My Mom's 10 year old female Yorkie, Penny, has epilepsy. She also has a toy poodle with even more frequent and severe seizures. Our family has the seizure response protocol down pat, lol. You pretty much described one of Penny's episodes perfectly. Penny gets seizures about 2-4 times per year and is not on any regular medication for her epilepsy. I do encourage you to go to your veterinarian though and I will explain why.
In a nutshell, a seizure is a random episode when the brain fires on/off signals all over the body--throughout the nervous system. This is why the victim is not in control of their limbs. Their breathing and heart rate is also affected. If the episode does not pass in 5 minutes, the dog (or human) life is in danger. There is a medicine you can get from your veterinarian that you should keep on hand for such emergencies. Your vet should also tell you what steps to take when your dog experiences a seizure. Here is how we handle seizures:
How to Handle a Seizure:
As soon as your dog starts showing symptoms of a seizure, look at the nearest clock and note the time the symptoms began. The dog has 5 minutes to improve before you need to intervene with medicine.
Get your hands on the dog. They are conscious and aware of their situation, confused, and worried. They often try to hide under a bed or somewhere similar. You need to have your hands on the dog so that you can monitor its symptoms and respond appropriately.
Sit with the dog on the floor. They will feel (and they are) safest there. Since they do not have control of their limbs they can fall off of a raised surface like a couch or bed, and they are aware of that danger. Rest your hands on them so they feel still and secure and talk to them in a soothing voice.
The tremors should start to decrease and the dog should start to regain motor control by about 3 minutes. Hopefully by 5 minutes your dog should be "normal," but they will still look worried and just want to lay there a little longer. If by 4 minutes there has been no improvement or the symptoms have worsened, prepare to administer the medicine (which will take at least 30 seconds - 1 minute). Administer the medicine in the anus and wait. You should see an improvement within 1 minute. If the dog does not show any improvement within 2 minutes, get ready to rush your dog to your vet or emergency clinic. Call your veterinarian or emergency clinic; tell them your are coming, how much time has passed and what steps you have taken. |