What to do if your dog has an epileptic fit

Last week marked International Epilepsy Day and did you know, dogs can also suffer from the condition – but what exactly is it?

PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing said: “Epilepsy is a common cause of seizures starting in dogs between six months and six years old and is often inherited from a parent.

“It can be really scary to witness your pet having a seizure, especially if it’s for the first time, but it’s important not to panic and to stay calm. They usually only last for a few minutes and your dog is very unlikely to know what is happening.

“If your dog is having a seizure, follow our first aid advice and contact your vet if they’re having a seizure for more than one minute.”

• First aid for a seizure Don’t panic. Don’t go near your dog’s mouth – they may accidentally bite.
• If they are high on up a sofa or staircase, move them to a safe area.
• Turn the lights off and make the room as quiet as possible.
• Time the seizure – make a note of how long it lasts and phone your vet for advice.
• Avoid transporting your dog until the seizure has stopped (unless your vet advises otherwise).

Symptoms
Before a seizure your dog’s behaviour may change – they may become vacant or agitated.

When the seizure starts, it can range from slight muscle twitching in one part of the head or body, known as a partial seizure, to a whole body seizure. Symptoms of this include loss of consciousness, falling over, foaming at the mouth, chewing and muscle spasms.

Post-event
Once the seizure has passed, your dog will start to come round and recognise you again. Some dogs return to normal very quickly, and some take a few hours to get back to being themselves. The gap between seizures can vary from just a few minutes to many months or even years. If your dog has another seizure straightaway, this is known as a cluster seizure and means your vet should be called immediately.

Treatment options
Unfortunately, epilepsy can’t be cured but can usually be managed with medication. It’s important to note that a one-off seizure does not necessarily mean that your dog has epilepsy, there are other causes of seizures and they sometimes go unexplained.

Before starting treatment for epilepsy, your vet will want to make sure there is nothing else that could be causing your dog to have fits. They may want to run some tests.

If medication is needed, epilepsy is often treated using medicines called anticonvulsants.

Anticonvulsants stabilise the brain to reduce the chance and severity of a seizure. In many cases they are very effective and sometimes they stop seizures altogether.

Once anticonvulsants have been started they must be given every day (or as directed by your vet) – stopping anticonvulsant medicines suddenly can cause seizures to return.

Once your dog is on anticonvulsants, your vet may want to run blood tests from time-to-time to make sure that everything is okay.

 

Picture: Pixabay/mirkosajkov