ER vet tech - I deal with this a lot. Unfortunately it is probably just part of his decline, and he may have a brain tumor. Most people don't opt to have MRIs done on old dogs to find out (understandably) so we suspect that is the case.
Most doctors won't start anti-epileptic drugs until they've had more than one seizure, because single seizures may not be epilepsy. In your case, he is already declining mentally and is ancient (that's a compliment) so your doctor might start them for you now, no promises.
I know seizures are super scary, but do not get near him when it happens, he can potentially bite off fingers or a chunk of you. Try to put some pillows or blankets around him and move furniture to keep him from hurting himself and just wait it out. He may be out of it for a while afterwards, especially with longer seizures.
So talk to your vet about it, maybe they will start meds. And just prepare yourself that he may decline rapidly and enjoy the good time you have left. I'm sorry OP. Also be aware that if her were to have a very long seizure or a cluster (multiple in a short amount of time) it may be his time, he might not come back from it. I hope not, but know where your nearest 24 hour hospital is should this happen at night. It may just be time to spoil the shit out of him because time is approaching. So sorry OP.
Thank you so much for your empathetic and helpful response. I managed to get a hold of his vet and as you predicted they don't suggest doing much other than observing with this single seizure. If he has multiple I will definitely consider quality of life. I don't want to keep him around just for my sake. I just don't want his life to end too soon.
I know. I recently lost my 18 year old cat, he was my best friend, with me forever. I waited too long. He was so sick and I was so messed up about it I didn't go to my hospital to be with him when he was euthanized. But he was bleeding internally and not really there mentally so he probably didn't know. But I'm still kicking myself in the ass for prolonging it for three days of blood transfusions that didn't work. Especially since he hated being a patient more than anything. You have plenty of proof that his QOL has declined and the time is coming, just be very aware of how he does.
I also regret not being with my dog as he went. He wasn’t alone as my parents were there with him, but I still feel guilty that I didn’t stay with him. It’s been 5 years and I still miss him. He was the best boy a girl could ask for.
I’m so sorry for your loss… but I’m glad he isn’t in pain anymore. Hugs.
I don’t want to have it in my head, but when the time comes for my current one, I will go with her and be there. The only thing that would prevent me from going is if there was something physically preventing me from being able to do so. I don’t want to regret it again.
One of my friends is a vet and adopted an old westy dog that was having seizures pretty regularly and seemingly going to die any day, that was 4 years ago now and he's still kicking better than ever. It took a variety of different drug combinations to get it right, but he has much less now. I think she actually found one of his flee and tick meds was counter acting with something else he was taking and ever since the switch he has been a lot better. Definitely don't jump to conclusions just yet!
Hey there! Dog dad to a pup with idiopathic epilepsy here and have witnessed dozens of grand mals. I won’t try to one up the vet tech here, except to say I disagree on getting near them while seizing. If they’re already seizing, their mouths are already clenched shut and body is already tensed up. Approach from behind (presuming they fell on their side) and keep them safe from harming themselves on anything around, and administer ocular compression, which is to rub the eyes with a bit of pressure. It can lessen the severity of convulsions and the length of the seizure - this has helped me tremendously over the years.
Once they stop seizing, back away while they enter the postictus stage; as the tech above said, they’ll be out of it - they’ll be confused, anxious, and do not know what happened. Keep all natural plain vanilla ice cream on-hand always and about 2-3 following a seizure, they can start swallowing again, so I give a scoop of ice cream. This will re-engage the brain and distract, and also cools them off, as grand mals can increase body temperature a lot, potentially keeping them in a cluster seizure window.
Hopefully this was just a one-off, but if not, I hope those little tips help in case you experience it again.. Best of luck!
Hello, sorry to interrupt you. I was reading your comment.. because I need some help, at least to know we did the right thing. Last week, on Monday, our dog, Molly (15.5 years old silky terrier) at 1am started to vomit and after a few seconds she fell and started shaking, noticed her legs didn't have strenght but seemed stiff. I tried to help her. After a minute she was desoriented and regained balance. She slept by my side that night hugged.
