cocker spaniel mysterious behavior

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a six year old cocker spaniel & have been trying to diagnose a problem for a couple of years.  About six months will go by & then he'll have what we call "episodes" for @ 30 min- hour & every day for about a week.  Almost, if not always, its after he wakes up.
   Often times, nose to the ground, snffing, disoriented, scared to step off a couch, or step, like vertigo, and will walk up to a door he normally walks out, & won't walk through, but will try to walk to the side of it. You can alos sense he's a little scared,pacing. Help!!!  Diagnoses we've been given are epilepsy, sleep disorder, potassium deficiency?  Please help & respond, as he's a very sweet dog & this behavior is very random & hard to have an expert observe. Thanks for your time.

ANSWER: First I'd like to know what your vet actually did.  Did the same vet offer all these different diagnoses?  Were any meds tried?

At six, he's far too young to have a cognitive disorder.  And he either has epilepsy or he doesn't.  

During these episodes does he shake or tremble?  And what are you feeding him and where does he sleep?  One clue you have is that it seems to happen upon waking.  Morning or just after any nap?

If it's morning I'm wondering about a drop in blood sugar and would try a very late night snack.  I'd try feeding him in 4 meals a day and personally I'd try him on a homemade diet.

Our first cocker had some strange symptoms (tremors) that two different vets and a neurologist couldn't figure out.  Like your boy, he never did it while being examined.  I took him off commercial dog food and it stopped and never happened again.  So tell me what you're feeding him now and I'll take a look at it.
Delores

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again for your time, now to answer your questions: Vet hasn't been able to observe behavior & recently recommended trying to record, ie video.  Blood has been tested immediately after episode & came back picture perfect,normal, metabolism, etc.
       We've moved & hes had four different vets. Each giving same possibilities. Falls into epilepsy, manifesting in an unusal way. If episodes became more frequent (monthly), or more intense, then treat with meds. If not epilepsy, then have abdomen/chest x-rays  that might show spreading of growth.  Further step to take- MRI.
    For the time being, when episodes occur try to video & take special note of how the eyes behave.  They do respond to a light being directed into them  ie dialate.  He doesn't tilt his head, walk in circles, loose his balance, or loose control ie urinate, etc.    
      As for shaking/trembling, it has occured, like shivering, but not always.  He does seem to want to keep moving, like pacing.

     We feed him Iams Healthy Naturals, he sleeps indoors, in his bed & sometimes in ours.   Finally, the episodes occur from waking at any time, naps, or morning.
    Hope this helps, once again I am very grateful & appreciative of your time. Thank you also for your quick reply. Best regards-Charlie

ANSWER: I'd get him off Iams.  It's loaded with some really bad preservatives and extremely carbohydrate heavy with low quality protein.

He could also be having hypoglycemic episodes and I'm very suspicious of that since it seems to happen upon waking.  Blood glucose drops when we're asleep.  So I'd definitely try feeding him multiple times a day to see if that helps.

When he has an episode, try putting his leash on so he feels connected to you.  And the next time it happens have some honey or molasses on hand and get some into him.  Just stick your finger in the jar and get it in his mouth.  If the "sugar shot" works then you'll know.

Hypoglycemia "can" be an early indicator of epilepsy or it can just be hypoglycemia.

Now..food..go to Naturapet.com and find an Innova dealer near you.
Whoever carries Innova will carry other premium brands like
Merrick - Evanger's - Fromm - Flint River - Wellness - Eagle Pack Holistic - Solid Gold - Newman's Organic.  I'd strongly suggest using some canned and not do an all-kibble diet.

I'd also try giving him a bit of fruit at regular intervals during the day since it has natural sugar as do baby carrots.

To find out if this is in any way related to potassium levels I'd wait 'till it happens again and feed him some banana (loaded with potassium).  You say this will happen daily for a week - so I'd use one small banana over the course of a day and see what happens the next day.  If he doesn't like banana, just mix some in with his canned food.

I hope some or any of this helps your boy, Charlie.  I know how frustrating it is not to be able to find out what's wrong.
Delores

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Once again thank you, & I think we're getting closer to a "plan".    I tried the honey & had no success. Al;so, wouldn't the blood test have shown hypoglycemia & potassium defeciency?
     One final clue- @ three years ago he had another incident diagnosed as pancreatitus. We were told to switch to a low protein diet & no human food, which we followed. I can't remember if he had the current "episodes" before we switched to the low protein food.
  So, I plan to follow your suggestions, & with this additional info, my wish is that you can be more specific for his age & history, what diet would you follow. We do have access to all of the dog brands mentioned. Best regards, Charlie

Answer
Well, pancreatitis isn't so much a low protein diet as a low fat diet.
So you'd choose proteins carefully.  And I'd need to know what caused it - a garbage raid?  It can be a one shot deal.  And I'd like to know exactly what happened - how it was diagnosed - what treatment was given - and how long it lasted?

The mystery here is that these episodes happens so seldom and he can go for months with no problems.

If you're fearful about the pancreatitis, then I'd choose a chicken based formula (or turkey/fish) and stay away from beef or lamb.
But cutting his protein down too much can really affect his health.

Also..any digestive issues are helped a LOT by feeding multiple meals a day.  I think I'd choose Newman's Organics canned considering all these possibilities.  

He's only six - basically healthy - one tummy issue in all this time - so improving the quality of his diet would be good for a lot of reasons.  I really wish you could remember if he had these episodes before switching to this current food.  How's his weight?  How much exercise does he get?
Delores