Hi everyone,

It was such a long night..my dog Titan had a massive seizure last night. When he stopped seizing he was sooo confused, walking into things, wimpering. We decided to take him to the emerg hospital which was basically a waste of $60.00..all they did was check his vital signs and said they looked fine. They gave him nothing to settle him..we brought him home and just stayed nearby and tried to calm him. We took him to his regular vet this morning and they did a full check of his lab work, neuro signs and everything showed up fine except a very minimal elevation of his cholesterol. The doc didn't think that was the cause of the seizure. So now we just have to monitor him and pray he will not have another. Such a frightening experience. I was by myself when it happened. He just turned 10yrs old in december. I had the doc look at his dewclaw that was ripped out a few weeks back and she said that looked fine, no signs of infection..that was a blessing. So $190.00 later we are back where we started..watch and wait. My dh didn't want to take him in but i convinced him. Titan was do for an annual checkup in two months so i figured why not bump up the checkup and do all the labs now since this was more of an emergency. My dh agreed thankfully. He loves our dog but doesn't beleive in extreme measures for animals.
Has your dog had a seizure?

I have a chocolate lab who has seizures all the time. When I first noticed her having one, it freaked me out. I cried, took her to the vet and he basically said the same thing: nothing we can do except watch her and make sure she doesn't hurt herself when seizing. She has been having them for about 7 years now. She is confused and weak when she comes out, but in about 10 minutes back to her usual self. I hate when she has them, though, still makes me sad!

I'm sorry your dog has seizures all the time..that is so sad.
There were sooo many tears last night. We kept thinking that it was the end of the road for him..the thought crushing us.
I think had Titan settled a little sooner than he had from the seizure we wouldn't have even brought him to the hosp. last night. It was just so freaky to see him so restless, walking into things..it was like he was a different dog. He would walk up to the fireplace mirror and just stare into it..something he NEVER does. He was wimpering so much, we couldn't sooth him and that's why we took him in. We feared he would be pacing all night long and hurt himself. Thankfully he did settle more several hours later.
He's been sleeping most of the afternoon, and looks comfortable now.We just pray this isn't going to happen again soon, but we have to be realistic, he's getting up in age.
Is your dog on medication?

No, she wasn't put on meds. I asked her vet, and he himmed and hawed about we COULD put her on phenobarbital, but he doesn't really think she needs it.... So, we didn't. I did search the web though, and found things that I could do myself.... this is a good one: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/seizures_overview.htm
Give your baby kisses from me.... I LOVE my doggies, and hate to hear that one is going through a hard time.

poor baby, give Titan a big ((((((hug)))))) from me

Thanks so much for your support.(((Hugs)))

Mim..thanks for the link. It was very informative. I wish i had seen it last night. The one thing they suggested after the seizure is 'rescue remedy'..it can calm the dog. I have that here, but in the spray form. I'm gonna go get some in the drop form, just to have here in case he needs it.
We are going to stay home the next few days just to be near him and to monitor for any further seizures.

Thanks again.

We had a miniature black poodle named Ebony a long time ago. We bought him from a reputable breeder and paid a lot of money for him - no history of seizures in his bloodline that our breeder knew of.

One Sunday afternoon DH was in his office working on stuff, I was napping on the couch and our son was in his room and all if a sudden I heard this bumping thumping coming down the steps. I woke up and ran into the hallway and here was Ebony at the bottom of the steps in a seizure. We didn't have a clue what was happening and I went into hysterics and so did out little son. We called the vet on call and he told us the same thing that all of you said. By that time his seizure was over and he was back to normal - scared of course. He was about 7 years old at that time.

We took him to our regular vet and they did tests but could not determine why. We had hoped that it would not happen again but it did. It was a few months before it happened again and as the years went on the seizures came more often. It was always so upsetting as he would try and get to the utility room in the lower level as he must have somehow known that he would make a mess. As he got older and the seizures became more frequent and lasted longer he would foam at the mouth or puke and sometimes poop. The vet told us that it was better just to leave him be when this was happening and just stay by him but not pick him up. He would become as stiff as a board - it was just so sad. After it was over we would pick him up and wrap him in a blanket and hold him and he would just hang onto us for dear life.

