Dog Seizures: Causes, What to Do and When It's an Emergency

What it usually means

A seizure is a temporary, involuntary disruption of normal brain function. In a generalized seizure, a dog loses consciousness, collapses, stiffens, paddles the legs and may drool, pee or poop. A focal seizure involves just one part of the body or changes behavior, such as facial twitching or repeated chewing motions, and the dog may stay aware. Some focal seizures spread into generalized ones.

Seizures often come in phases. Before, a dog may seem restless, nervous, clingy or whine. The seizure itself lasts seconds to a few minutes, and generalized ones usually run one to two minutes. Afterward comes the post-ictal period, with confusion, pacing, drooling and sometimes temporary blindness. That recovery phase helps tell a seizure from fainting, where a dog gets up quickly with no confusion.

The most common cause is idiopathic epilepsy, which is diagnosed after other causes are ruled out. It shows up more often in purebred dogs, such as Beagles, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. Seizures can also come from poisons, liver or kidney disease, low blood sugar, brain tumors, head injury and infections.

Common causes

What you can do at home

During a seizure, your job is to keep your dog safe and to observe.

• Stay calm and note the time the seizure starts.
• Move furniture and objects out of the way, keep your dog away from stairs, and keep other dogs back.
• Keep your hands clear of your dog's mouth. Dogs cannot swallow their tongues, and your dog may bite without meaning to.
• Do not hold, hug, pat or stroke the head, or spray water on your dog.
• Record a video if it is safe to do so.

When it ends, stay close and speak softly. The recovery period can last minutes to hours, and a confused dog may act aggressively, so give space. Call your vet. Write down the date, the length, what you saw and what happened beforehand, and gather a list of medicines, flea and worm products, supplements and anything your dog might have eaten.

If your dog feels very hot, say so when you call, so the clinic can tell you how to cool your dog safely on the way. If poisoning is possible, call your vet or an emergency clinic. In the US you can also call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 (fees may apply). Do not try to make your dog vomit.

What happens at the vet

A first seizure always warrants an exam. Your vet will ask about your dog's age when it began, how long it lasted, whether it followed sleep, excitement or a meal, any head injury, any chance of poisons and every medication your dog takes. Your video helps a lot.

The work-up starts with an exam and blood and urine tests to check for liver, kidney, heart, electrolyte and blood sugar problems. Epilepsy is a diagnosis of exclusion, so other causes are ruled out first. If results are normal, a dog with a single seizure may simply be watched. Advanced imaging such as MRI or CT, and sometimes spinal fluid testing, are used for dogs with frequent or worsening seizures or suspected structural or inflammatory disease.

Treatment targets the cause: treating liver or kidney disease, removing a tumor where possible, or stopping toxin exposure. For epilepsy, vets generally start daily anti-seizure medication when seizures are frequent, come in clusters, last long or are severe. It is usually lifelong. The aim is fewer and milder seizures rather than always none, and regular blood tests check drug levels and side effects. Some dogs are sent home with a rescue medicine for emergencies.

Prevention

Most seizures cannot be fully prevented, but you can improve control and reduce risks. If your dog has epilepsy, the most important step is giving anti-seizure medication exactly as prescribed. Never run out, request refills early, and never stop or change it without your vet. Stopping suddenly can bring on worse seizures. Keep the medicine away from children, and ask your vet before giving any other drug, herb or supplement.

Keep a seizure log with dates, times, length and what came before. Some owners spot possible triggers, like flashing lights or particular noises, though they cannot always be avoided.

Keep poisons, human medicines and chemicals out of reach, since toxins are a known cause. Work with your vet on liver, kidney and blood sugar conditions, which can lead to seizures if they are poorly controlled.

If seizures stay under control for a long time, your vet may try lowering the dose. Never do this on your own. Regular rechecks let your vet adjust treatment as your dog's needs change.