Seizures 101

I never had a dog that had seizures before Elton. And seeing him have his seizures is heart wrenching. There is a feeling of helplessness and anguish watching your loved one experiencing a seizure. But what is a seizure anyway?

According to The Epilepsy Foundation, the simplest definition of a seizure is a sudden surge in the electrical activity of the brain. There are different types of seizures that are different intensities and durations with different physical characteristics. Seizures are a symptom of an underlying issue which could be injury, exposure to toxins, disease or an inherited issue.

Elton’s seizures are tonic-clonic, generalized seizures often called grand mal seizures. He has the textbook physical characteristics of a grand mal seizure with loss of consciousness, involuntary muscle movements, convulsions, excessive drooling, chomping of his mouth, dilated pupils, and loss of bladder control. All of his seizures so far have occurred between 5am-7am, between sleeping and waking, which is a very common timeframe for seizures.

Generalized seizures have three phases:

1. Aura-the period of time before the seizure where the dog may seem out of sorts, nervous, or seeking affection. We’ve never seen this phase with Elton, because all of his seizures have occurred in the morning when we are all asleep. 
2. Ictal-the period where there are convulsions and loss of consciousness. This phase of Elton’s seizures last about two minutes. 
3. Post-ictal-a period of continued disorientation. The convulsions end and he’s left confused, unable to stand, and obviously unsure of what’s happened for about 5 minutes. This can last in dogs for many hours. 

If your dog is having a seizure:

• Keep Calm and Stay Back-My first reaction was to get right next to Elton and try to comfort him. This was not the appropriate thing to do because animals or people that are seizuring can bite. Stay calm, talk to them, wait for them to regain consciousness. 
• Keep Your Other Pets Away-It is best to quickly and calmly move other pets to another area to keep everyone safe. Our other dog George sleeps near Elton’s crate and has not reacted to any of Elton’s seizures. But, the safest place for Elton is the crate he sleeps in at night where George cannot get too close to him. 
• The Longer the Seizure, the More Dangerous-Seizures that last longer than 5 minutes can be life threatening. If your dog is not coming out of the seizure, they need immediate veterinary attention. 

RESOURCES

The Epilepsy Foundation-What is a Seizure?

Canna-Pet-Types of Seizures in Dogs