Question-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Trish after reading tons of other questions and answers that you have so kindly answered I feel you know Poms as well as anyone.
Several years ago my wife and I lost a 6yr old Pom because of a liver shunt. We now have a 4.5 lb 4yr old and a 10lb 7yr old, both females(neither have been spayed)Never will have desire to breed either. I hope to make this as short as I can but I have more than 1 question.
Top priority now is the 7yr old. She occasionally has some type of seizure. When she has one (they vary in severity) especially the stronger ones, she will lose her ability to walk and usually her right hind leg will draw up next to her body very rigid and she will almost act as if her whole body is in a spasm or trance. The Vet told us it be epileptic, but unless it occured often don't worry. She had one today and it has been over a year since the last. But after one she is drained. Maybe partly from fright because she does not know what is happening to her. You can see the fright in her eyes.All I do is hold her and console her till it passes. Do I need to spend boo-coo dollars for futher testing (since they don't happen often)I am not made of money but I would sell everything I own including my mother, to give my pom what it takes.
2nd Question: Having a vet also in the family(that we don't use) he said it it very important that they be spayed because in this breed it can lessen many medical problems. Is that true?
3rd Question; Our little 4.5 lb Pom has a breath that could stop traffic. When we had cats she throughly enjoyed having lunch in the litter box, sorry to say, eating poop.Cats have now all passed away(over 1yr ago)And her breath can still halt the busiest freeway.Have you any ideas.
Thanks Trish I won't ask anymore of you now. But thank you for any advice.
Doug
Answer -
I do not have seizure experience but I have found some info out-
Dog seizures are due to abnormal electrical conduction within the brain, that results in a loss of consciousness (in most cases), and various physical signs that can be associated with the seizure.
Physical signs of dog seizures
Falling over to one side
Legs "paddling" or generalized trembling/twitching
Jaw "chomping"
Salivation
Urination
Defecation
Eyes "rolled back"
Vocalizing
Most dogs will seem anxious, seek out the owners prior to the actual seizure, when the above signs can be seen.
Most dog seizures usually last between 30 seconds to 2 to 3 minutes.
Then your dog will often seem disoriented, and "drunk" in appearance, sometimes behaving blind, stumbling about, poorly responsive to his/her environment. This last phase of disorientation with dog seizures can last from as little as 10 minutes to several hours.
If your dog should be unlucky enough to suffer from a seizure, place thick cushions, blanket, etc. between your dog's head and any hard furniture. Be very careful to avoid handling your dog's head directly, since this has often resulted in a biting injury to owner's hands.
With a seizure your dog will be unaware of his/her surroundings when seizuring, and may bite down very hard on your hand and not even realize it.
If dog seizures last for longer than 5 minutes they may be turning into "status epilepticus" which essentially means a constant state of seizure activity, and if the seizures are not stopped, this can lead to life threatening consequences.
This also can cause some temporary or permanent damage of the brain tissue. If a seizure climbs towards 5 minutes, get your dog to a vet immediately.
If your pet has more than one seizure in a 24- hour period, this is considered a "cluster" of dog seizures. You need to seek veterinary care once he or she has the second seizure, since this indicates a rapid succession of dog seizures and may require anticonvulsants be started to control these. A "cluster" will often precede "status pilepticus", as indicated above.
Make a record
Make sure to pay close attention to what you are witnessing. Record in notebook the following: Time the length of the seizure, and record Time the length of the "disoriented" phase that follows the seizure, and record -document exactly what signs were seen (from above list) was it associated with any events eg: exercise, eating, drinking, etc ... date and time of seizure.
By keeping a journal, it helps you to know how often your pet is suffering from dog seizures, and are these getting longer, or more violent? This information is important for you vet to help him treat the seizure(s).
The first time your dog has a seizure, your vet may take blood and x-rays to be assessed for any systemic problem that may cause the seizure, as well as, examine your pet for any abnormal neurologic or cardiac signs.
Patterns of dog seizures
Some dogs have been known to have one seizure in their lives, while others develop serious repeated dog seizures. Your pet may never seizure again, or may continue to have dog seizures. You play an important role in the diagnosis and proper treatment of your pet's seizures, by providing an accurate history, and seeking veterinary help when indicated.
And this-
Seizures consist of three components:
1) The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours.
