Shitzu Seizures

Question
I have a four year old shitzu who had a seizure three weeks ago.  We took him to the Pet ER and basically they gave him a shot of valium which seemed to stop it.  They gave us one more which we had to use overnight when he had another.. He had no more since then and had three tonight seperatly about one minute in length.  I was thinking that maybe the house was to warm for him is that a reason it could be?  Could there be any other suggesstions.   

His Normal Vet ran tests on him which were negative, they did not want to put him on the seizure meds because he'd have to be on it for the rest of his life.

Answer
Hi Rakesh,

First of all, if your dog requires seizure medication for the rest of his life, then you must provide that treatment.  Left untreated, seizure disorders can lead to brain damage, or death. If your dog's seizure disorder is not curable, the dog can lead a quality life once the seizures are controlled.

Secondly, it's not true that once started, a dog must remain on medication for the rest of it's life. If the medication successfully controls the seizures for a length of time (usually a year seizure free), then the dog can be slowly weaned off the medication. You must not abruptly stop seizure medication, as that can cause a massive seizure, it must be slowly decreased over a period of months, while under a doctor's supervision.

Be prepared for the possibility of needing to try more than one kind of seizure control medication, and different doses, before you find the correct level that controls your dog's seizures, and doesn't leave your dog overly sedated.

You can read more about seizure disorders in dogs here:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/seizure_disorder.html

Best of luck,
Patti