This week we have had at least 4 new members join the Forum looking for information because they are dealing with canine seizures for the first time. This thread is intended to provide basic information to help people cope and provide better care for their seizure dogs. However, I am not a veterinarian and there is no substitute for having strong veterinary guidance to manage a dog who has seizures.
For newcomers to the GRF, welcome to the Forum! I also offer you a sad welcome to the GRF seizure community. Sadly, there are a number of us who have dealt with this condition. I hope others will join this thread and share their wisdom.
My own experience with canine seizures is described in this thread, where I recorded the information I found during extensive research: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ard/85243-seizures-starting-12-years-old.html. Sadly, my Charlie's seizures were probably caused by a brain tumor and we lost him on July 2, 2011. He died in my arms, where he spent much of his life.
I encourage anyone with a dog having seizures to start a new thread and tell us your story. That will give you a place to ask questions and keep a record of the answers. Many GRF members have a lot of knowledge about seizures and will respond to new threads more readily than older ones. It will also help us have a sense of how widespread this condition has become.
Keeping a seizure journal is important. It will help you identify triggers that cause seizures, as Frontline Plus did for my Charlie. It will also be useful to your veterinarian in determining when medications need to change. Note that our veterinary neurologist considered seizures to be "under control" if a dog only has one per month.
It's important to know that some dogs live for many years while having occasional seizures. There are many conditions that cause seizures in dogs, including hypothyroidism, food allergies, chemical sensitivities to flea and tick prevention products, and brain disease. A veterinary neurologist can help you assess your dog's situation and determine the best course of treatment. Unfortunately, seizures are considered to be "under control" if a dog has only one grand mal seizure per month.
When your dog has a grand mal seizure, s/he is not in control of her actions. Sometimes growling and snapping are part of the condition, not misbehavior or aggression. Losing control of her bladder and bowels is also typical of a grand mal seizure. If s/he has already had a cluster of seizures and the situation seems to be evolving rapidly, there may be an underlying brain condition that needs treatment. Your veterinarian should be able to refer you to a veterinary neurologist, who can assess your dog’s physical condition and prescribe newer meds if they are needed.
Phenobarbital is the most commonly prescribed medication to control canine seizures, partly because it is effective very quickly and partly because it is relatively cheap. Pheno usually causes ataxia soon after a dog begins taking it and the problem usually lessens as the dog's body adjusts to the medication. It takes a few weeks for potassium bromide, another widely used medication, to reach therapeutic levels. Once it does, it is common to gradually reduce the Pheno, which may help with ataxia.
Note that hypothyroidism can cause seizures in dogs and the thyroid meds interact with Pheno, causing the dog to need increased thyroxine. Any dog having seizures should have a full thyroid test panel done.
A technique called "ocular compression" can help you quickly stop your dog’s grand mal seizures when they occur. The technique is described here: Controlling Seizures in Dogs with Ocular Compression - VetInfo.
During a grand mal seizure, your dog burns a tremendous amount of energy. To get his/her blood sugar up quickly, immediately after a seizure give her a couple of tablespoons of Hagen Daz vanilla ice cream. The brand is important because it contains no additives that are harmful to dogs, which is not true of other brands. After the ice cream, your dog needs a full meal of her normal food. It is normal for him/her to want a lot of water, to pace a lot, and to be disoriented for up to a couple of hours.
Clusters of seizures cause swelling in the brain and it is important to stop them. That may require giving her liquid valium rectally. That's something a veterinary neurologist can teach you to do. S/he may also need prednisone to reduce the swelling and prevent brain damage. We raced Charlie to a veterinary emergency clinic whenever he had three or more seizures in one 24 hour period. For his last cluster, they had him intravenous valium and Pheno for more than 24 hours before the seizures stopped. Clusters can also be a sign that underlying brain disease is progressing, so your veterinarian needs to know about them.