Then one day he had a very severe, long lasting seizure during the night (he happened to be sleeping in our room that night) and this one was the one that was the beginning of the end. This one affected his brain or he had a stroke. He would walk around always towards his left almost in a circle over and over. He would go behind the couch and the furniture which he never did. He also would try and go in between the stair railings and we had to put up a barrier. I took him to the vet the day after this one happened and they did tests, etc. Told us what I already knew that his brain had been damaged. They gave us some meds to give him in hopes that it would help turn things around but it did not do any good.

We cared for him for a week and things did not get better and then he some how got behind the barrier of the railing and fell 5 feet to the landing. He wasn't hurt. Well that was it - we could not let him suffer any longer. He also had bathroom issues and was having accidents in the house and he was getting worse - kept going around in circles and walking into things.

So on a beautiful, sunny winter day we made the decision to say good-bye to our Ebony and had him put to sleep. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I can still see it all in my mind when the life went out of those beautiful dark eyes. We had Ebony cremated and his ashes are in a little metal container. I had a little metal dog tag in the shape of a bone engraved with this name, date of birth and date he died and have it glued to the top of the container.

Ebony was a beautiful, sweet, well behaved dog and so proud, but when he would have the seizures you could tell that he was embarassed by it and sad. He died when he was 11 years old. Back then there was no internet to go to and the only thing that the vet told us when these first happened is that he could be put on phenob. but if his seizures were far apart they didn't want to do that because of the side effects. We never put him on any meds.

Hugs to Titan and hopefully he lives for many more years. Thank goodness he has a wonderful caring family who will take care of him and he there for him. Bless you and Titan.

So sorry to hear about the seizures. I have a dog Chase who is 15 and also has them. He has been on phenobarbital for about 3 years now. It really has helped with the seizures. He has a spell about once every 6 weeks. We up the meds at about 5 1/2 weeks and that seems to helps and then taper off after that. I know how hard it is to see that, he wakes up confused and starving. Seems all he wants to do is eat. We have decided as long as he continues to eat and seem happy we will contiune the meds.

Seizures SHOULD be treated if they are recurring. I've had dog's with seizures and the meds pretty much take care of them. Just last month my sis' dog at 9 years old went into a seizure out of the blue. They rushed him to the vet and the vet had to actually put him under anesthia to get the seizure to stop. Since then he has been put on pheno and hasn't had one episode. The meds are very cheap. I had a dog that was on it for 7 years, until he passed.

It isn't uncommon for a dog to have one seizure and never have another (I had another dog that had 2 seizures and that was it) , that is why it's good to wait and see but DO NOT let your dog live with seizures, it will kill him over time.

I'm sorry your dog is going through this and I wish you the best. I know it's hard.

Wow, the same thing happened to my baby girl last Sunday morning (she is 4 1/2). We woke up around 6:30 (she sleeps in the bed with us) and I took her out to pee, but when I put her down to open the back door she fell over. I thought she just stumbled, so I picked her up and brought her outside, but she would walk a few steps and fall, walk a few steps and fall again.

I didnt know what was going on so I picked her up and she started to seize. I freaked out, crying and cuddling her, having no idea what to do. The seizure lasted about 15 minutes and after that she was fine. We rushed her to the vet anyway, but they couldnt find anything wrong with her.

It has been a week now and she hasnt had another seizure. I hope and pray she NEVER has another one.

I'm sad to report that Titan just had another seizure about an hour and a half ago. This one didn't seem as long or severe but still painful to see nonetheless. I was by myself with him again, but my husband was able to come home shortly there after. Titan is still pretty restless but less restless than last time. I had some of that rescue remedy spray in my purse so we put some in his mouth after the seizure. Perhaps that's helped some.
We are so torn what to do..do you wait until the seizures become more and more frequent before you make tough decisions? Or do you make those decisions now so that he doesn't have to suffer any more? This is his second seizure, last one was three days ago. We just feel horrible for him. My heart is aching..such sadness around here right now.

Oh sweetcravings,

My heart goes out to you. I hope you baby, Titan, is feeling better. Give him a big hug and kiss from me.

