What To Do If Your Dog Has A Seizure

A seizure is an unexpected and unforeseen occurrence of abnormal brain function that usually involves loss of control. Your dog getting a seizure is the last thing you would want to imagine. It is scary, and you feel incapable of helping the pet. It makes you feel scared about the dog’s safety. Generally, seizures are not life-threatening, but they may indicate that some part of the brain is not functioning at its optimum. You should always get the pet examined to rule out any serious concerns.

Symptoms Of Seizures

• Running in circles
• Anxious or restless
• Eyes appear disoriented
• Fall on the floor suddenly
• Muscles become stiff
• Twitching
• Fainting or loses consciousness
• Drooling
• Sudden Biting
• Uncontrolled Urination 
• Continuous staring

The period where these symptoms erupt is called the pre-ictal phase. The seizure may result in small or full-body convulsions that may last up to a few minutes. 

Types Of Seizures

1. Grand mal seizures: These are generally full-body seizures. The common symptoms will include sudden falling, stiffness in the body, shaking, excess salivation, uncontrolled urination, growling, etc. 
2. Focal seizures: These seizures are not very serious. They involve just a part of the dog’s body and generally look like a jerk or spasm in the muscles.
3. Psychomotor seizures: These seizures involve strange behavior that may carry on for a few minutes. The dog may start staring continuously or just run around in circles for a few minutes.
4. Cluster seizures: These seizures are the scary ones. They repeat a lot of times in a day.

Why Do Dogs Have Seizures?

Seizures are not just due to some brain anomaly, and they may have several other causes. Seizures may occur anytime, irrespective of the activity your pet is involved in.

• Seizure due to allergy

If the pet is prone to environmental allergy, then seizures can be a common outcome. An allergy-free environment helps to prevent seizures. You must observe and find the trigger points and consult the vet accordingly.

• Medical Reasons

Bacterial and viral infections are also major trigger points for seizures. Antibiotic or antiviral medicine can relieve the dog to a great extent. Idiopathic epilepsy is a very common cause of seizures. It is the time when brain activity shifts from one activity to another. For example, when the pet wakes up from sleep, it is a shift in brain activity. A brain tumor may also result in seizures.