seizures

[Heathy]

Hello. I am new to boxerworld. I wanted to join because my, almost 2 yr. old, brindle boxer-his name is Tigger- is having seizures. His first one was a couple months ago. He has had them almost once every month...except for this month (December). He has had 4 total seizures this month (about one every week). I took him into the vet today. They said it was unusual because Tigger has had the seizures while he is sleeping, rather than awake, which they said is uncommon for a typical seizure. They didn't seem too concerned and wanted me to continue to keep tabs. They also threw out the suggestion that he was just deeply dreaming.

The very first seizure he had I took him in and they did blood work and a urinalysis...which came back normal. I just wish I could find some answers!!

Have any of you heard of this? I take Tigger to "Banfield PetHospital". I'm thinking about getting a second opinion. My boxer is like my baby and I want him to be ok.

Thank you for listening.

 

[gmacleod]

I'd suggest doing a search of this forum using the term "seizures". Thing is, it is a pretty common thing to happen and it can have a very wide variety of causes. Some are serious, some are relatively simply fixed. It might help you out more if you read some of the previous threads with others' experiences so you can see what most closely matches up with what's going on with your boy.

One thing you might like to think about though, is any regular medications your give your dog. Does he get anything monthly? Like flea preventative or heartworm medication? If so, have a think about the timing of the seizures. If they're related, it certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened and ditching those meds would be very wise.

 

[Tarzan]

Get a second opinion...

First thing that stuck me is when you said "They said it was unusual because Trigger has had the seizures while he is sleeping, rather than awake, which they said is uncommon for a typical seizure."

This is not true... Most boxers seizure when they are either asleep (obviously they wake up when the seizure starts) or they are resting.

Typically it will not happen while they are running or sitting there looking at you. Generally it is when they are at rest.

Unfortunately there are no quick and definitive answers about seizures... They still in fact do not know what causes a seizure in the brain. Testing the urine and blood is all you can do, so do it often and cross reference the results to look for any dramatic changes.

Put him on PhenoBarb of they have already not done this... It will help "control" the frequency of the seizures.

I know how you feel, we don't have kids but if we lost Tarzan I am not sure what we would do. It is bad enough knowing that boxers life spans are short (9 to 13 years). I hate death and wish everything would out live me so that I do not have to deal with loosing people and animals around me. None the less just be there for him, keep him from hurting himself when he does have the seizure and finally know that the seizure causes them no pain...

C

 

[Heathy]

Thank you both for the info. I'll have to search my area and find a trustworthy vet. I'm fairly new to the Dayton, Ohio area. So, I'll have to do some researching.

 

[tootsie]

I agree with tarzan. Seek a second opinion. Buster started having seizures back in October. My vet did a complete CBC and T panel to check his Thyroid. Everything came back as "normal". They put him on Phenobarb, and he did not have a seizure for two months. He just started having seizures again three nights ago. I took him back to the vet today for another blood test and again, everything came back normal except that his Pheno levels were a little low, so the vet upped his dose, and we will see what happens now. As Tarzan said before, a seizure typically will not happen when they are awake and running around. All of Busters have been in the middle of the night, or when he is napping.
I know how you feel about not getting any answers. Unfortunately seizures are like that. Buster has been diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy, which means there really is no reason for them to happen. All of his tests come back normal, which leads me to believe that he has a brain tumor. He also has other symtoms with his seizures. He has totally lost eyesight in one of his eyes, and I think he is losing sight now in the other eye.
It is truly a very scary thing to watch your baby having a seizure, but remember they are not in any pain, and probably don't even remember the episode. Good Luck to you and Tigger, and please keep us updated.

 

[Debbie2166]

Seizures or Head Tremors?

Are you sure that he is having siezures or is he having head tremors. This is very common in Boxers in my experience. One of my boxers has them as well.

 

[Heathy]

Debbie2166:
How can you tell the two apart? What causes head tremors? Do you know? I still need to do some investigating and researching. Thank you, though for the suggestion.


Heathy

 

[lafsalot]

I agree with the others - epileptic seizures most often occur when the dog is resting and/or tired.

It is important for you to keep an accurate journal of what your dog is experiencing so that your vet will have a better idea of what is going on, and how to treat it. It also can help you predict when your furbaby is likely to have one. For instance, our Mya would generally get a little anxious and seek us out (the aura phase). She would have a wide range of symptoms with the seizure itself (ie staring, lip smacking, drop attacks, head or leg jerking, etc). Afterwards, she would be disorientated and would sometimes walk into walls.

As gmacleaod suggested, make note if the seizure activity is happening after certain monthly medications and/or vaccinations. Our furbaby started exhibiting seizure activity follow her vaccinations as a pup, and flea preventatives (even topical ones) often exacerbated it.

Good luck, and do keep us posted ~ Cathy

 

[Ozzie]

Heathy:

Here's something else to consider...

My last Boxer that owned me prior to Ozzie was named Kato. He lived to the ripe old age of 13. He would have minor seizures ONLY when at rest.

To make a very long story short; his heart was not pumping enough blood to his brain....especially, of course, when his heart slowed down when at rest.

Kato was given Sota (a beta-blocker) for the last several years of his life and this medicine helped him immensely.

Just something else to ponder.....sometimes heart problems can cause seizures, too. I'm sure this has got to be especially troubling for you because your little guy is so young...

I wish you the best; I'd highly recommend a thorough heart check....maybe even by a cardiologist.

Bob.

 

[Queenmum]

Are you sure what you are witnessing while Tigger is sleeping are "seizures"? Wilma has very animated dreams and twitches and shakes very often. I wake her up and she is fine. I do not mean to doubt what you see, I just know that she has woken me from a dead sleep and it scares the #%$^& out of me.
My Em had a seizure when he was only about 10 weeks old. After many tests, we found out he is hypoglycemic. He needs to be fed late at night so that he doesn't go the full time (8-10 hours) at night on an empty tummy. Once we changed his diet, the seizures stopped.
I agree with the rest of our buds and say...get a second opinion!