Dear Dr. John,
Last night, our three-year-old Shepherd X was in the middle of what looked like a seizure at 1:30 am. He thrashed around and was clearly disoriented. He also peed and drooled a lot. It lasted for about two minutes and then slowly things got back to normal, and we went back to sleep. This morning, at 7 a.m., the same thing happened, and he almost bit my son’s hand. We have made an appointment to see a neurologist at a local veterinary specialty center. What could be the cause of the seizure or whatever our dog went through? I.S.
Dear I.S.,
I’m glad to hear that you are taking your dog in for an evaluation so soon. Cases in which dogs have repeated seizures in a short span of time need to be seen sooner rather than later.
It is important that when a dog has a seizure to limit the ability for them to hurt themselves by clearing objects nearby, avoiding stairs, and not reaching for them since they are disoriented. It is also important to document the date, time, and length of seizure to help in diagnosing and putting together a treatment plan.
The possible causes for seizures include idiopathic epilepsy, exposure to and ingestion of toxins, brain lesions or masses, and more. In all likelihood, your dog most likely has epilepsy. It is typically first seen in dogs between 1-5 years of age and your description is very accurate of what is typically observed. The cause is often unknown, but genetics is commonly considered.
If everything checks out to be within normal parameters, they might send you home with one of the several anti-seizure medications used for dogs with epilepsy to prevent seizure recurrences. These include phenobarbital, potassium bromide, Keppra, and zonisamide. These kinds of medications are started when dogs have a few seizures monthly or when a cluster occurs within 24 hours such as what you experienced.
While a lifetime of medication and possible periodic adjustments might be needed, the good news is that your dog can live a normal life.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