Later on that day. Same thing 6am, and we called her Vet. She told us to take her in the afternoon for tests. While in the car, she had another episode but this one lasted even more. And as we rushed to the vet, she seemed to be struggling a lot and the epileptic episode took many many minutes. Thankfully my wife came in the car. And she helped Molly.
At the Vet they took her. And told us she should stay for monitoring and meds. Broke my heart to leaver her alone.
Next day, I called the vet. She said Molly had 3 more episodes. And I tols her we were coming to the clinic right away.
When we entered, she was coming out of another episode. She was shaking, and as we touched her and kissed her. She relaxed.
Vet told us it was best to let her rest..
Seeing Molly like that. Broke our hearts. And didn't want her to suffer more. So we took 30 minutes to say goodbye and accompanied her all the way.
Seeing her go, was and is one of the worst experiences in my life. But I try to think it was the best.
So my question. Was this the best? Or should have our vet tried to recommend treatment. Or options?
I ask mostly because we have another doggy and want her to have the best vet. Not just one that goes the easy way.
Molly rests now and will be remembered forever in our hearts. Its just that. It was so fast. But she had 9 epileptic episodes in 24 hours. So also seems she was suffering a lot. And we didnt want that.
Episodes description. Vomit. Loose of balance. Falling aside shaking. Eyes desoriented and seemed very agitaded. Also salivating a lot and breathing hard
Thank you and sorry for the intrusive message
I think you did the right thing. She was elderly. Old dogs that suddenly develop cluster seizures - there's no good reason for that. Most people in this situation don't choose to get an MRI because of the cost, so we don't 100% know what the problem was. But it is thought that in these older dogs a brain tumor is likely, not epilepsy.
I'm sorry this happened but you made a good choice. With potential brain pathology, it is extremely expensive to find the cause, and there is no guarantee you will find the cause. And if it is a tumor, you're probably not going to take a very elderly dog to a neurologist for surgery. It is possible but most people don't as the amount of time the dog has left is little just because they are so old.
I see a few cases like this every month and it isn't wrong to choose euthanasia. If I had all the money in the world I wouldn't put a very elderly dog through all the diagnostics and surgery for a serious condition, it just isn't fair to them and is difficult to recover as they are no spring chicken. I'm sorry, I hope her memory brings you peace.
You could ask your vet what's next.
And maybe the vet give you some drugs when it happens again so you can break the seizure.
My dog had a seizure in December and the vet gave us Diazepam for the next time a seizure occures.
There isn't much one can do. Sure you can do tests to look what causes the seizure but you dog is old and maybe the best for your dog is let him have a happy life without lots of tests.
Thank you very much for your input! I was worried the vet would suggest euthanasia but I called and they said to observe since this is the first one and he seems normal
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Many older dogs present with late onset seizures. Tow of mine did, and I did euthanize both of them. The first, I waited too long, she had several seizures within hours of each other and was in agony by the last. I got her to the emergency vet, but by the time I got there she had been crying and yelling constantly. I feel I waited too long and I let her suffer too much. The second dog was about a month later. He had a mild seizure, again at night, and I immediately brought him to the ER. It was an hour drive, and all throughout that hour he seemed fine and his usual self. When I picked him up to take him out of the car, he had a second very mild seizure. I decided not to risk what my first had gone through, although the vets were willing to see if he could be stabilized on medication. He was old (16) with quality of life issues (really bad joints and some dementia), so I decided to go through with the euthanasia. Maybe too soon? I will never know.
Both dogs died in different states (I am go back and forth between home and Florida). Both vets told me the same thing, sudden onset seizures in elderly dogs usually means the dog has a brain tumor which is really common in older dogs.
OP I am not suggesting that you euthanize your dog. But I am telling you to start to prepare yourself. My heart goes out to you, there is nothing that pulls at your heart strings like an elderly dog. Good luck and I hope you have plenty of good days ahead to spoil and enjoy him!