2) The ictal phase is the seizure itself and lasts from a few seconds to about five minutes. During this period, all of the muscles of the body contract strongly. The dog usually falls on its side and seems paralyzed while shaking. The head will be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation often occur. If it is not over within five minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure.
3) During the post-ictal phase, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, and/or temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.
Is the dog in trouble during a seizure? Despite the dramatic signs of a seizure, the dog feels no pain, only bewilderment. Dogs do not swallow their tongues. If you put your fingers into its mouth, you will not help your pet and you run a high risk of being bitten very badly. The important thing is to keep the dog from falling and hurting itself. As long as it is on the floor or ground, there is little chance of harm occurring. If seizures continue for longer than a few minutes, the body temperature begins to rise. If hyperthermia develops secondary to a seizure, another set of problems may have to be addressed.
What causes seizures? There are many, many causes of seizures. Epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures in the dog. Other causes include liver disease, kidney failure, poisoning and brain tumors.
Now that the seizure is over, can anything be done to understand why it happened? When a seizure occurs, we begin by taking a thorough history concentrating on possible exposure to poisonous or hallucinogenic substances or history of head trauma. We also perform a physical examination, blood and urine tests and an electrocardiogram (EKG). These tests rule out disorders of the liver, kidneys, heart, electrolytes, and blood sugar level. A heartworm test is performed if your dog is not taking heartworm preventative monthly.
If these tests are normal and there is no exposure to poison or recent trauma, further diagnostics may be performed depending on the severity and frequency of the seizures. Occasional seizures are of less concern than when the seizures are becoming more severe and frequent. In this instance, a spinal fluid analysis may be performed. Depending on availability specialized imaging of the head with a CAT scan or MRI might be performed.
You mentioned status epilepticus. What does that mean? Status epilepticus is a serious and life threatening situation. It is characterized by a seizure that lasts more than five minutes. When it occurs, the dog's life is endangered. Unless intravenous medication is given promptly, the patient may die. If this occurs, you should seek treatment by a veterinarian immediately.
What can be done to prevent future seizures? Treatment is usually begun only after a pet has more than one seizure a month, clusters of seizures or grand mal seizures. Once anticonvulsant medication is started, it must be given for life. There is evidence that pets started on anticonvulsants and then stop have a greater risk of developing more severe and dangerous seizures. Even normal dogs may be induced to seizure if placed on anticonvulsant medication and then abruptly withdrawn from it. Your veterinarian can outline a schedule for discontinuing the medication.
Your pet may have been diagnosed with epilepsy (seizures), and been prescribed one of the many anticonvulsant drugs. Often times, these drugs are either ineffective or can produce toxic side effects. View a Merck Veterinary Manual article outlining the anticonvulsants used, and their possible side effects.
The seizures are extremely tiring for her. Her whole body just did a huge work out by tensing up like that so she will be a little wobbly from that and from the dazed effect left from the seizure.
Second ?-
YES you should have all pets spayed and nuetered for their own health protection. They can get uterine cysts or testicular cancer or many other reproductive illness' that if you can you might as well avoid.
3?-You can get dental scrapers and toothbrushes and dog paste specifically made for dogs and take care of it yourself. OR the better choice is to take your Pom in about every year or every other year and have the vet do it. They do a great job and the breath gets better. Some bad breath can be cuase by rotten teeth that are infected and need to come out. Infected teeth can turn into an infection that runs throughout the dogs body so it is a good idea to have it checked out.
Best of luck!
xxoo
-Trish
Gemini Poms
www.geminipoms.com
Trish thank you very much for your time,concern, and opinions. I would like to also ask if it is possible for sudden stress to cause anything like I have described as a seizure. This Pom has always been sensitive and knowing when something is wrong. Even when I or my wife aren't felling well, you can tell she is concerned by her actions. I mainly ask this because yesterday when she had this episode (over a year since the last one), my wife and I did have a verbal argument in her presence. Raised voices back and forth. We rarely have any cross with each other, but yesterday we did, and I know it frightened my Pom. Could this have triggered anything as I described?
Thanks Trish
AnswerSeizures that happen only once or once in a GREAT while and are triggered by stress could also be due to low blood sugar. Stress can cause hypoglycemia in a dog and can make them have seizures.
You would have to ask your vet about some of the seizures you are seeing and when they happen.
-Trish
