often be seen in diabetics. But, you said that they've done blood tests, right? And, it's only occuring at night, correct? How long is it between her last meal and bedtime? This is really strange as I've never heard of anything like it. I would probably evaluate her diet as well.

Please keep us updated as to her progress!

~Coco
 

Gingers Mom

Boxer Pal
I know, I've never heard of this and I'm finding it very strange and hard to try to pinpoint down.
But no, this is not happening just at night. It's when ever she sleeps, day or night. They think that they notice she may have a worst episode after she's been busy and not slept in a while.
We are trying to get her on a better food. After checking out the dog food link, we are finding that the food we've all been using, is only 1 star rated. She started out on Iams, and they just changed her over to Purina One. I am going to see if they can get her on Chicken Soup food. We don't have most of the better feeds around us, but I know I have seen that food here. Since they've put her on medication, they are now feeding her boilded hamburger and rice. They thought that maybe, she is seeming to be a little better now. They are trying to watch for very suttle changes in her. Keep the thoughts coming guys, we really appreciate it.
 

cocoboxers

Boxer Booster
She started out on Iams, and they just changed her over to Purina One.

Yes, these aren't the best choices. Unfortunately, I've found that the best foods aren't going to be found in many of the commercial pet stores -- regardless if the labels say "ultra" or "premium." I have heard lots of good things about Canidae and Verus. There are some other ones out there as well; you just have to search for them. The best thing to do is read the nutrition label -- especially the first five ingredients. You don't want to see any animal by-products in the ingredients, nor any corn, protein fillers, or artificial flavors. They should consist of primarily natural ingredients, and wholesole foods such as fruits and veggies. The Naturapet website offers a good comparison tool as well as an info sheet on selecting the most nutritious food for your pet: http://naturapet.com/images/choosing_a_food.pdf

The Whole Dog Journal also offers a review of dog foods: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

If you can't locate these foods in your local store, many of the companies allow you to purchase the foods from their website. Each dog is different and may have different needs (and allergies), so finding the best food for your dog may take some trial and error.

I hope this helps -- good luck!
 
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