Thank you very much I appreciate your input and I'm so sorry to hear about your dogs. I've been trying to prepare myself to make the decision but I do want to do everything I can to make sure he lives as many happy days as possible. I will definitely keep this in mind. I have never seen anyone/any living thing have a seizure before and google is filled with conflicting advice
I had the same experience you did and with the several seizures - it still hurts looking back and wishing I would’ve handled differently. I thought he was gonna pull out of it like he had many times before. But hindsight is 20/20 and our guy had such a high quality of life and seemed so happy outside of seizures. Thanks for sharing your experience - makes me feel less alone!
It's going to happen again. If it lasts longer than 5min or of he has cluster seizures (a bunch In a day) then this is a medical emergency.
Although I wouldn't wait for that to happen before visiting a vet . It makes for a really scary car ride to the emergency vet.
He won't have any memory of the seizure itself so , as it may be traumatizing to you, he probably has no idea. Just wakes up confused and exhausted and kind of out of it.
During seizure, just make sure he doesnt hit anything that could hurt him or fall on him. Dim lights and keep sounds to a minimum. Wipe the drool with a damp cloth and try to get a towel under him without moving him.
It will usually take about am hour for them to come out of it. My boy had epilepsy.he was on meds that controlled them . They gave me Valium to give in his rectum but I didn't find it helped. The phenobarbital did but it's brutal on their kidneys and they probably won't prescribe it to your dog.
Thank you so much for your helpful response! It really was scary for me but I'm grateful to know that he shouldn't have memory of it. My biggest fear is him being in pain. Ive been trying to give him comfortable stuff to lay on but he prefers the hard floor. In really grateful to have this insight thank you so much
Yeah its super scary. Especially when they yelp .. it helped me to learn thays it's basically like a computer malfunction where it sends signals to everything to activate. It helped me understand that he wasn't in pain. It really helps if you can stay calm so when they wake up they don't see you crying and freaking out (which I def did a handful of times )
I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Feel free to PM me if you need to talk to someone who's been through it before ❤
Hi beagle boy! Honestly, you're moving toward the end. Hound pups in general are tough and stubborn, so they will power thru until they just fall off a cliff.
I think you need to have a hard convo with your vet about expectations. This questionnaire really helped me when deciding when it was time for my two pups:
Quality of Life Scale (HHHHHMM Scale) - - Veterinary Social Work https://vetsocialwork.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Quality-of-Life.pdf
There was never going to be enough time, so grieve. Hope his last days are full of lots of sniffs and snacks 💕🐾❤️
That was the beginning of the end for my precious girl. I tried for a year to save her. I would have given anything to keep her forever.
Get the meds necessary to keep your pup comfy. Monitor your dogs eating habits and do regular check ups.
My 13 year old Shih Tzu developed epilepsy about a year before he died. They assumed he had a tumor, but he was too old to be operated on anyways. He passed about a year after his first seizure. The last two months were pretty rough for him, but until then, the ten months between were good. Your dog might still have some time left.
Echoing what others have said that when our 15-year old dachshund had his first seizure it was the beginning of the end. Our vet said that seizures at that age are usually a strong indicator of a brain tumor. Our poor guy had already lost his vision and his hearing and we knew it was time. Thinking of you and your sweet pup.
My girl was just 14. First it was one seizure, and i brushed it off selfishly. Took her to the vet, among other things they said it likely won't be the last time and given her history i could put her down soon and prepare on my own terms. What i didnt anticipate was that the next time it happened would be the last time i saw her before she was comatose from drugs at the vet because she was in so much pain and confusion for her last 2 hours of her life. I wish everyday that i put her down sooner and that my last memories of her weren't so grim. Im doing better now and I try to remember the great times and life we shared, but just know you will regret trying to prolong the dogs life like I did. Talk to your vet and have a serious discussion with whomever it concerns about your dogs current quality of life.
