Has anyone dealt with seizures in dogs?

Lilac

Lilac

Well-known Member
Location
Flyover Country
My SIL male chihuahua is 1 yr 4 mo old. At 1 yr old, he started having major seizures & was put on meds. It had been under control until a few days ago. At that time, the vet re-evaluated & updated his meds, but he isn't improving.

This animal has several strikes against him to start as 45% of this breed have seizures. The disreputable breeder, IMO, she bought him from breeds for a mutated genetic "blue" color (gray hair w/blue highlights in the sun). These are very rare & cost up to $10,000 for a pup. These breeders pass of gray dogs as "blue" which happened in this case. Blue/gray dogs are known to go blind/deaf as well. This hasn't happened yet, but I'm afraid the seizures will bring it on as well.

I've looked up all I could on the net, but I'd like to talk to someone who actually had experience with this if possible.
 

Yes. We had a dog that would get them. Itā€™s hard to watch and deal with. She was grey.
and more susceptible to seizures and blindness due to her breed. She did go blind. Luckily I was home most of the time with her and I sometimes wondered what happened to her when I wasnā€™t around, which wasnā€™t often. Then one day she had a seizure while sitting on the couch and our other dog immediately lay down over top of her until the seizure stopped. It was one of the most remarkable things Iā€™ve witnessed between canine siblings. It shows intelligence and bonding I never imagined.
 
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My Daughter has a chihuahua whose picture I've posted on here many times. She's 13 now, never had a seizure... however my DD's eldest and the first dog she owned Scruffy, a labradoodle.. had lots of seizures in his last year of life, it was heartbreaking to watch. He died from a massive seizure in my daughters' arms in the middle of the night... it was horrendous.

I wsih I could give you advice , but I can't sorry..
 
One of our rescues was Butter. Due to his seizures, we had to keep him on Phenobarbital his whole life. He's buried in our newest cemetery here in Florida. Joins our Lucy there. :cry: At our other house in Arkansas, we also have a small grave site with Jane, Katy, Toto, Meiska, Toby. :cry: Meanwhile, the other house we sold in Florida has Judy, Noopy, Elliot, Patti, and Heidi. :cry: (part of the sales agreement won't allow removal of the site). We also have one... Sandy, buried in a pet cemetery in Micanopy Fl.
There are others, but, these are all the most recent.
Butters.................

DSC00670 (2).JPG DSC03884.JPG Jane, Katy, Meiska, Toto, Toby.JPG Judy, Noopy, Elliot, Patti, Heidi.JPG
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied! It really means a lot. Out of all of the dogs my husband & I have had, none had seizures, so we are in new territory. His sister doesn't handle things well & the dog is her emotional support animal, so it's been very hard on her.

He was subdued this afternoon when we were at the house & the last seizure was late last night. He's still on the original 2x/day med (can't remember name) & they have added phenobarbitol to the mix. They also gave her some liquid meds which she is supposed to give right after a seizure. Hopefully, the new meds are kicking in.
 
The effort you put into caring for your beloved dogs is touching. Those gravesites are beautiful @squatting dog.

Our dog with seizures lived nine plus happy years. There wasnā€™t anything she missed due to her condition. She still went for long walks, still played . We got her balls that made noise and would knock on the wooden floor so sheā€™d know where we were when she retrieved it. She knew she was unconditionally loved and we knew she was still thoroughly enjoying life. We moved our furniture around so she could find her way better. The night she passed away my husband was at work. She also died in my arms. It was bittersweet.I know itā€™s the only place she wanted to be. She sure left a memorable , everlasting , impression on my heart but they all do. The pets Iā€™ve been closest to have always contacted me via my dreams to say goodbye. Itā€™s such an honour.
 
My beloved little schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix) had bad epilepsy that stopped being controlled by phenobarbital. She was having strokes caused by the seizures that would leave her increasingly temporarily blind, partly paralyzed and extremely confused.

The vet could do nothing else for her and we saw that her quality of life could not improve.

It was best for her to end her misery and go to Doggy Heaven, where sweet dogs like her live the good life.
 
I have been lucky, never had a dog that suffered from seizures. I have one that looked like a seizure but it was a heat stroke from chasing squirrels. I have always adopted rescue dogs, mixed so called mutts.

My sister preferred to get pure blood puppies. They all had health problems, aggressive behaviors as they got older. She now has 2 mutts, I guess she figured it out. They have been healthy, are perfectly fine around her pet chickens. One is aggressive toward other dogs but not people. I currently have a pure blood chow, I took in after a dear friend died. They say they are aggressive but he is the sweetest to other animals and people. My two little mutts are more likely to be a problem, to growl and bite. I have to keep the littles stashed away if there are strangers in the house.
 
