Why seizures in dogs

Lila Miller championed the field of shelter medicine and received a leadership award from a prominent animal welfare organization. Close Close. You are exploring. Most Common Causes of Seizures in Dogs. Behavior Supplements in Dogs and Cats. Birthing Puppies. Bleeding: First Aid. Blood Work is a Basic Evaluation Tool. Brushing your Dog's Teeth.

Burns: First Aid. Can't Breathe: First Aid. CBD Use in Pets. Chemical Injuries: First Aid. Choking: First Aid. Dehydration: First Aid. Dental Home Care for Dogs and Cats. De-Skunking Your Dog or Cat. Diarrhea and Vomiting: First Aid.

Difficult Birth: First Aid. Drowning or Near Drowning: First Aid. Electrocution: First Aid. Epulis Tumor in Dogs' Mouths. Esophagostomy Tube E-tube Care. Euthanasia of Companion Animals. Eye Injuries: First Aid. Fainting and Dizziness Syncope : First Aid. False Pregnancy in Dogs.

Feeding Tubes for Dogs and Cats. Fever: First Aid. Flash Glucose Monitoring in Cats and Dogs. Fleas: Know your Enemy. Fractures and Injuries: First Aid. How Does Anesthesia Work? Hyperthermia Heat Stroke : First Aid. Hypothermia: First Aid.

Impalement and Penetrating Injuries: First Aid. Intervention for Choking in an Unconscious Dog. Keeping your Pet Healthy and Happy. Low Stress Toothbrushing for Dogs. Microchipping Could Save your Pet's Life. Nebulizer Use for Dogs and Cats.

Neutering your Male Dog. Nosebleed: First Aid. Nutrition and Exercise for Growing Puppies. Obesity is Unhealthy in Dogs and Cats. Omega Three Fatty Acids for our Pets.

Oral Joint Health Supplements 2. Orthodontics for Pets. Pain Reliever Facts for Dogs and Cats. Paralysis: First Aid. Periodontal Disease in Dogs and Cats.

Periodontal Disease in Pets. Pet Insurance Fact Sheet. Pet Treats What to Look out for. Pilling Dogs and Cats. Poisoning in Dogs and Cats. Post-Operative Care for Pets. Pregnancy Termination in Dogs and Cats. Pregnant Dog Care.

Rattlesnake Bites in California. Reverse Sneezing in Dogs. Roundworms in Dogs and Puppies. Runny Eyes Epiphora in Dogs. Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligaments in Dogs. Safe Toys for Puppies. Seizures and Convulsions: First Aid.

Shar-pei Special Needs and Cautions. Shock: First Aid. Snake Bite Prevention and Treatment for Dogs. Snakebite: First Aid.

Spaying your Female Dog. Straining to Eliminate: First Aid. Sunburn: First Aid. Sunscreen for Pets. Taenia Species Tapeworms in Dogs and Cats. Tapeworms Dipylidium caninum in Dogs and Cats. Tick Paralysis in Pets. Ticks Are Arthropod Parasites for Mammals.

Toothbrushing and Dental Prophylaxis in Cats and Dogs. Transporting an Injured Pet: First Aid. Traveling with Pets. Treating your Yard for Fleas and Ticks. Vaccine Titers for Pets. Weight Loss in Dogs.

Whipworm Infection in Dogs and Cats. Wound Healing in Dogs and Cats. Wounds: First Aid. Wrapping Up First Aid. Alcohol Poisoning. Cannabis Toxicity in Dogs. Chocolate Toxicity in Dogs. Chocolate Toxicity Signs in Dogs. Common Household Items can Poison Pets. Electronic Cigarettes are Toxic to Pets. Ibuprofen Toxicity in Dogs and Cats.

Lead Poisoning in Dogs and Cats. Nicotine Poisoning in Pets. Poisonous Plants for Dogs and Cats. Rat Poison's Effect on Dogs and Cats. Safe and Toxic Garden Plant Images. Safe Gardening for Dogs and Cats. Snail Bait Poisoning in Dogs. Toxic and Non-toxic Plants.

Winter Holiday Hazards for Pets. Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs. Zinc Poisoning in Dogs and Cats. Adopting a Shelter Dog. Aggression Between Familiar Dogs.

