How to tell if your dog is having seizures

On the surface it could look like your pet is experiencing hyperactivity or may be acting abnormally but there are specific signs to look for to tell if your dog is having a seizure. Dog seizures can also be a sign of toxin ingestion cancers organ dysfunction and more says Dr.

We may be able to increase that dose a little bit just to bring those levels up a bit without them reaching the toxic dose.

How to tell if your dog is having seizures. Understand that your dog will be very confused during the seizure. Your dog is not aware of his surroundings. Your dogs higher centers of consciousness are overridden during the seizure and his brain is flooded with random electrical stimulation stifling the conscious centers.

On the surface it could look like your pet is experiencing hyperactivity or may be acting abnormally but there are specific signs to look for to tell if your dog is having a seizure. Common symptoms of dog seizures include jerking twitching drooling foaming at the. You may notice your dog start barking during sleep and fear hes having a seizure.

To easily tell if it is a seizure or bad dream try waking your dog. If its just a dream your dog will wake but you wont be able to rouse him if hes having a seizure. If you think your dog had a seizure while he slept there may be telltale signs.

Look for urination and defecation or signs of thrashing about. They may salivate urinate and defecate. Do not be alarmed it is a natural reaction.

It may also appear that they are running or treading water during the seizure phase. Other symptoms may include jerking twitching collapsing loss of consciousness chomping tongue chewing or foaming at the mouth. If youve ever seen a dog having a seizure you were probably very alarmed.

When a dog has a seizure he usually falls down on the floor and may hold his legs stretched straight out from his body. He might also paddle his legs depending on the situation and he could run around in a panicked circle for a few minutes before falling over. Dog seizures can also be a sign of toxin ingestion cancers organ dysfunction and more says Dr.

Your vet will likely recommend a panel of blood work and maybe an MRI to find the. If your dog is having a seizure you will need to look out for these signs. The dogs head will be pulled back.

Any movements will be quite vigorous and uncontrollable. The dogs legs will seem to go stiff. It might urinate andor defecate while asleep.

The attack will last for several minutes. Always call your veterinarian or emergency veterinarian after your dog has a seizure even if your dog seems to be acting normally. Start a journal or keep a note on your.

Typically what youll see is the pet losing consciousness and paddling their legs or jerking or convulsing. It can last for a number of minutes. Definitely make an appointment with your veterinarian if you ever suspect that your dog has had a seizure.

You were right to go to your veterinarian. Dogs can fall to the side and make paddling motions with their legs. They sometimes poop or pee during the seizure.

Some dogs may look dazed seem unsteady or confused or stare off into space. Once the seizure s begin the dog will fall on its side become stiff chomp its jaw salivate profusely urinate defecate vocalize andor paddle with all four limbs. These seizure activities generally last between 30 and 90 seconds.

The first thing to know is that even though seizures can look very violent they arent painful for your dog. If your dog has one seizure lasting less than 3-4 minutes you should contact your vet and set up an appointment so that they can evaluate your dogs health and. If youre worried that your dog may have or may develop seizures there are a number of things to keep your eye on.

Its possible your dog may experience a warning period called an aura before a seizure actually occurs. During this time you may notice your dog seems scared worried or stressed out or is clinging to you. If your dog is having a seizure stay calm and do not try to prevent him from swallowing his tongue as this is a myth.

Instead try to protect him from falling or hurting himself. When he is. Cover the pet with a blanket to preserve body heat.

If the pet vomits make sure he or she does not inhale any of the vomitus into his lungs by keeping the head down. Try to videotape the episode quickly. Often times your veterinarian or veterinary specialist eg neurologist cardiologist can determine the cause by physical appearance.

If we take a blood test and the level is within the therapeutic range and a dog is still having seizures then there are a number of different things we can do. We may be able to increase that dose a little bit just to bring those levels up a bit without them reaching the toxic dose. Finding the cause of a pets seizures can be difficult and usually starts with a complete history and physical examination.

A pets history of illness includes details such as the number and duration of the seizures the appearance of the seizures and whether something seems to trigger them.