Your dog probably has some seizures when you are not around. This used to be our biggest fear about Charlie. When s/he will be alone, it is important to leave your dog in a place where it is relatively safe for him/her to have a seizure. That means keeping your dog off of stairs, which s/he could fall down during a seizure. S/he shouldn't be anywhere that there is a pool of water, since a seizing dog could easily drown. It also means keeping the dog away from tables that have anything on top that might fall on him/her if s/he bumps the table during a seizure. We removed some furniture from our family room to make it safer for Charlie. We also installed gates across doorways and at the head and foot of the stairs. If you need pointers to some, let me know.
Other animals - even trusted family pets who seem loving to the seizure dog - sometimes attack a dog that has a seizure. This is an instinctive response based in fear. If it hasn't happened in the past, that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. If you have other dogs, your seizure dog needs to be away from them when no humans will be around.
You're at the beginning of a learning curve and it takes time to absorb all that you need to know. One of the most valuable resources for learning about canine seizures is here: Canine Epilepsy and Dog Seizures Table of Contents - Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels. This site is also good: Canine Epilepsy Network. So is this one: Links.
Please try to be gentle with yourself, as well as with your seizure dog. It is normal to feel overwhelmed by the demands of caring for a seizure dog. It is exhausting to wake up in the middle of the night because you hear the paddling of a seizure and race to your dog's side to care for him/her or rush your dog to the emergency clinic. Seizure control is a rollercoaster ride of adjusting meds, waiting for the dog's body to adjust to the dosage so that ataxia lessens, and then waiting for the effectiveness of the dosage to wane so you start again.
Finally, remember that you have to go on with the rest of your life, despite your sweet dog's seizures. This condition can take over your life and you mustn't let it. Your dog wouldn't want that and you can't sustain it for the many years that we hope you have left with your dog. I look back at our last six months with Charlie and realize that our lives were ruled by his medication schedule, which was utterly inflexible. Our social lives were restricted and our participation in many pleasures was reduced because we didn't want to leave our boy alone more than we had to. Given his age (almost 12) when his seizures began, we knew our time with Charlie was limited. If your dog is much younger, in some ways that makes the situation even harder to handle.
Please keep us posted and ask all the questions you need to. Someone in the GRF has dealt with almost any problem you're likely to face.
Remember to breathe...deep, slow breaths to calm yourself.
For newcomers to the GRF, welcome to the Forum! I also offer you a sad welcome to the GRF seizure community. Sadly, there are a number of us who have dealt with this condition. I hope others will join this thread and share their wisdom.
My own experience with canine seizures is described in this thread, where I recorded the information I found during extensive research: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ard/85243-seizures-starting-12-years-old.html. Sadly, my Charlie's seizures were probably caused by a brain tumor and we lost him on July 2, 2011. He died in my arms, where he spent much of his life.
I encourage anyone with a dog having seizures to start a new thread and tell us your story. That will give you a place to ask questions and keep a record of the answers. Many GRF members have a lot of knowledge about seizures and will respond to new threads more readily than older ones. It will also help us have a sense of how widespread this condition has become.
Keeping a seizure journal is important. It will help you identify triggers that cause seizures, as Frontline Plus did for my Charlie. It will also be useful to your veterinarian in determining when medications need to change. Note that our veterinary neurologist considered seizures to be "under control" if a dog only has one per month.
It's important to know that some dogs live for many years while having occasional seizures. There are many conditions that cause seizures in dogs, including hypothyroidism, food allergies, chemical sensitivities to flea and tick prevention products, and brain disease. A veterinary neurologist can help you assess your dog's situation and determine the best course of treatment. Unfortunately, seizures are considered to be "under control" if a dog has only one grand mal seizure per month.
When your dog has a grand mal seizure, s/he is not in control of her actions. Sometimes growling and snapping are part of the condition, not misbehavior or aggression. Losing control of her bladder and bowels is also typical of a grand mal seizure. If s/he has already had a cluster of seizures and the situation seems to be evolving rapidly, there may be an underlying brain condition that needs treatment. Your veterinarian should be able to refer you to a veterinary neurologist, who can assess your dog’s physical condition and prescribe newer meds if they are needed.
