Dog Seizures Causes and Treatment

 

Human seizures can be frightening to watch but dogs are also prone to these scary conditions. Dog seizure causes vary but as many as five percent of all canines can experience them.

Spotting a Seizure

Regardless of the dog seizure causes, the condition can be seen in similar ways in all dogs. The dog appears to be looking off into space and will not respond to stimuli then he will start trembling and will fall over. His jaws will be clenched tightly and his back legs may begin to move. Most seizures last only about a minute or less but can be scary for the owner to witness.

Dog seizures while sleeping are usually not real seizures but are simply involuntary muscle movements while the dog is deeply asleep. If you are not sure whether or not your dog is experiencing these seizures, you need to contact your vet for an evaluation.

Reasons for Seizures

In order to determine the appropriate dog seizures treatment, yet vet will want to determine what is making these seizures occur. A number of dog seizure causes are possible, including diabetes, anemia, heart problems, breathing problems, kidney or liver disease, infections, brain tumors, lead ingestion, antifreeze ingestion, bran damage, and high fevers. Causes can include other issues, too, so it is important for your vet to do a thorough check-up of your dog to identify the underlying cause.

Treating the Condition

While the vet determines the dog seizure causes or even once the cause has been identified, your dog will probably be prescribed anticonvulsant medication to prevent future seizures. Hopefully, your vet will be able to identify a treatable cause for the seizures and once that cause has been treated then the seizures will stop.

In some cases, the seizures cannot be permanently treated and can only be controlled through medication. For these dogs, a canine epilepsy diet could also be useful. You can talk to your vet about this possibility and about additional treatment options.

If your dog has a seizure, don’t panic. Take him to the vet as soon as you can so the dog seizure causes can be identified and treated. This condition can be controlled and your dog can continue to lead a happy, healthy life.