Lilac said:
My SIL male chihuahua is 1 yr 4 mo old. At 1 yr old, he started having major seizures & was put on meds. It had been under control until a few days ago. At that time, the vet re-evaluated & updated his meds, but he isn't improving.

This animal has several strikes against him to start as 45% of this breed have seizures. The disreputable breeder, IMO, she bought him from breeds for a mutated genetic "blue" color (gray hair w/blue highlights in the sun). These are very rare & cost up to $10,000 for a pup. These breeders pass of gray dogs as "blue" which happened in this case. Blue/gray dogs are known to go blind/deaf as well. This hasn't happened yet, but I'm afraid the seizures will bring it on as well.

I've looked up all I could on the net, but I'd like to talk to someone who actually had experience with this if possible.
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I'm very sorry to hear that, it's very upsetting to have a dog who is suffering with seizures. After the seizure, they are very fearful, even of beloved family members. Before a seizure, they can stare on a wall or ceiling and seem to have a hallucination, then the seizure quickly comes.

I had a female Standard Schnauzer years ago who developed Idiopathic Epilepsy around the age of 5. She went from being a normal dog with a mild hip dysplasia problem, to having very severe cluster seizures, one after the other, maybe 3 or 4 in a row. She was exhausted and was put on medications which helped very little, and as time when on the doses had to be increased repeatedly, she was also put on valium along with the other medication due to the grand mal seizures. She was on Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide, along with valium when needed.

She eventually became like a zombie, heavily sedated. There were times on certain days that she was her old self, but unfortunately those times did not last long. Since she had the hip dysplasia, she cried out after a seizure when she stood up and tried to fearfully walk away. Eventually her quality of life was so poor, and she was suffering so much, that we had to euthanize her. My heart ached watching her during this time, and I miss my sweet girl terribly, at least she is resting peacefully now.

I wish the best for your sister in law's dog, not every case is the same of course, maybe he can be helped and live a fairly normal life. I'm sure she is loving and caring, that's always a plus in helping these little ones get through these conditions. Good luck to her.....hugs.
 
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Our dachshund/yorkie has seizures. They were worse years ago until we found out what triggered them.
If she gets overheated or doesnā€™t drink enough water will cause them.
So we make sure she doesnā€™t stay outside in the summer very long
and we use a syringe of water in her mouth
when we think she hasnā€™t enough water.
We also have several water bowls around the house for her.

But the most noticeable tigger was the red dye in dog treats.
We have eliminated all treats with any type of dye.
Itā€™s going on 2 months now and she has not had a seizure.

She also has stomach issues so we eliminated the dog foods with meat-by-products.

She is the sweetest dog ever. Her and her sister are my babies šŸ˜Š

Hope this information helps. I know not all dogs with seizures are the same.
šŸ’•
 
Hopeful1 said:
Our dachshund/yorkie has seizures. They were worse years ago until we found out what triggered them.
If she gets overheated or doesnā€™t drink enough water will cause them.
So we make sure she doesnā€™t stay outside in the summer very long
and we use a syringe of water in her mouth
when we think she hasnā€™t enough water.
We also have several water bowls around the house for her.

But the most noticeable tigger was the red dye in dog treats.
We have eliminated all treats with any type of dye.
Itā€™s going on 2 months now and she has not had a seizure.

She also has stomach issues so we eliminated the dog foods with meat-by-products.

She is the sweetest dog ever. Her and her sister are my babies šŸ˜Š

Hope this information helps. I know not all dogs with seizures are the same.
šŸ’•
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Both my husband & I read about "Blue" Chihuahuas before she got him & was worried about what we read & tried to inform her. Her previous tan Chihuahua didn't have seizures, but had the bad knees, was very overweight with a bad attitude & bit. Food & water was left down 24/7 which allowed for fat & happy mice running amok in her Mom's house.

In the new house, we said this wasn't going to happen. Since chihuahua websites said, due to their metabolism, feed same time 2X/day he was going to follow this plan & this was prior to seizures. Her brother told her put food down for 15 minutes & take it up if he doesn't eat it. Next feeding time, put it down & when he is hungry he will eat.

SIL said dog didn't want to eat at those times. Hubby proved her wrong when he mixed wet food w/kibble & he chowed down at those times without hesitation. I think now, especially with seizures, his food needs to be spread out to 3 feedings to keep his metabolism level.

I am so glad @Hopeful1, that you mentioned the food dye. I never thought about that. I'll mention it to hubby since she buys all kinds of treats & toys to chew on. She has a bad habit allowing him to chew on everything & anything. Last week, she let him chew on an old dyed leather belt. I told her to stop because the dye is poison which he is going to eat along with the leather pieces.