Applying a Muzzle to an Aggressive Dog. Barking Problems in Dogs. Behavior and the Senior Dog. Bite Levels in Dogs. Body Language of Dogs. Car Ride Anxiety in Dogs and Cats. Desensitizing Your Dog to a Muzzle. Destructive Chewing by Puppies and Dogs. Dog Training: How to Use Rewards. Dog Training: Why to Use Rewards.

Dog Walking Tools. Enrichment for Senior Dogs. Fear and Fear-related Aggression in Dogs. Fear of Noises in Dogs and Cats. Feces Eating in Dogs and Cats. Fireworks Fear in Pets. Food Finicky Dogs. Halloween is a Scary Night for Pets. House Soiling Causes and Solutions in Dogs. Housetraining an Adult Dog or Rescue. Housetraining and Crate Training.

How to Stop Pulling Behavior in Dogs. Importance of Socializing Puppies and Kittens. Introducing the Dog to Your New Baby. Introducing your Dog to Other Animals. Jumping up by Dogs. Jumping Up on People by Dogs.

Leash Reactivity in Dogs. Loose Leash Walking Your Dog. Mat Training in Dogs: Setting the Mood. Nighttime Waking in Senior Dogs. Puppies and Kittens Who Bite.

Resource Guarding in Dogs. Target Training Dogs with Touch. Teaching Eye Contact to a Dog. Thunderstorm Fears in Dogs. Thunderstorm Phobia in Dogs. Walking Your Dog. Abscesses from Bite Wounds.

Aspergillosis in Cats. Asthma in Cats. Bacterial Conjunctivitis in Cats. Bartonella and Cat Scratch Fever. Bladder Stones Oxalate in Cats. Bladder Stones Struvite in Cats. Blocked Cats are an Emergency. Cardiomyopathy in Cats. Cholangitis Cholangiohepatitis in Cats. Cholangitis and Cholangiohepatitis in Cats. Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, Constipation and Megacolon in Dogs and Cats. Cutaneous Lymphoma in Cats.

Cytauxzoonosis in Cats. Demodectic Mange in Cats. Diabetic Cat Diet. Distemper Panleukopenia in Cats. Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex in Cats. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in Dogs and Cats. Feline Acne. Fur Mowing in Cats. Hairballs in Cats. Hard to Regulate Diabetic Cats. Haws Syndrome in Cats. Heartworm Infection in Cats. Hepatic Lipidosis in Cats. Hyperesthesia Syndrome in Cats. Hyperthyroidism Medication for Cats Methimazole. Hyperthyroidism Treatment Options in Cats.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Cats. Idiopathic Cystitis in Cats. Infectious Anemia in Cats. Infiltrative Bowel Disease in Cats. Injection Site Sarcoma Cancer in Cats. Refractory epilepsy — seizures that occur even during treatment with therapeutic doses of antiepileptic medication, i.

Status epilepticus — a serious condition where seizures follow closely on one another without a break, or where a single seizure lasts more than 5 minutes. Tonic seizure — a sustained increase in muscle tone i. Tonic-clonic seizure — a seizure where the tonic phase is followed by shorter, clonic jerking movements.

When observing seizures, it is important for dog owners to keep a diary of detailed information including: 1 affected body parts 2 when seizures occur 3 how often seizures occur, and 4 how long they last see attached diary template for record keeping. Veterinarians and owners should also pay close attention to how dogs behave immediately after a seizure.

Although some animals will quickly return to normal, during the postictal period, others will experience difficulties standing or moving; blindness; sedation, anxiety or other changes in behavior.

These symptoms may last for varying amounts of time, and can affect treatment choice. In some cases, seizures can result from exposure to a specific stimulus, such as an illness, exposure to a toxin, or problems with metabolism reactive seizures. Any potentially precipitating events should be brought to the attention of the attending veterinarian, as such reactive seizures are not generally treated with standard anti-epileptic drugs 4.

Reflex seizures, which are seizures that occur consistently after a particular exposure, such as to a loud noise, a flashing light, or a more complex movement or behavior, have also been reported in dogs 5. It is not always possible to identify the cause of seizures in dogs; however, canine epilepsies can generally be classified into one of three categories based on etiology.

