had a seizure
by Nathalie and Toupie
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
I really hope someone can help! My little maltese (Toupie) is going to be 4 yrs old in April. Today, he had a seizure. The vet says that it happens relatively frequently in small dogs, and that I should not worry if it happens less that every two weeks. Today was a first for me. I did not see him convulse because my aunt was 'baby-sitting' him. (She has a Bichon) She was very frightened by what she saw and, in telling me also scared the daylights out of me! What do I do? I'm actually scared to go to work now in case he has another one and I'm not home!!!
DISCUSSION:
Nathalie,I can understand how upset you are. My little dog Penny has been having seizures off and on for 10 years. However, they have gotten milder and happen very rarely. She had her first seizure (that I knew of) when she was about four, like yours. It scared me nearly to death, but a few minutes later she was fine. She had another big seizure within the next few weeks. The vet did not think she needed any medication because they were not happening very frequently and he did not see anything else wrong with her. The third seizure was probably a couple YEARS later and was very mild. As far as I know she has never had a "grand mal" again. Sometimes I don't see any seizures all for years, then she will have several mild seizures within a few months. She has only had one outside my home, and that was last year, at the vet's, as she watched while Spunky was being examined. My concern about leaving her alone is mainly that she might fall off the furniture or the bay window. One day I got home and she had somehow sprained her neck while I was gone. However, she likes to leap around a lot and could have injured herself that way. I kept her off the furniture a while, but I am too indulgent and she is too spoiled. But that was the only possible seizure-related injury in ten years. So please be reassured, though it is frightening to watch, it doesn't necessarily mean anything more serious will happen in the future. I just talk to Penny calmly while it is happening and get her to lie down if see it coming on, or at least steady her. And a few minutes after it's over, Penny does not even seem to know that anything has happened. All I can suggest is keep your doggie at floor level while you are gone, and maybe also do not have him unsupervised around other dogs which might get agitated from his strange behavior. (Though Penny's "sister" and "brother" have not.) Wishing you well, Margy, Penny and Spunky.
Margy S
I'm confused, Margy. I think if my furbaby had a seizure, I would take him to the vet and try to find out why. My sister-in-law's toy poodle began to have seizures recently. She took her to the vet and found out that she had epilepsy. According to her vet, the 3 most common reasons for seizures are liver problems, diabetes, and epilepsy. Now that Katie is on medication, she is fine.
April B
I had a golden retriever that had seziures from the time he was 4 months till he died at 14 years old. I did not give him any medication because the seziures were far between, sometimes a year or more. They seemed to have a pattern usually at night or before bed, or if one of my bitches was in heat and he was very interested... They are very scary!! They usually lose their balance and can't focus or seem to hear you. I would just hold him until it passed, within 15 minutes. Please check with your vet. This is very important, there are medications that can help. There is no reason with medical attention that he can't lead a normal healthy life. Good luck
Carol McKissack
April, thanks for your response. Heavens, no, I did not mean don't go to the vet! I read Nathalie's message at night and thought it meant that the vet was on the case. In fact after Penny had her first seizure I took her to the vet as soon as I could, tests were run and no signs of other disease or toxicity were found. I just meant to be reassuring that my experience fits what I thought her vet was telling her. Even with mild epilepsy (if that is what it is) a dog can live a long and otherwise normal and healthy life and medication is not always justified. Penny's vets, including those who observed one of her petit mal seizures, told me that for her, it was not appropriate to have her on phenobarbitol because her seizures were so mild and infrequent. Again, I didn't mean to say you don't need to see the vet or that you should trust me to diagnose the problem, I just meant to be reassuring because I know how frightening it can be.
Margy S for April
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