Possible cause of seizures?

[Rost]

Last night my dog had two episodes. She got really shaky, lost all balence (almost like she was drunk), and locked up like she was paralyzed. Two minutes later, she seemed to be just fine. I called the vet and she said it sounded like seizures. I am taking the dog in at 9:30 this morning, but can anyone give me an idea of what the heck could be wrong?

She is only 4 years old and has been a healthy dog so far..

[LABS4ME]

A lot of gun dog lines have epilepsy in them. Generally the seizures are mild and can be controlled with a daily dose of a seizure med. usually phenobarb. or a dirivetive. Once under contol, they will generally lead a normal life. If they have epilepsy, it's just a matter of time till it manifests itself. There are many hundreds of reasons why an episode comes on. It all depends on which part of the brain is involved. The meds can and do generally stop the 'cross firing' of the brain signals so the seizure never starts up.

We have a son with VERY severe epilepsy and I can say this... don't let it freak you out too much. 95% of the time it is controllable and once it is, your dog will be the same dog you always knew.

Good Luck!

Ken

[rundrave]

hey cory let me know what you find out. I have a friend in Brookings that is having the same issue with their Lab.

send me an email if you want.

good luck, to you and Marli

[Rost]

Thanks Guys!

I just got back from the Vet and he confirmed that they were indeed seizures after I explained how she acted. I was surprised to find out that this is common among some breeds. He said not to worry as a seizure is usually harder on the owner than it is for the dog.

Here is a blurb from th intenet I found on Epilepsy..

Most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy suffer their first seizure between the ages of one and five years of age. A genetic basis for idiopathic epilepsy is strongly suspected in several breeds including the Beagle, Belgian Tervuren, Keeshond, Dachshund, British Alsatian, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever and Collie. Idiopathic canine epilepsy may have an inherited basis in other breeds also.

It sure was freaky, but I am glad I now know what it is!

[caseynewberg]

Be careful my cousins dog was only five and had one seizure bounced up and hit the table and died. It was so horrible... I miss that dog, and my cuz was devastated it was winter so he built a coffin and waited for the frost to get outta the ground... now he's buried on island 36 on lake vermilion.

[Dotch]

Timely thread. Our border collie Gus has had seizures over the past 15 months. He was diagnosed last January with epilepsy. He hadn't had a seizure for about 6 months until last week and it was a doozy. Debating about whether to start him on treatment but don't want to turn him into a lethargic version of himself. If they show any sign of increasing in severity or frequency, my hand may be forced. This is a pretty good website on the subject, no product sales pitches, just straight talk. If it's out of line, feel free to delete it. I feel for anyone who has a dog who has experienced this. Feel pretty helpless when it happens.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html

[LABS4ME]

Dotch, don't worry about a major change in behavior.

They generally start them on a very low dose and increase the amount accordingly to gain control. Many dogs (and people) gain control with the lightest dose possible. Even if higher doses are needed, the body builds up a tolerance to the drug and in short order you will not notice a big difference.

As I posted before, We have a son who has severe epilepsy and literally has been on each and every seizure med that's been developed and even a couple experimental studies. Fear not! Most will cause a negligble change in your dog at most....

Good Luck!

Ken

[Dotch]

Thanks Ken. That's sorta what I'm thinking after reading up on it too. The vet who made the diagnosis was lukewarm on the idea and the one today when they got shots, heartworm check, etc., was more along the lines of what you said. One more like the last one and it needs to happen. Gus can be a stinker about taking meds, but he's everybody's buddy, a little odd for a border collie, and don't want to lose that. Thanks again.

[WalleyePaul]

Thanks for the wealth of information on this! One of my friends has a golden retriever who has had a couple of seizures. He didn't know that there is medication for this, if it is a form of epilepsy and not tumor-related. Any idea on the approximate cost for medication?

Thanks for the help!

[LABS4ME]

very inexpensive! You don't even need to go to Canada!!! hehehe

Good Luck!

Ken

[RiverRunner]

Rost

The latest issue of Gun Dog has a story of a Lab that had seizures. They were able to treat it with Medicine, might want to take a look.

[woody1975]

My Lab has been having siezures for a few years now. The first time she had one, it was the scariest thing I have seen in a long time. She was trying to run, but kept falling over. I finally got a hold of her in our garage and just held her and covered her head so she didn't smack it on the concrete. The seizure only lasted about 2 to 3 mins, and 10 mins later she was just fine. The VET said (as it was said above) that it is harder on you than it is on the dog. My only advice is to hold your dog down when they do have a seizure, to prevent an injury during the seizure.

[dakotakid31]

about 26 bucks a month. i have to give it to my lab twice a day. phenobarb(sp?)

[anyfishwilldo]

I have had 2 Britts, and each one of them had ~1-2 seizures a year. 10 years on the first and 6 on the second. I have been told and have read that it is common with Britts.