Bit of a worry, seizures

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Janah

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Just over a year ago my lab girl aged 7 yrs had a grand mal fit, completely out of the blue. She had bloods taken and nothing abnormal found.

The vet thought it was quite a late age to start epilepsy, usually starts in younger dogs. She suggested no treatment until or if fits became frequent.

Clover had a fit back in the summer, one in November and another today.

Feeling quite down about the situation. I had another lab years ago that started fitting as a juvenile so I know how to deal with the condition.

My other lab girl, her mum, was shaking while Clover was fitting and obviously distressed.

Not a good wake up call at 5am.

Thank you for reading.
 
I feel rather useless as I don't have any experience that might help (although you obviously know how to cope) but it must be a horrible situation for you, you have my sympathy
 
Iv e only had one dog who had just three,grand mal fits in her life...her first was at 3 yrs and the next two during the following year...in her case we pinpointed it to low blood sugars and our regime was to feed more often,smaller meals.
She never had another fit but would often have the pre ictal pacing when we would smear honey into her mouth,give rescue remedy and use ocular massage to pre empt the full convulsion...it could take an hour but she avoided the full fit with this technique.she was a stressy dog,noise sensitive and quirky which IMO predisposed her to being a candidate for the seizures .
In your dogs case you have to list the possible triggers...chemicals? Garden sprays? New flea treatments? New meds? And on and on until you get some idea as to the trigger....she is a late starter to this so its not genetic...it's something in the environment that is causing this.
 
I know what you're going through- it's scary! My little JRT is only 5 so a slightly different kettle of fish. She had her first fit pretty much one year ago. She then fitted a couple of times a month for 3 months. She has been on medication (pexion) since then, and it has 90% resolved the fits (and is luckily covered with her insurance!). She has had the odd one or two which occur when she is in a stressful situation (she got bowled over by a big boisterous dog out walking a while ago which brought on a fit, and the fireworks on bonfire night did the same) but on the whole she is still a happy, healthy dog. She loves taking her meds now (as they are put in bits of meat!) and leaps out of bed as soon as she hears the bottle rattle!
We didn't have any tests done to diagnose my dog- the vet just put her straight on to pexion to see if it would help, as apparently they have very few side effects compared to previous epilepsy treatments, and would be less stressful for her than having tests done (she's a nervous dog and hates the vets!).
It is so horrible to watch them have a seizure and not be able to do anything about it, you feel so helpless. I hope the vet can sort something out for you to help control it.
 
Thank you for your replies.

Bellasophia, we have been wracking our brains to think of something different in her routine, food etc, nothing comes to mind. We have no way of anticipating the fits. She is a very laid back girl.

The fits happen in the early hours, in fact the noise of her fitting wakes me.
 
"the fits happen in the early hours...."

One suggestion is to try sending her to bed with a couple of bonio biscuits in her ,to have something in her stomach .
 
Janah said:
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Bellasophia, we have been wracking our brains to think of something different in her routine, food etc, nothing comes to mind. We have no way of anticipating the fits. She is a very laid back girl.

The fits happen in the early hours, in fact the noise of her fitting wakes me.
Click to expand...

Having thought about the problem, I've rather hit a wall! If I'm right in believing that fitting is a neurological problem, then and even though there may be a tenuous link to stomach content, it would surprise me to hear that any form of dietary need will correct what's clearly, wrong. How is she when she comes out of her fit?

As you say, 7 years of age is young, and to consider dementia would be unlikely, but one might have expected there to have been 'events' at an earlier age, were it epilepsy. The only experience that I can offer you was a retired working collie and he started having fits, and they seemed to be brought on when ever he expended energy. His fits became daily occurrences and whilst he was 'using' himself during exercise, I caught him mid-fit one day, and peacefully sent him off to heaven.

I'm probably not much help, and I understand that when we witness an animal fitting, it's distressing. Without expending vast amounts of money on research, which probably wouldn't help the dog anyway, I cannot see an answer for you, and I'm sorry but when any dog starts on the road of fitting, I suspect that there's generally only one end.

Alec.
 
Dogs can and do live long and happy lives with idiopathic epilepsy. There is medication available. A lot of dogs will have fits late at night or early hours of the morning. It seems to be when they are relaxed.
I would speak to your vet again.
 
I had a 'chocolate' lab bitch who started with epilepsy at 18 months. She was a gift from the breeder when I bought her sister, as the dam had chewed her ear - I think mum was epileptic, too although breeder said it was a difficult birth. I tried her on meducation but it altered her personality and so I stopped it again. She lived with other dogs and lived until she was 15 when she died of something completely unrelated. Do try not to worry too much about yours, so long as she can't hurt herself if she has a seizure when you are not there, she will be fine.

ETA, she tended to have them when she was due to come into season but at othe times as well. She did have them in the car, walking in the woods and on the beach as well as when she was at home. she usually knew when she wasgoing t have one and would come to tell me.
 
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The vet thinks not epilepsy as usually starts much younger. When she has had a fit she looks a bit spaced out for a few minutes but then acts completely normally, no aggression which I understand can happen. I just talk to her while she fits, don't know if she hears me but I feel i am doing something for her.

The vet said no point in scanning her brain as probably wouldn't tell us much and if a tumour was causing the fits would be come apparent in time anyway.

I am keeping note of date and circumstances of her fits so if they become more and more frequent i have info for the vet and will proceed as she thinks best.

Thank you all for your replies.
 
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