Re: beagle/terrier mix 5 year old male dog

Question
My dog is 5 years old and a beagle/terrier male mix. For a few nights now he would be lying down and all of a sudden jump up with his back arched and his back legs stiff. Ealier today he was shaking really bad like he was freezing and i held him until he fell asleep, he woke up about a half hour later and was normal. The same thing happened tonight with the back and legs, i held him for 10 minutes then he was fine and wanted to go outside to go potty. IF you would be able to help me find out what could be wrong it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You


Answer
Sorry for the delay in your answer Ashley, I was on travel.  What you are seeing is a siezure.  Some dogs have these every so often and they can be controlled safely with medication.  Call your vet immediately and inform them.  Also you might give her a teaspoon of sugar or karo syrup when the siezure begins, take to to a dark room and you can hold her if you like.  The sugar seems to bring them around a little quicker.  Be carefull she is not always aware of her surroundings during this time and may fall down stairs or even nip at you, but again not on purpose.  Good luck and don't worry dogs live long healthy lives even with siezures.  One of my customers dogs started having them at 2 years old and today is still a great dog at 12 with only 2 to 4 siezures a year.  Thanks, Cindy Lou :)