Phenobarbital is the most commonly prescribed medication to control canine seizures, partly because it is effective very quickly and partly because it is relatively cheap. Pheno usually causes ataxia soon after a dog begins taking it and the problem usually lessens as the dog's body adjusts to the medication. It takes a few weeks for potassium bromide, another widely used medication, to reach therapeutic levels. Once it does, it is common to gradually reduce the Pheno, which may help with ataxia.
Note that hypothyroidism can cause seizures in dogs and the thyroid meds interact with Pheno, causing the dog to need increased thyroxine. Any dog having seizures should have a full thyroid test panel done.
A technique called "ocular compression" can help you quickly stop your dog’s grand mal seizures when they occur. The technique is described here: Controlling Seizures in Dogs with Ocular Compression - VetInfo.
During a grand mal seizure, your dog burns a tremendous amount of energy. To get his/her blood sugar up quickly, immediately after a seizure give her a couple of tablespoons of Hagen Daz vanilla ice cream. The brand is important because it contains no additives that are harmful to dogs, which is not true of other brands. After the ice cream, your dog needs a full meal of her normal food. It is normal for him/her to want a lot of water, to pace a lot, and to be disoriented for up to a couple of hours.
Clusters of seizures cause swelling in the brain and it is important to stop them. That may require giving her liquid valium rectally. That's something a veterinary neurologist can teach you to do. S/he may also need prednisone to reduce the swelling and prevent brain damage. We raced Charlie to a veterinary emergency clinic whenever he had three or more seizures in one 24 hour period. For his last cluster, they had him intravenous valium and Pheno for more than 24 hours before the seizures stopped. Clusters can also be a sign that underlying brain disease is progressing, so your veterinarian needs to know about them.
Your dog probably has some seizures when you are not around. This used to be our biggest fear about Charlie. When s/he will be alone, it is important to leave your dog in a place where it is relatively safe for him/her to have a seizure. That means keeping your dog off of stairs, which s/he could fall down during a seizure. S/he shouldn't be anywhere that there is a pool of water, since a seizing dog could easily drown. It also means keeping the dog away from tables that have anything on top that might fall on him/her if s/he bumps the table during a seizure. We removed some furniture from our family room to make it safer for Charlie. We also installed gates across doorways and at the head and foot of the stairs. If you need pointers to some, let me know.
Other animals - even trusted family pets who seem loving to the seizure dog - sometimes attack a dog that has a seizure. This is an instinctive response based in fear. If it hasn't happened in the past, that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. If you have other dogs, your seizure dog needs to be away from them when no humans will be around.
You're at the beginning of a learning curve and it takes time to absorb all that you need to know. One of the most valuable resources for learning about canine seizures is here: Canine Epilepsy and Dog Seizures Table of Contents - Canine Epilepsy Guardian Angels. This site is also good: Canine Epilepsy Network. So is this one: Links.
Please try to be gentle with yourself, as well as with your seizure dog. It is normal to feel overwhelmed by the demands of caring for a seizure dog. It is exhausting to wake up in the middle of the night because you hear the paddling of a seizure and race to your dog's side to care for him/her or rush your dog to the emergency clinic. Seizure control is a rollercoaster ride of adjusting meds, waiting for the dog's body to adjust to the dosage so that ataxia lessens, and then waiting for the effectiveness of the dosage to wane so you start again.
Finally, remember that you have to go on with the rest of your life, despite your sweet dog's seizures. This condition can take over your life and you mustn't let it. Your dog wouldn't want that and you can't sustain it for the many years that we hope you have left with your dog. I look back at our last six months with Charlie and realize that our lives were ruled by his medication schedule, which was utterly inflexible. Our social lives were restricted and our participation in many pleasures was reduced because we didn't want to leave our boy alone more than we had to. Given his age (almost 12) when his seizures began, we knew our time with Charlie was limited. If your dog is much younger, in some ways that makes the situation even harder to handle.
Please keep us posted and ask all the questions you need to. Someone in the GRF has dealt with almost any problem you're likely to face.
Remember to breathe...deep, slow breaths to calm yourself.