Gail Looker-Williams asked:

I have a quaternary generation 13yr old Ridgeback girl (not neutered) who has had three occasions of panic & 2 seizures lasting under ane min each time, these accept all occurred in the last 8 – 10 months. The merely common gene was that her stress levels were upwards. In that location is no history in her lines. No big change food wise etc… not had access to any chemicals etc….. since her concluding one 10 days ago we accept noticed her eyesight is non equally adept and her attention span is a little shorter….

Answer:

Hi Gail, thanks for your questions. Sudden seizures are very disturbing, although fortunately, it sounds like your dog'southward has been fairly mild and short. In that location are a wide range of possible disorders that can cause seizures, and some are more sinister than others; some are also more treatable than others. All the same, I think information technology would be a very good idea to get your canis familiaris checked out past your vet as presently as possible, in instance there is some serious underlying problem that needs to be treated.

How do I know if my dog is having a seizure?

In that location are a number of dissimilar types of seizure that dogs can suffer from, with different symptoms:

Partial Seizures (too known as "localised" or "focal seizures"). These can be quite subtle, every bit they only affect office of the dog'due south encephalon, but generally present with an altered mental state, twitching or shivering (sometimes only on one side). Occasionally, a type of partial seizure chosen a psychomotor seizure occurs, where there are no physical causes but the dog chases or reacts to imaginary objects.

Generalised Seizures are much more obvious, and are what almost people think of when they talk about a seizure or fit. There may be a short phase where the domestic dog seems frightened, stressed, dazed or confused, and sometimes they will seek reassurance – this is chosen the prodromal or aura phase. The dog will then enter the seizure land, falling down, stiffening, twitching or convulsing; frequently they drool or chomp their lips and tongue (don't try to stop them – y'all'll only get bitten!); and they unremarkably lose control of their bowels and float. Afterwards (the post-ictal phase), the dog is often subdues, disoriented and may be wobbly or weak on her legs – this usually resolves within an hour, and sometimes much less.

So what can crusade seizures?

Seizures are disorganised, uncontrolled bursts of electric activity in the encephalon. The causes are divided into extracranial (where a disease process elsewhere in the body triggers the seizure) and intracranial (where the disorder is inside the brain). Whatever the underlying cause, an increment in excitement causes increased excitability in the nerve cells in the brain, and can precipitate a seizure – which seems to be what you're seeing.

Extracranial causes of seizures include:

Metabolic diseases – anything that seriously messes with blood sugar levels, calcium levels, or any of the blood electrolytes (salts) can cause a seizure. Examples include conditions such equally diabetes, Addison's Disease (which can touch on blood sugar and electrolyte residual), hypoparathyroidism, and pancreatitis.

In some cases, tumours tin result in dramatic changes to the salts and calcium levels in the bloodstream, and cause symptoms even if the mass itself is nowhere near the encephalon – this is called a paraneoplastic syndrome.

Kidney failure – as dogs go older, their kidneys may get less efficient. Chronic renal failure can creep up on you gradually, but the symptoms are usually clear in retrospect – increased thirst and urination, bad breath, loss of appetite, lethargy, airsickness and (in the late stages) seizures.

Liver affliction (this tin crusade a status known every bit hepatic encephalopathy). This occurs when a failing liver is unable to metabolise the ammonia produced in the gut, causing ammonia toxicity, dullness, abnormal behaviour, and seizures.

Sometimes, chronic (ongoing) kidney or liver failure may non be credible from mean solar day to twenty-four hour period, merely only when another stress is added.

Certain toxins , peculiarly from fungi or moulds (e.chiliad. spoiled or thrown-away food) tin crusade seizures, as tin some synthetic chemicals (e.g. metaldehyde slug pellets). Although every bit far as you lot're aware she hasn't been exposed, information technology is always a possibility that she'southward institute something odd to lick or crumb on when out for walks or in the garden (I knew a dog once who would deliberately lick toads, which sometimes secrete a hallucinogenic chemical in their slime, and would brand herself seriously sick doing it!).

The intracranial causes (atmospheric condition within the brain) are conditions such every bit:

Encephalopathy – degenerative changes to the brain. At that place are a wide range of possible atmospheric condition; the only one that is well understood is "Erstwhile Canis familiaris Encephalitis", which occurs in dogs who, when young, recovered from infection with Canine Distemper. And then, in old age, it flares upwards. Other degenerative weather condition (such as Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome / Dog Dementia) don't usually cause seizures – simply would explain her reduced attention span, and are very mutual in dogs of her age.

Inflammatory diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis – I wouldn't expect these to cause such intermittent problems, simply they should remain on the list of possibilities until ruled out. They may be caused past infections (bacterial or with viruses such as canine distemper), parasites, or (probably more ordinarily) autoimmune disease, where the allowed arrangement attacks otherwise healthy tissues.

Harm to the blood vessels in the brain, due east.g. a pocket-size stroke or "cerebrovascular accident".

Caput trauma or an injury can also cause seizures, but usually acutely and with other obvious symptoms (e.g. concussion) equally well.

Some drugs and medicines (especially the mutual sedative acepromazine/ACP) also reduce the "seizure threshold", such that fifty-fifty a balmy trigger can fix of a total-diddled seizure.

The other big possibility, given her age, would exist a tumour – it could be a chief brain tumour, or a cancer elsewhere which has spread to the central nervous arrangement.

Sometimes, old dogs have 1 or two seizures for no known reason – this may be due to a transient "glitch" in how the brain cells communicate, which repairs itself on its own.

The most common seizure disorder in dogs is probably idiopathic epilepsy (also known as "true epilepsy"); however, I think it's unlikely this is what your dog has, as it near always manifests itself earlier 6 years of historic period.

So what do I do next?

To be honest, I would strongly advise you to take her to the vets and get her checked out. This volition hateful a total physical exam (and ask the vet to check her optics – the poor eyesight may be due to cataracts, for instance); and some blood tests.

The physical examination can pick upwardly even subtle signs of a brain lesion (due east.g. due to a tumour or stroke) as these conditions often lead to alterations in the local "cranial" reflexes.

The claret tests volition be to check her calcium, electrolytes, and for signs of liver or kidney dysfunction.

Many of these atmospheric condition can be effectively treated, once a diagnosis is fabricated, then don't think I'm recommending it as an bookish practice just to find out what'south going on – if she has a low-grade status information technology could exist dragging her downwards in means that aren't immediately apparent! And if all the tests come up back normal, at least you know yous've looked for anything serious, and not plant information technology, which is a effect in and of itself.

I wish you lot all the best with her, and hopefully it'll turn out to be nix to worry virtually!

Remember, you lot tin can reference our Dog Symptom Checker for free, if your canine friend is under the weather.

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