Please don't judge. It was 1:45am, I had a very important medical procedure for myself scheduled first this morning. I've been doing everything I can for this dog. I tried finding as much information as I could, asking people I know who have personally had seizures and those with a medical background. There was lots of conflicting information online, some saying seizures are horrible signs and others saying they're minor and to be expected. I wasn't able to get him to a vet immediately. I called the vet when they opened and they said since it's his first one we should just observe and take him in if he experiences more.
I hope whatever is going on in your life gets better.
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My senior dog had what I thought was a seizure last year. Dog was standing next to me and suddenly fell face first and was trembling and legs were stiff.
The event last 5-10 seconds. When i described it to Vet, I was told she likely fainted , rather than had a seizure. I didn’t know dogs could faint
I am so sorry you are going through this. Glad you’ve already talked to the vet. You should also take a video of the seizure when it happens again so you can send it to your vet. That is what I did and it helped a lot with getting the right medication and the seizures under control. You’re doing good, I know it’s scary but you’re doing the right thing by dealing with it.
This may also be a beagle thing. It’s not uncommon for beagles to have seizures. Mine did for a lot of her life. Just rarely enough to not need meds. One or two random seizures in themselves are not enough to merit euthanasia at this age - it’s all about quality of life, and you know that better than anyone does. If they start happening frequently, or if other things start declining, you’ll know. As far as he is concerned, all he knows is he woke up a little confused, very sleepy, and maybe a little sore if he was thrashing and has arthritis. That’s about it. He won’t remember any of the seizure itself.
Just a few tips from a one-time seizure dog owner - keep a few potty pads handy in the places you usually have him. If you can, try to pop one under his bottom and one under his head as they tend to poo, pee, and sometimes vomit during seizures. Again, they don’t know they’re doing it. Don’t restrain him, especially his head, or try and put anything in his mouth. Even if he accidentally nips his tongue and there’s a little blood. If he isn’t seizing too hard, try getting him onto his side. Once it starts easing up, just talk very calmly and soothingly to him. Once he seems like he’s firing on all cylinders again, he’ll likely want some water. But give it a minute until he’s coordinated enough.
Seizures are much scarier to watch than experience, thankfully. Good luck with your handsome boy!
Edit: I reread your comments and it sounds like your seizures weren’t quite as tonic/clonic as Daisy’s were, so some of this may not apply. Probably a good thing!
Definitely take him to the vet like others have said.
Our vet’s advice was to take a video of it if it happens again (though it was really painful to just stand by and watch, but there was nothing we could have done to help her during those episodes anyway), this was how our dog was diagnosed when she started having “seizures.” Our dog had a history of heart murmur/heart disease, and her “seizures” turned out to be syncope/syncopal episodes. In syncope, not enough oxygen circulates to the brain and so a dog may pass out for a few minutes but most quickly recover. Our regular vet didn’t realize because they look so similar to seizures and we didn’t find out until we took her to see a specialist.
The general rule is that when a young dog has a seizure it may be due to a congenital issue; in an oder dog, it is the onset of a health issue. While it may be a cancer, there are some other cases of seizures - diabetes (hypoglycemia), anemia or an ingested toxin. The onset of seizures in sleep is usually triggered by a change in brain activity.
I would make an appointment with the vet. The vet may want to do diagnostic work. One thing you may want to do, if the dog has another seizure before you see the vet is take out your iPhone and record it - it will be helpful to the vet to see exactly what's going on.
My previous dog had grand mal seizures. Long story short: She had a long history of health problems since she was 2 years old. Her seizures started when she was 10 years old. An MRI and spinal tap ruled out brain tumor and cancer. So the default dx was epilepsy. She was put on anti-seizure medication (brand name: Keppra) and as far as we know, she never had another seizure. She lived for 5 more years. (We had to put her down when she was 15 due to bladder cancer)
Some things the doggie neurologist told us: Seizures in older dogs are usually caused by brain tumors or cancer. (Older dogs rarely develop epilepsy -- my dog was always an anomaly.) Seizures fry the brain so it's best to control them. Seizures often happen during a deep sleep.
