How Do You Know if a Puppy Is Having a Seizure

What is a seizure or epilepsy?

Seizures are one of the almost frequently reported neurological conditions in dogs. A seizure may also exist chosen a convulsion or fit, and is a temporary involuntary disturbance of normal encephalon office that is ordinarily accompanied by uncontrollable muscle activity.

"Epilepsy is a term used to describe repeated episodes of seizures."

Epilepsy is a term used to describe repeated episodes of seizures. With epilepsy, the seizures can be single or may occur in clusters, and they can be infrequent and unpredictable or may occur at regular intervals.

What causes seizures?

There are many causes of seizures. Idiopathic epilepsy, the most common crusade of seizures in the dog, is an inherited disorder, simply its exact cause is unknown. Other causes include liver illness, kidney failure, brain tumors, encephalon trauma, or toxins.

"Idiopathic epilepsy is the about mutual crusade of seizures in the dog."

Seizures often occur at times of changing brain activity, such as during excitement or feeding, or every bit the domestic dog is falling asleep or waking upwards. Affected dogs can appear completely normal between seizures.

What happens during a typical seizure?

Seizures consist of 3 components:

i)  The pre-ictal phase (aura), is a period of altered beliefs in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. Information technology may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may final a few seconds to a few hours. This period precedes the seizure activity, every bit if the dog senses that something is about to occur.

two)  The ictal stage can last from a few seconds to several minutes, and tin vary in appearance. The ictal phase can range from mild changes in mental awareness, such as a dazed look, mild shaking, staring frantically, licking lips, to a complete loss of consciousness and trunk part. If the dog experiences a grand mal, or total-diddled seizure with loss of consciousness, all of the muscles of the torso move spastically and erratically. The dog usually falls over on its side and paddles its legs while seeming to be otherwise paralyzed. The caput will often be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation may occur. If the seizure has not stopped within v minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure (see beneath).

three)  During the postal service-ictal phase or the flow immediately after the terminate of the seizure, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, or even temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.

Is a seizure painful or dangerous to the domestic dog?

Despite the dramatic and violent appearance of a seizure, seizures are non painful, although the dog may feel confusion and possibly panic. Reverse to popular belief, dogs do not eat their tongues during a seizure. If you lot put your fingers or an object into its rima oris, you will non assist your pet and you lot run a loftier risk of being bitten very badly or of injuring your dog. The important affair is to keep the dog from falling or hurting itself past knocking objects onto itself. Every bit long as it is on the flooring or footing, at that place is footling chance of damage occurring.

"The domestic dog may feel confusion and mayhap panic."

A single seizure is rarely unsafe to the dog. However, if the domestic dog has multiple seizures inside a brusk period of time (cluster seizures), or if a seizure continues for longer than a few minutes, the body temperature begins to rising. If hyperthermia (elevated torso temperature) develops secondary to a seizure, another set of problems need to be addressed.

What is status epilepticus?

Status epilepticus is a serious and life threatening state of affairs. Information technology is characterized by a seizure that lasts more than than 5 minutes. Unless intravenous anticonvulsants are given immediately to stop the seizure action, the dog may dice or suffer irreversible encephalon impairment. If status epilepticus occurs, you must seek treatment past a veterinarian immediately.

Now that the seizure is over, can we find out why it happened?

After a dog has a seizure episode, your veterinarian will brainstorm by taking a thorough history, concentrating on possible exposures to poisonous or hallucinogenic substances or whatever history of head trauma. The veterinarian will also perform a concrete examination, blood and urine tests and sometimes an electrocardiogram (ECG). These tests rule out disorders of the liver, kidneys, heart, electrolytes, and claret sugar levels. A heartworm test is performed if your domestic dog is not taking heartworm preventative monthly.

If these tests are normal and there is no exposure to poison or recent trauma, farther diagnostics may exist recommended, depending on the severity and frequency of the seizures. Occasional seizures (less frequently than one time a month) are not as worrisome, but they can become more frequent or more than severe. In this case, a spinal fluid analysis may be performed.

Depending on availability at a referral center or pedagogy hospital, specialized techniques such every bit a CT scan or MRI may also be performed to expect directly at the structure of the encephalon.

How are seizures treated or prevented?

Treatment is unremarkably begun only subsequently a pet has:

1)  more than i seizure a month,

2)  clusters of seizures where one seizure is immediately followed past another, or

3)  grand mal seizures that are severe or prolonged in duration.

The ii virtually commonly used medications to treat seizures in dogs are phenobarbital and potassium bromide. Research into the use of other anticonvulsants is ongoing, and newer anticonvulsants such as zonisamide (brand proper name Zonegran®) and levetiracetam (brand name Keppra®) are becoming more pop. Combination therapy is ofttimes used for dogs that are poorly responsive to standard treatments.

"In one case anticonvulsant medication is started, it must be given for life."

Once anticonvulsant medication is started, information technology must exist given for life. At that place is bear witness that, if anticonvulsant medication is started and so discontinued, the dog may have a greater adventure of developing more astringent seizures in the future. Fifty-fifty normal dogs without a history of seizures or epilepsy may exist induced to seizure if placed on anticonvulsant medication and and then abruptly withdrawn from it. If anticonvulsant medication must be discontinued or changed for some reason, your veterinarian will give you specific instructions for doing this.

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Source: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/seizures-general-for-dogs

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