Puppy seizure?

[Faboosh]

Yesterday afternoon when my sweet, 5 1/2 month old Witten was 20 minutes deep into his nap, he started having what appeared to be a mild seizure. His convulsions were mellow and more like rocking than shaking and only lasted 10-15 seconds before he stood up and started gagging like he wanted to vomit. I tried to comfort him and protect him from falling on the couch, even though I don't really know what the heck to do in this event... The whole ordeal only lasted about a minute and a half and he was slightly lethargic/sleepy for a bit afterward and is now back to his sweet and happy self. (Thank god!)

He's going to his vet for a check up anyway in a few hours, but I'm looking for advice from others whose dogs have done this before. Is it somewhat normal for such a young dog to have an episode like this? How long does it usually last and what do you do to help your babies? Is this something that happens often or is it normal for a dog to have one seizure and then never again? What tests (other than liver) should I have him checked for?

For a little background, Witten came from a highly recommended and reputable breeder and my vet has considered him to be a very healthy boy thus far. There hasn't been any indication of health issues before this.

I know it's a lot of questions, but I'm only finding so much out via the internet and really would rather first-hand experiences anyway. Thanks so much for the help and advice!

[Shicks]

Oh yes very familiar with seizures. At nine weeks my little guy had one. Then in about a 2 week span 4 more. These were the kind that he stiffened up fomed at the mouth lost bladder and bowl controlled. Had a CT scan and spinal tap, bile acid test. Nothing showed up. Very confusing. The day he had his first one I had given his intercepter heart worm pill. He never had another one. To this day I swear it was because of the intercepter. I never gave him another. Changed heart worm meds. He did die at age 7 yrs of GME which is a brain disease. Better keep a close watch on your baby. Hope everything is well

[TxVicki]

Checking in on Witten to see how he did at the Vet yesterday and to see if you had any answers.

[Faboosh]

Originally Posted by Shicks

Oh yes very familiar with seizures. At nine weeks my little guy had one. Then in about a 2 week span 4 more. These were the kind that he stiffened up fomed at the mouth lost bladder and bowl controlled. Had a CT scan and spinal tap, bile acid test. Nothing showed up. Very confusing. The day he had his first one I had given his intercepter heart worm pill. He never had another one. To this day I swear it was because of the intercepter. I never gave him another. Changed heart worm meds. He did die at age 7 yrs of GME which is a brain disease. Better keep a close watch on your baby. Hope everything is well

OMGoodness, how scary, but what a relief to have figured out the cause of his seizures. It's so scary to know that the seemingly innocent things we give them to help them stay healthy, can sometimes be the very things that harm them. I'm so glad to hear he's ok now and I'll make sure to avoid Intercepter in the future!

Originally Posted by TxVicki

Checking in on Witten to see how he did at the Vet yesterday and to see if you had any answers.

Thanks for checking in Vicki! So I took Witten in yesterday and he had an exam, urinalysis & complete blood test.. Pretty much everything but the bile acid, which we plan on doing with his neuter in early/mid March. After his exam, his Vet said he appears to be very normal & healthy and he called with his lab results a few minutes ago and for the most part everything is normal. He said he had crystals in his urine, but couldn't determine whether they were there at the time of collection, or if they developed before being worked on at the lab. He said he wants to do another urinalysis with the bile acid when Witten gets neutered and said that, so far, there doesn't appear to be a culprit for his seizure.

Witten has been active and playful and his usual happy self since a few hours after his seizure, so for now all I can do is pay extra attention to him, look for any signs and pray it was a one-time fluke?

[Wylie's Mom]

Sorry for a dumb question, but you're sure he wasn't dreaming, right? I'm sure you already thought of that, but just thought I'd mention it.

How scary...hopefully if it was a seizure, it was just a one time thing. I'm really glad you're going to do bile acids, that's very smart.

[Faboosh]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Sorry for a dumb question, but you're sure he wasn't dreaming, right? I'm sure you already thought of that, but just thought I'd mention it.

How scary...hopefully if it was a seizure, it was just a one time thing. I'm really glad you're going to do bile acids, that's very smart.

It's not a dumb question at all! I really wasn't sure at first since I've never seen a seizure before. But I youtubed some videos about it and what he was doing wasn't really like what I was seeing there- youtube had videos where the dog would tense up and spasm and shake a bit. Witten was more of a rocking/swaying motion. But I researched it a bit and talked to my Vet about it and he's pretty convinced it was in fact a seizure, albeit a mild one (thankfully!)

I wondered if it was a dream until he picked up his head and started rocking with a dead look in his eyes. Then when he stood up and started trying to vomit, I was pretty much positive.

I'm definitely doing the bile acid, though I wish we could afford it right away, but the Vet doesn't see a problem in waiting a couple weeks if he is seizure free. I really want to believe his liver is fine; he came from an excellent breeder with very healthy dogs, but I know I have to be vigilant in his health. We would be completely devastated if anything happened to him.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Faboosh

It's not a dumb question at all! I really wasn't sure at first since I've never seen a seizure before. But I youtubed some videos about it and what he was doing wasn't really like what I was seeing there- youtube had videos where the dog would tense up and spasm and shake a bit. Witten was more of a rocking/swaying motion. But I researched it a bit and talked to my Vet about it and he's pretty convinced it was in fact a seizure, albeit a mild one (thankfully!)

I wondered if it was a dream until he picked up his head and started rocking with a dead look in his eyes. Then when he stood up and started trying to vomit, I was pretty much positive.

I'm definitely doing the bile acid, though I wish we could afford it right away, but the Vet doesn't see a problem in waiting a couple weeks if he is seizure free. I really want to believe his liver is fine; he came from an excellent breeder with very healthy dogs, but I know I have to be vigilant in his health. We would be completely devastated if anything happened to him.

The best breeders can end up with a liver issue in a puppy....even with the best breeding lines, all the care and planning and years of success, it is like God steps in and just lets us know He is still in charge and determines all outcomes! It is how your breeder handles this issue in your pup, that tells the tale.....you need to contact your breeder now and let her know what has happened, and what you have done so far to determine a diagnosis, and what you are planning to do with the bile acid test.....she needs to know this information for her breeding program, and trust me, if she is reputable, she WANTS to know what is going on! Be sure you contact her NOW, so you are not springing anything on her and she is totally blindsided....as well as not breeding that pair again until you get your pup diagnosed....

[Faboosh]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

The best breeders can end up with a liver issue in a puppy....even with the best breeding lines, all the care and planning and years of success, it is like God steps in and just lets us know He is still in charge and determines all outcomes! It is how your breeder handles this issue in your pup, that tells the tale.....you need to contact your breeder now and let her know what has happened, and what you have done so far to determine a diagnosis, and what you are planning to do with the bile acid test.....she needs to know this information for her breeding program, and trust me, if she is reputable, she WANTS to know what is going on! Be sure you contact her NOW, so you are not springing anything on her and she is totally blindsided....as well as not breeding that pair again until you get your pup diagnosed....

You know, thank you for letting me know your thoughts on this! I've been debating whether I should reach out to her just yet, since I don't have much to let her in on yet. But you confirmed it. Today's her birthday tho, should I wait another day or so? She's been so wonderful to work with, so I'd like to let her have her day. And it's so true that sometime's these things just happen. But It's heartbreaking to think there's something that could be affecting our little boy and we don't know yet. He's his usual vivacious self though so we're just praying and paying lots of attention to any signs.


Thank you again!