Mac

Question
My yellow lab gets seizures once in a while.Should I worry about this. Can I prevent these from happening? They happen about once a month or every other month. Sometimes, even more frequently.

Answer
Ryan,

This is a question for a veterinarian. Seizures may be idiopathic - meaning they happen for no reason at all, or there may be an underlying cause. A veterinarian will want to run bloodwork and evaluate your dog to ensure that nothing physiological is causing this. One of my dogs has idiopathic epilepsy, he experiences seizures about as often as yours does - but I am able to pinpoint that these episodes take place when he gets too excited (sees a UPS truck coming up the driveway or something.), so I am able to take steps to try and minimize his exposure to situations that might provoke them. Some dogs with idiopathic epilepsy take medication to prevent seizures, but all medications carry some risks (wearing down the liver and kidneys, etc), so in cases where the seizures are this infrequent, they usually aren't used. IF the epilepsy is idiopathic - you can find comfort in knowing that the seizures are not dangerous to your dog at all as long as they don't go on for any longer than 3 or 4 minutes. My suggestion to you right now though, as I said, is to have him evaluated by a veterinarian. You need to be sure he is otherwise healthy. Depending on what they find or don't find, they'll be able to counsel you from there on how to handle this. They will also be able to explain to you what to watch for when your dog has a seizure, as seizures that last too long can cause brain damage.

Good luck!

Ashley