Idiopathic epilepsy is defined as epilepsy without an identifiable structural cause and having an assumed genetic origin. Repeated seizures in year old dogs with a normal neurologic examination, where there are no known structural abnormalities of the brain, metabolic diseases, or toxin exposures, are often assumed to be a form of idiopathic epilepsy 5.

The designation of idiopathic epilepsy suggests that the exact cause of the seizures is unknown, although the condition is presumed to be inherited. However, the cause of such epilepsies can sometimes be determined, for example when seizures are the result of a specific genetic defect known to occur in certain breeds.

Structural epilepsy is the diagnosis for seizures that occur because of observable damage to or malformations of the brain. For example, structural epilepsy can occur after an inflammatory disease of the brain, growth of an intracranial tumor, or after trauma to the head. It can also be the result of congenital malformations or a vascular event, such as a stroke 5. The brain abnormalities seen with structural epilepsies can sometimes be detected using an MRI or by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.

Testing for structural epilepsy may be indicated if a dog exhibits neurologic abnormalities between seizures or if the dog falls outside the typical age range of onset for idiopathic epilepsy. Interictal changes are less common in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. Epilepsy of unknown cause is used to describe a condition in which a structural cause is suspected, but has not been identified on diagnostic evaluation. Reactive seizures, seizures which occur in response to specific stimuli such as a metabolic derangement or a toxin , are not considered to be a form of epilepsy, because they are not caused by an abnormality of the brain.

The Genetics of Canine Epilepsy. A large number of genetic mutations have been associated with epilepsy in both humans and mice. In humans, the inheritance of epilepsy is generally complex, meaning that it involves interactions of one or more genes with each other as well as potentially with environmental factors, and this is likely true of epilepsy in dogs as well. However, the extent of inbreeding within specific dog breeds has allowed the identification of certain animals that are at particularly high risk of seizure development.

No fewer than 26 dog breeds have shown at least some evidence of heritable epilepsies. Gene mutations have been identified, many of which include a group of diseases known as neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses. These are storage disorders where mutations lead to the abnormal accumulation and storage of a cellular product within cells, eventually leading to the dysfunction or death of neurons 1.

One gene for an inherited epilepsy has been identified in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. That gene, LGI2, is similar to the previously identified human epilepsy gene LGI1, and scientists believe that a number of heritable epilepsies may have similar causes in humans and canines 1. Research into potential similarities between dog and human epilepsies has also led to the identification of several candidate genes that may predict the effectiveness of anti-epileptic treatment in some breeds.

It is generally believed that epileptic seizures are caused by an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory activity in specific areas of the brain, leading to either excessive brain activity or activity that is unusually depressed. However, in the absence of structural damage or metabolic insults, the causes of such dysfunction are not clear. Further research into the specific causes of various forms of epilepsy is still needed; current understanding is incomplete.

Focal seizures are similar to grand mal seizures, but they only affect one side or region of the brain, so only one side of the dog will be affected. Occasionally a seizure that starts out as focal may develop into a grand mal. Psychomotor seizures usually don't result in a dog collapsing to the ground.

Instead, this type of seizure may cause the dog to exhibit strange behavior, like running around and biting at imaginary objects or excessively chasing her tail. When a dog suffers from psychomotor seizures, it can be difficult to determine whether she is just acting silly or is having a problem. But when a seizure does occur, she may exhibit the same odd behavior every time. Idiopathic epilepsy is a term that's used to describe seizures that have no known cause.

These types tend to happen to dogs between the ages of six months and six years. Certain breeds are more at risk for idiopathic epilepsy, including:. If your dog collapses and starts having a seizure, there are things you can do to help her safely through it.

If the seizure lasts for longer than a few minutes, then there is a risk your dog could overheat. Quickly place a fan near her to blow cool air on her and wrap a cool, damp cloth around her paws to help cool her down. If the seizure lasts for more than five minutes, take your dog to your veterinarian, or to an emergency clinic if it's after hours. When the seizure has passed, call your veterinarian and schedule an appointment for a complete physical evaluation to be performed on your dog.

Your veterinarian will do a thorough physical examination of your dog, complete with lab work to look for any potential underlying causes. If a medical problem is diagnosed, then your veterinarian may treat the problem to see if that helps improve your pet's condition.