WILD- Topic 34: Seizures

Seizures are one of the most frequently reported neurological conditions in dogs. The scientific term for seizure is “ictus”. A seizure may also be called a convulsion or fit and is a temporary involuntary disturbance of normal brain function that is usually accompanied by uncontrollable muscle activity. Epilepsy is used to describe repeated episodes of seizures. With epilepsy, the seizures can be single or may occur in clusters, and they can be infrequent and unpredictable or may occur at regular intervals.

There are many causes of seizures. Idiopathic epilepsy, the most common cause of seizures in the dog, is an inherited disorder, but its exact cause is unknown. Other causes include liver disease, kidney failure, brain tumors, brain trauma, or toxins. Seizures often occur at times of changing brain activity, such as during excitement or feeding, or as the dog is falling asleep or waking up. Affected dogs can appear completely normal between seizures.

Despite the dramatic and violent appearance of a seizure, seizures are not painful, although the dog may feel confusion and perhaps panic. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not swallow their tongues during a seizure. If you put your fingers or an object into its mouth, you will not help your pet and you run a high risk of being badly bitten or of injuring your dog.

The important thing is to keep the dog from falling or hurting itself by knocking objects onto itself and it is best not to touch the animal while it is having a seizure. It is helpful to time how long the seizure lasts and report that information to your veterinarian. If your dog is on the floor or ground, there is little chance of harm occurring. Veterinary medical treatment is usually begun only after a pet has had more than one seizure a month, clusters of seizures where one seizure is immediately followed by another or grand mal seizures that are severe or prolonged in duration.

A single seizure is rarely dangerous to the dog. However, if the dog has multiple seizures within a short period of time (cluster seizures), or if a seizure continues for longer than a few minutes, the body temperature begins to rise. If hyperthermia or an elevated body temperature develops secondary to a seizure, another set of problems may have to be addressed.