What Is a Dog Seizure Disorder?
Your usually happy-go-lucky pooch seems unsteady and confused. Then they flop to the floor. They begin to twitch, drool, and move their legs like they're treading water. Your dog is having a seizure. Why is this happening, and what can you do?
If your dog has seizures often, they may have a seizure disorder. Another name for that is epilepsy. Abnormal, uncontrolled bursts of electrical activity in your dog's brain cause seizures, affecting how they look and behave. Seizures in dogs can look like a twitch or uncontrollable shaking and can last from less than a minute to several minutes.
What Causes Seizures in Dogs?
Seizures in dogs are actually a symptom rather than a condition. Many things can cause them, ranging from low blood sugar to a head injury. But the most common cause is what's called idiopathic epilepsy, which means your dog has seizures for no known reason. It's not clear why some dogs get this, but heredity is thought to play a role.
Causes of seizures include:
- Eating something that's toxic to dogs, such as chocolate or antifreeze
- Liver disease
- Liver shunts (abnormal blood vessels that affect the liver)
- Low or high blood sugar
- Kidney disease
- Infectious diseases like rabies and distemper
- Anemia
- Head injury
- Encephalitis
- Strokes
- Certain drugs
- Brain cancer
Can Some Foods Trigger a Seizure in Dogs?
Certain foods and beverages that are safe for humans can lead to seizures in your dog. They include:
- Chocolate
- Caffeine
- Alcoholic beverages
- Raw bread dough
- The artificial sweetener xylitol, which is found in things like toothpaste, gummy vitamins, and sugar-free candies and gums
- Too much salt, which they can get the form of table salt, seawater, or modeling clay
What Are the Symptoms of Seizures in Dogs?
Seizures can take many different forms, ranging from mild facial tics to whole-body shaking. It may not be easy to tell when your dog is having a seizure.
Among the possible symptoms are:
- Unusual barking
- A dazed look
- Staring into space
- Twitching that can affect just a few muscles or their whole body
- Drooling
- Chomping
- Stumbling
- Falling
- Tongue chewing
- Foaming at the mouth
- Paddling motions with their legs
- Uncontrollable peeing or pooping
- Loss of consciousness
Before a seizure, some dogs may seem nervous and restless and whine, shake, or drool. Afterward, your dog may be disoriented, wobbly, or temporarily blind. They may walk in circles and bump into things. They might have a lot of drool on their chin. They may try to hide.
How long do seizures in dogs last?
Most seizures last from a few seconds to a few minutes. If your dog has a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes, get them to a vet right away.
Types of Seizures in Dogs
Veterinarians divide seizures into several types, including:
Generalized seizures. This is the most common kind, also called a grand mal seizure. It's caused by abnormal electrical activity throughout the brain. Your dog can lose consciousness and convulse. Generalized seizures usually last from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Focal seizures. With a focal seizure, the abnormal electrical activity happens in only part of the brain. Focal seizures can cause unusual movements in one limb or one side of the body. Sometimes they last only a couple of seconds. Seizures may start as focal and then become generalized.
Psychomotor seizures. This type of a seizure involves strange behavior that only lasts a couple of minutes. Your dog may suddenly start attacking an imaginary object or chasing their tail. It can be tricky to tell psychomotor seizures from odd behavior. But a dog that has them will do the same thing every time they have a seizure.
Idiopathic epilepsy in dogs. These are sometimes also called temporal lobe seizures. They usually affect dogs between 6 months and 6 years of age. Although any dog can have a seizure, idiopathic epilepsy is more common in border collies, Australian shepherds, Labrador retrievers, beagles, Belgian Tervurens, collies, and German shepherds.
Is idiopathic epilepsy in dogs dangerous?
If your dog often has epileptic seizures or has a seizure that lasts a long time, it can be dangerous. Any seizure longer than a few minutes can raise your dog's body temperature to unsafe levels. And dogs may hurt themselves during a seizure. But most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy that take anti-seizure medication can live normal lives, even if they still have occasional seizures.
What Should I Do if My Dog Has a Seizure?
First, try to stay calm. If your dog is near something that could hurt them, like a piece of furniture or the stairs, slide them away by gently pulling on a hind leg. You could also place a blanket or towel around them and use that to slide them.
Stay away from your dog's mouth and head because they could bite you. Don't put anything in their mouth. Dogs can't choke on their tongues. If you can, time it. You might also ask someone to video the seizure to show to your vet.
If the seizure lasts more than a couple of minutes, your dog is at a risk of overheating. Turn a fan on your dog and put cold water on their paws to cool them down.
Talk to your dog softly to reassure them. Avoid touching them. They may unknowingly bite. Call your vet when the seizure ends.