Below is a link to an article the vet gave me to read when I took Peanut in for her seizure. It talks about the seizure causes and treatments.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/seizure-disorders/page1.aspx

Sorry to hear about another seizure, When Chase was having his we took him to the vet and were pretty sure that we would have to make the tough decision . Our vet is a wonderful lady and would never ever let our dog suffer, she explained to us that they really dont have any memory of the espisode. We suffer more watching them and remembering what we see but they soon forget , wake up a bit out of it and tend to go on with their day. LIke I said before pheono has been a life saver for us because its able to control the seuzures.
Good luck and I am thinking of Titan

So sorry your going through this. DH's Golden Retriever had epilepsy, they placed her on the seizure medication and it was completely controlled. She passed of old age at 13, but not b/c of the epilepsy. Don't give up hope, Titan may be just fine with some medication.

Our lab had a seizure last March, it was so scary, she has Addison's disease and her hips are incredibly weak but she hasn't had a seizure since then. She has given us so many scares over the years, I can't count how many times we thought it was the end but thankfully, she keeps hanging on. It is so heartbreaking to see them get old, they so don't deserve it. I hope your dog is okay.

Hi everyone,

Thank your for your words of support and the information you've provided me thus far. ((hugs))
Titan had a quiet remainder of the day and night but we are on pins and needles around the house. Every sound, move he makes we jump. The stress is constant. His hind legs are pretty sore and he's getting up really slowly. He's had problems with arthritis in his back quarter for some time and the seizures i think have just made them more sore. We are not asking alot of him right now, just rest.
When we spoke with the doctor after his first seizure she indicated that this is likely not epilepsy since he is so old and he's had no seizures before now. She believes it is likely something secondary..ie)cancer etc..
I think my husband an i are on the same page and don't want to prolong any sufferring for our dear friend. I guess time will tell. If he continues to suffer seizures we will likely put him down.

My dog has been having them on and off for 5 years. He actually comes to me when they start and wants me to hold him. So I set down on the floor with him and hold him in my lap, petting him and talking to him. After they are over he always goes off to a quiet spot to rest, then he acts completely normal until the next one happens.

My grandson's Jack Russell has seizures. They just started out of the blue. He is on medications but still has a seizure about every 2 or 3 months. Other than that he is just fine. I know they feel so helpless when Milo is having one. Hope it all works out well for all with furry children and their medical issues.

Titan had yet another violent seizure around two hours ago..by myself again.
We have decided to call the vet in the morning to euthanize him. He is surely sufferring.
They are clearly becoming more frequent and severe. Thank you for your support during this difficult time.

I am so, so, so sorry. Hold Titan tight and give him enough kisses to last him through eternity.

R.I.P. my dear Titan 2000-2010

Thank you all for your words of comfort. It's been an incredibly painful morning. We've all been crying all night and morning. My son is absolutely crushed over it all as are we. Titan went peacefully and with dignity.

Last night he sufferred another massive seizure and then again this morning he was having mini seizures so we just knew another big one was on it's way. At this age the thought of prolonging his misery any longer with medication was something we didn't feel was fair to him. He already had bad arthritis and was slowly failing. As much as we wanted him here longer with us, it would be selfish to do so and have him suffer. The doctors agreed this was likely due to a brain tumor and not epilespy. So it would progressively get worse. We didn't want that for him.

The house is has quieted now, the tears have stopped temporarily but return often.

Thank you again for your advise, support during this incredibly difficult time.

*HUGS*

I'm so sorry for your loss, you made a very difficult and brave decision. Hugs.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

OMG - soooo sorry to hear of the loss of your dog I've been through two dogs in my lifetime and I don't think I can ever go through it again. It's so hard because dogs do NOTHING but love you faithfully and unconditionally and never do anything negative or selfish the way humans can I just love those retrievers with the "masks" on their faces - just way too cute This post brought tears to my eyes but I'm glad I read it - I never ever want to forget my dogs and all the joy and love they brought to me It's going to take a while but things will get better and you'll remember all the good times and the happiness he brought into your lives. Please don't be unhappy - for Titan's sake - remember him at his best - he'd want that.