7 year old dal/lab-sudden seizure?

Question
I will be taking my dog to the vet tomorrow but live in a remote area and cannot find anyone to see him tonight.  My dog had bright yellow diarrhea today and oddly had some on his right flank.  In retrospect I think he may have fell into his diarrhea.  6 hours later he walked outside and started to stumble, then fell over.  I stroked him for a couple of minutes (quietly in a panic) until he was able to move again.  His gum color is pale with slow capillary refill and he is acting quite depressed, though he can walk and respond to me.  He also drank a huge amount of water after collapsing.  I'm very scared but cannot get him to a vet until morning.  What can I do in the meantime?


Answer
Hi Karen,

As scary as seizures are, there's not much you can do to help, aside from letting your dog know you're there, talking softly to him, keeping him warm, etc. after he recovers from a seizure. If your dog has another seizure before he's seen by your vet, take not of how long it lasts, how often they occur. It's important information.

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 his mouth, you will do no benefit to your dog, and will run a high risk of being bitten very badly. The important thing is to keep the dog from falling and hurting himself. As long as he is on the floor or ground, there is little chance of harm occurring. Talking and stroking your dog while he's having a seizure may confuse him, because he may feel they has to respond but can't. This will only add to his frustration. A quiet, dimly lit, well-padded area is the best place to recover, after a seizure.

A seizure may drop blood sugar levels and low blood sugar levels can cause more seizures. As soon as your dog has regained consciousness and can safely eat, feeding a small amount of vanilla ice cream (a teaspoon for small dogs; a tablespoon for medium dogs; two tablespoons for large dogs) can restore normal blood sugar levels. If you don't have ice cream, you can put about a teaspoon of honey or corn syrup on your dog's tongue, or let him lick it off a spoon.

Diet can play an important role in the management of seizure disorders. It is very important to feed a diet that is preservative-free. Preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA should be avoided as they can cause seizures. Many "supermarket" foods are loaded with chemical dyes and preservatives. Buy a high quality kibble made from "human grade" ingredients or cook for your dog, if possible. If you decide to change your dog's diet, change foods gradually, over a period of 5-7 days.

The good news is most dogs seizures can be controlled by using medication.

Best of luck!

Patti