If dogs have a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes or have several in a row while they're unconscious, take them to a vet as soon as possible. The longer a seizure goes on, the higher a dog's body temperature can rise, and they may have problems breathing. This can raise their risk of brain damage. Your vet may give your dog IV diazepam (Valium) or a similar drug to stop the seizure.
What Should I Expect When I Take My Dog to the Vet?
After your dog has a seizure, your vet will do a thorough physical exam. They'll ask you about your dog's health, including whether your dog was injured recently or ate or drank anything unusual. They may do blood and pee tests and possibly do an EKG to look for problems with their heart, liver, kidney, blood sugar, or electrolyte levels.
In some cases, your dog may have diagnostic imaging like a CT scan or MRI to help detect brain lesions. Or the vet could take a sample of the fluid surrounding your dog's brain and spinal cord to look for any abnormalities.
If your doctor finds that a toxic substance or other medical condition caused the seizure, they'll treat your dog for that. If your dog has idiopathic epilepsy, your vet may prescribe medicines to control the seizures.
How Is Seizure in Dogs Treated?
If your dog only has seizures once in awhile and they're not serious, they may not need any treatment. Your dog may need anti-seizure medications if they:
- Have more than one seizure a month
- Have very violent seizures
- Have seizures that last 5 minutes or longer
- Are a breed prone to serious seizures, such as border collie, golden retriever, German shepherd, Irish setter, Keeshond, husky, or Saint Bernard
Once your dog starts anti-seizure drugs, they'll need to take them for the rest of their life. Stopping the medication may trigger seizures.
Medications
Among the anti-seizure drugs your vet may prescribe are:
- Levetiracetam
- Phenobarbital
- Potassium bromide (K-BroVet)
- Zonisamide (Zonegran)
Your dog may need more than one medication. It's important to follow your vet's instructions for when and how to give the medicine to your dog. Your dog may sometimes have a seizure even while taking anti-seizure drugs.
Other treatments
If certain things or situations — such as fatigue, stress, or fireworks — seem to trigger seizures in your dog, try to avoid them. Other things that may help some dogs include:
Vagal nerve stimulation. If you know the signs that a seizure is coming, this technique might help ward it off. Gently press on your dog's closed eyes for 10-20 seconds. Repeat this every 5 minutes.
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil. In early studies, dogs who were regularly given CBD oil along with their anti-seizures medications had fewer seizures than dogs with epilepsy who didn't get CBD. Butwe need more research into CBD's effectiveness and safety in dogs.
Traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. Some dogs get better control of their seizures with treatments like acupuncture (in which a practitioner inserts tiny needles in certain spots on the body) and Chinese herbal remedies. Make sure you find a trained practitioner if you want to try this type of treatment.
Prescription food. You can buy food that contains medium-chain triglycerides, thought to block one of the brain receptors involved in seizures.
Always check with your vet before using any alternative treatment on your dog.
Takeaways
Many different things can cause seizures in dogs. It's important to tell your vet any time your dog has a seizure. Frequent or long-lasting seizures can be dangerous, but treatment can help keep them under control.
Seizures in Dogs FAQs
What does a seizure look like in a dog?
Seizures look different in different dogs. Your dog might freeze and stare into space for a moment or bark repeatedly for no reason. They may drool, make paddling motions with their legs, or foam at the mouth. Or they may have full body muscle tremors and lose consciousness.
How long does it take for a dog to recover from a seizure?
Most seizures last 1-2 minutes. (Seizures that last 5 minutes or more require emergency vet treatment.)
Many dogs act confused and disoriented for up to 24 hours after having a seizure. Some may have vision problems and be thirstier than usual.
Do seizures shorten a dog's life?
Dogs who get effective treatment for idiopathic epilepsy seem to have lifespans nearly as long as those of other dogs. But they must take anti-seizure drugs for the rest of their life.
How to stop dog seizures naturally
If things like fireworks or stress trigger your dog's seizures, do your best to avoid them. If you know the signs that your dog is about to have a seizure, you may be able to prevent it with a technique called vagal nerve stimulation: Press gently on your dog's closed eyelids for 10-20 seconds, then repeat every 5 minutes.
Some dogs may have fewer seizures if they get acupuncture, use Chinese herbal remedies, or take CBD oil. But these things can't take the place of medication if your dog needs it.
How to stop seizures in dogs immediately
Your vet can prescribe diazepam (Valium) that you give your dog rectally (into their bottom) to help stop a seizure. They may also recommend a similar medication called midzolam, which you put in their nostrils to control seizures.
Without medication, you can't stop a dog's seizure on your own. The best thing to do is make sure your dog isn't anyplace they can get hurt and to stay away from their mouth so you don't get bitten.
If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, take them to a vet right away. The veterinarian can give them IV diazepam to stop the seizure.