I'm love my animals & try my best to treat them the way they should be. We feed 2X/day with unlimited water. The dogs only get real bones to chew on & the kongs are for training only.
 
I have a Beagle, Mr. Blu that gets an occasional seizure. I sometimes think it was a combo of heart worm and flea and tick medication his Vet gave him at the same time when he was 1 year old. It was just too much (he was also mistreated his first year before I got him from a shelter).
I researched the meds and found reviews saying the same thing about meds...but I think they may have improved some by now.

Here's what I do when it happens. Be careful as some dogs may bite you when they are disoriented. My dog doesn't. My Beagle is now 6 and still has an occasional seizure, so I tuck in a warm blanket over him on the couch and apply pressure either laying on him slightly or laying my hands on him or both...and putting my hand over his eyes with slight pressure to keep the light out and feel secure.

I whisper softly close to his ear that "It's okay, you'll be okay" and repeat...he knows what this means and it gives him comfort. I talk to him softly and sometimes sing softly. There's one song in particular that he loves..."I'm Mr. Blue" which I change the words to include many "I love you's" and many "Mr. Blues". I do this until he stops trembling. It's not long before he's okay.

Be careful of canned dog foods. I now feed mine Quinoa with pureed broccoli, asparagus, or spinach, and real chicken or beef...room temperature or warm.
 
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Ruthanne said:
My mother had a lot of dogs. I know at least one of them had seizures. She was on medication for it. Her name was Cookie and she was the sweetest little dog.. She was a Cairne Terrier.
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Our most special dog was a Cairne, he was my husbands chemo dog. I miss him still to this day!! If I ever find one for adoption again it will be a well loved pet.
 
I will say I am/was blessed with all my dogs. None had never had a bad health problem until my sweet Oz started to bleed internally. They did surgery, removed his spleen, then days later the bleeding continued. The vet never figured out what happened. I think that he got hold of some animal in the back yard that had ingested poison. Well meaning people may put out poison for pest control but they don't know that it puts every pet in the area in danger. Please be very careful, walk your yard, make sure nothing is out there, any dead animals can bring death to your doorstep. Talk to your neighbors, warn them of the danger of using poison for pest control.
 
Blessed said:
I will say I am/was blessed with all my dogs. None had never had a bad health problem until my sweet Oz started to bleed internally. They did surgery, removed his spleen, then days later the bleeding continued. The vet never figured out what happened. I think that he got hold of some animal in the back yard that had ingested poison. Well meaning people may put out poison for pest control but they don't know that it puts every pet in the area in danger. Please be very careful, walk your yard, make sure nothing is out there, any dead animals can bring death to your doorstep. Talk to your neighbors, warn them of the danger of using poison for pest control.
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You bet. We lost one fur baby to the Cane Toad, commonly known as the Bufo Toad. It is an invasive, nonnative species and extremely poisonous. The Cane Toad, are more prevalent in the summer in Florida and can be deadly to your dog. :cry:

dog killer.jpeg
 
squatting dog, your pet cemeteries are awesome. Such a great tribute. I have my dogs cremated and they are all with me. When I die they will be mixed with my ashes and buried with me.
 
Our dog would have seizures during thunderstorms so she wasn't on meds full time. Is there something triggering your dog's seizures?
 
@Happy Heart, the vet told my sister-in-law to continue the food he has been on & are satisfied that it isn't that. However, she does give him everything in sight to chew on, i.e. stuffed furry toys, chew sticks of various colors, cardboard boxes, dyed leather, etc.

Hubby is working to convince her he should only have real bones to chew on & not the other crud he gets. I spoke to him about the materials, dyes & glues that could be affecting him with her choice of toys.

We hadn't had any storms to upset him at the time his seizures became worse. The one time I seen a thunderstorm go through when I was there & he ignored it. Loud noises don't seem to bother him.

He's really started to put on weight & is getting fat. He went from not wanting to eat (per her) to pawing at the food bowl & she said she has to give food to him to get him to stop. SIL said the phenobarbital that was added to his meds is causing appetite increase.

Hubby is going to vet with her next week to discuss the meds, obesity & toy choice. He will let them know what exactly is going on.
 
Sad update on the Chihuahua. On my March 14th post about his meds, the vet had updated everything. His followup at the beginning of April went OK & he hadn't had any seizures between those two visits.

In the last week of May, he began having seizures. Each lasted longer than before & their frequency was closer. The vet was honest & said nothing further could be done because they couldn't increase his daily pills anymore. The liquid med that would be been given to him after a seizure was loosing its effect as well & it was also at the max dosage. She held out for another week, but finally was forced to put him down.

After all of the kind responses from everyone, I wanted to let you know what was going on. I also want to thank everyone again for their posts. It was, and is still appreciated.
 
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