Good Monday, everyone! It’s Dot & Jerry Underfoot here. Did you nose that seizures in dogs can range in severity from barely noticeable to very severe? It’s pawsitively true. Today, we’re sharing the different types of seizures your good dog may experience & how each one can affect them.

Not every seizure includes convulsions. Dogs can experience several categories of seizures, and it’s not unusual for a dog to have more than one type.

Seizures often happen suddenly, without warning. They may last from just a few seconds to a couple of minutes. However, if your pupper is having repeated seizures close together, known as cluster seizures, or a seizure that lasts longer than about 5 minutes, it is pawsitively impawtant to seek immediate veterinary attention. Call your vet or an emergency veterinary hospital right away.

We nose how upsetting it is to see your beloved canine having a seizure, but please try to stay calm. Take a few deep breaths in & exhale slowly. Staying calm can help you think clearly and respond in the best way for your dog. Most dogs having a seizure do not hurt themselves, & not every seizure requires an emergency trip to the vet. Still, once things are calmer, be sure to call your vet & let them nose what happened.

Focal, or partial, seizures affect a specific area on one side of your dog’s brain. Your dog’s level of awareness during the seizure helps determine whether it is a simple or complex focal seizure. Many dogs remain conscious during a simple focal seizure, while awareness is often altered during a complex focal seizure.

Common signs of a simple focal seizure include:

Generalized seizures affect both sides of your good dog’s brain. Dogs experiencing this type of seizure are likely to lose consciousness & may lose bladder or bowel control. These seizures involve movement on both sides of the body & can include different types:

• Tonic: Muscle contraction or stiffening lasting seconds to minutes.
• Clonic: Involuntary, rapid, rhythmic jerking or muscle contractions.
• Tonic-clonic: A tonic phase followed immediately by a clonic phase.
• Myoclonic: Sudden, sporadic jerks or movements on both sides of the body.
• Atonic: A sudden loss of muscle tone that causes your dog to collapse.

Seizures can also occur in different patterns:

• Cluster seizures: Two or more seizures within a 24 hour period, with your dog regaining full consciousness between them. Our fursister Olivia lived with cluster seizures.
• Status epilepticus: A single seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes, or a series of seizures over a short period without full recovery between them. If your dog experiences status epilepticus, call your vet or emergency veterinary hospital immediately. A seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes can be life-threatening.

It is pawsitively common for a focal seizure to evolve into a generalized seizure. Often, the focal seizure is so short or subtle that even the most attentive human pawrents may miss it. Understanding what your dog was doing before the generalized seizure began can help your vet better determine the seizure type & possible cause. Staying calm can help humans do just that.

We nose how scary this can be. HuMom was initially frightened by Olivia’s seizures & the unknown, but once she was able to set aside her own feelings, she could focus on what was happening & how to pawceed with Olivia’s seizure protocol.

We would like to share a couple of links to our fursister & Canine Epilepsy Warrior Olivia’s free ebooks, which you may download: Book #1: Check Your Emotions and Book #2: Seizure Types.

As we pawmised, we will continue to paw on anti-seizure medication, how inflammation is an epilepsy warrior’s enemy, CBD, cannabinoids, endocannabinoids, and canines, & so much more impawtant information for furmilies living with canine epilepsy.                                                

Remember, when one member of the furmily lives with epilepsy, everyone lives with epilepsy. You are not alone. We are a wagnificent community that shares, cares, & supports you & your Canine Epilepsy Warrior.

 

 

Have a purrfect week!

Remember to be gnawsome, be kind & stay safe,

Dot & Jerry Underfoot😻 head boops 😻

Remembering Epilepsy Warrior Olivia & Epilepsy Ambassador Eddy forever🐾💜🐾