We are often asked what the symptoms and common causes of seizures in dogs are and what can be done to help animals suffering them. Learn everything you need to know right here in our guide to the symptoms, triggers and causes of dogs having seizures.
Dog Seizure Symptoms & Triggers
Before we look at the causes of dog seizures, let’s explore what may trigger a seizure and the symptoms your beloved pooch may display before, during and after experiencing one…
Dog Seizure Triggers
There are many different things that may trigger a seizure. These triggers are not the underlying causes of seizures but merely possible circumstances setting off the beginning of an episode. Seizures are, for example, often triggered by:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Diet (where a specific type of food or a change of diet may, for instance, trigger an episode)
- Sleep
What happens before a dog experiences a seizure can often help with the diagnosis of the underlying cause, so if dog seizures are typically quite short, Vets may ask owners to keep seizure journals noting the frequency, duration and symptoms of their pet’s seizures complete with descriptions of what the pet was doing (i.e. sleeping, eating, barking or growling at something/someone, etc.) before each episode occurred.
Seizure Symptoms
The symptoms of dog seizures can be roughly divided into “before”, “during” and “after” signs and behaviours:
“Before” – Most dogs will experience a so-called “focal onset” or aura just before they have an episode, which often involves them looking confused, dazed or frightened; stressed, anxious or as though they are trying to hide or get help from their owners. Twitching, lack of toilet control and little contractions or spasms may also be signs of an impending seizure or indeed a seizure in progress.
“During” – Often happening while pets are asleep or lying down (especially late at night or during the early hours of the morning) and usually lasting for no more than 30 to 90 seconds, seizures are not always immediately recognisable.
Unless a dog is having a massive “grand mal” seizure (the type of dog seizure that is sometimes dramatized on TV and involves dogs falling onto the side, becoming stiff and drooling heavily; soiling themselves, barking loudly or randomly moving their legs while lying down), symptoms often consist of the twitching, loss of control over bodily function or small spasms/contractions mentioned above. In some cases, seizures are localised and restricted to their facial muscles, and sometimes they may resemble sudden rhythmic, occasionally “violent” looking movements.
“After” – Following a seizure, dogs are often (and understandably) disoriented and confused. They may wander around aimlessly for a while; be constantly thirsty or hungry or display compulsive behaviour. Occasionally, a dog may even be temporarily blinded by a seizure.
Properly recovering from seizures can take dogs as long as 24 hours, but in many cases, they are “back to their usual self” by the time their owners get them to the vet’s. As there is always the chance of a potentially serious underlying cause, it is, however, imperative to make that visit and get to the root of the problem even if your pet appears to get “back to normal” quite quickly.
Common Causes of Seizures in Dogs
Seizures are not an illness of and in themselves but symptoms of numerous potential underlying causes, including:
- Brain tumours
- Cancer
- Exposure to toxins
- Genetic disorders
- Idiopathic epilepsy (an inherited condition that is often diagnosed when no other underlying cause can be identified)
- Metabolic problems
- Organ or blood problems
- Severe Anaemia
- Trauma (i.e. injuries, excessively stressful situations, etc.)
This does, however, not necessarily mean every dog experiencing seizures must have one of these problems. What causes seizures in a dog is, in fact, also partly dependent on his or her age…
Causes of Dogs Having Seizures at Different Ages
The age of a dog plays a major role both in terms of seizures’ power (i.e. “violence” and duration of symptoms) and their causes.
Pups up to 6 Months
In very young dogs (under six months old), seizures do, for example, tend to be more “violent” than those in older dogs and causes typically include:
- Congenital Problems
- Parasitical infections like, for example, Neospora, or Neosporosis
- Viral infections like, for instance, rabies (although this is thankfully quite rare in the UK)
The latter two are predominantly a problem due to puppies’ eagerness to explore and their tendency to occasionally drink or eat things they are not meant to.
The first course of action taken by vets is therefore to run full diagnostic panels to determine what a puppy with seizures may have ingested/been infected by. Should such causes be eliminated, further investigations into other potential causes (like dog epilepsy, which is, however, very rarely found in dogs within this age range) will be undertaken.
Dogs Aged 6 Month to 5 Years
Vets will suggest the same type of tests, for dogs aged 6 months to five years. In addition, they may also consider taking x-rays and testing these dogs’ blood pressure & thyroid levels.
Once other causes have been eliminated by these tests, vets may suggest idiopathic epilepsy and consequently prescribe anti-epileptic drugs, especially if a dog is a breed of known susceptibility to epilepsy, which includes Schnauzers, Collies and Cocker Spaniels; Beagles and Basset Hounds.
The only other alternative to this solution is to undertake a battery of additional and typically quite expensive tests to further look for other potential causes.
The good news is that younger dogs (and especially those under the age of two years) are highly likely to respond favourably to treatments (medication) for dog epilepsy, as well as other conditions including genetic problems and brain tumours. This, of course, stresses the importance of spotting symptoms and having such conditions diagnosed as early in a dog’s life as possible.
Dogs Older than 5 Years
In older dogs (5 years and older), seizures are sadly often due to potentially benign brain tumours causing swelling or pressing on the brain. Making seizures an even greater concern in dogs of this age range, such tumours unfortunately often offer only a poor chance of recovery, even if they are identified & surgically removed.
In such cases, owners frequently face not only the fact that their beloved pet’s life expectance is generally less than positive but may also come to the point where they must consider their furry friend’s quality of life.
This is the time when they must decide whether medication is effective enough to prolong a pet’s life in comparative comfort or whether dog euthanasia to peacefully end a life of constant pain would be a more dignified, kinder solution.
Vets2Home
Specialising in comfort & end-of-life care for pets and home pet euthanasia, we can help you make that decision and give your beloved pooch the dignified, peaceful and pain-free end he/she deserves. If you believe your dog may be reaching a point where any more treatments or medications would only prolong his/her suffering, get in touch with our caring, helpful team to discuss your options today.