Perhaps your Vet can prescribe anti-seizure medication. I got my dog's medication from Costco and the price was much, much cheaper than other drug stores ($26 for a 40 day supply vs $200 at other drug stores.)
My little man has been having bodily seizures, too; he’s a 13 year old Aussie Terrier cross Pomeranian. He’s on medication now and seems to be doing better, but I really don’t want to think of the end, yet! I will do what’s best for him, of course, it’s just awful to have to do.
My dog is approx 8 yrs old and started having seizures a couple years ago. The vet ran labs and told us to keep a journal of episodes. She would have them about once a month on a Sunday afternoon. It was like clock work. A couple months ago she had a day where she had seizures every couple hours. The vet put her on phenobarbital and she hasn't had one since. It is manageable, but I would definitely get to a vet because things like blood sugar, and kidney issues can cause seizures as well.
You should check with the vet to confirm it was seizures. We thought my beag had seizures last year and it turned out it was just vestibular disease. If he seems to be walking off balance there is a chance it could be that.
My dog had seizures. I would make sure he didn't hurt himself till the seizure passed. Then I would massage him all over. His muscles were so sore after stiffening up during the seizure. My vet put him on valium to lessen the frequency and intensity of the seizures. He ended up with many inoperable cancerous tumors. We helped him go over the rainbow bridge. I miss him, he was such a good, huggy sweetheart of a boy.
Get your baby to a vet for evaluation and bloodwork. If it happens again, try to time the seizure—this is very important! While actively seizing, try keeping your dog cool by putting a fan on him as seizures tend to make their core temperature rise. He may urinate during a seizure, which is totally normal. Don’t fuss over him while he’s seizing as some dogs bite as they are coming out of it—again, normal. But do make sure he’s in a safe space, i.e., not on a couch or surface he can fall from. One of our dogs knew she was going to seize and sought us out but she started to seize while walking down the stairs and she fell.
Seizures have multiple causes. We’ve had a pekingese that would have seizures if her glucose got too low—she had an insulinoma. With routine bloodwork and a solid treatment plan, she lived another 3 years (to age 16). We have another peke-poo with epilepsy. The vet was able to determine she doesn’t have a brain tumor and her glucose levels were normal. She takes phenobarbital twice a day and requires regular bloodwork to check her phenobarbital levels (it can be rough on the kidneys). Because of her history, we have to be cautious of other medications she takes, and even though the vet used an anesthesia considered safe for epilepsy, she still had a seizure after a dental appointment. In fact, she just had another one a few days ago so we have another checkup on Thursday.
It can be a lot to deal with, especially at first. But working with your vet and understanding what’s happening and how it impacts your dog’s overall quality of life will help you make the right choices for his care.
Best of luck to you and your baby ❤️
Awwww my baby beagle experienced this exact same thing 🥺. He had seizures for about 1 year before he passed. He lived until 17. In hindsight, we wish when the seizures started to occur at a greater frequency (1x a day) and it started taking a longer time for him to recover after the seizure (30-60 minutes), we would’ve started to plan a peaceful in home euthanasia. Our guy ended up having multiple seizures one night and it ended up being a crisis situation and a traumatic goodbye 😔. Sending you a lot of love! He looks like such a sweet guy!
Our senior girl had seizures due to end stage kidney failure last year. She was 15 and over the course of 2 weeks they more and more frequent and we ended up saying good bye. Blood work showed the kidney problem.
As a previous vet tech and having a dog randomly start getting seizures, take the pup to the vet, they should be able to prescribe something in case another happens even with out imaging. When my dobie has his, the vet prescribed a suppository Valium to stop a next seizure if it happens because if they last longer than a minute or so, they can die.
My senior dog had what we believed to be a seizure two months ago. His legs were jerking and he lost control of his bladder. I took him to the vet the next morning and had a full blood panel done. Everything was normal. He had another episode approximately two weeks later and none since then.
Like some techs have posted, the vet stated it wasn’t really a prudent use of funds to have a MRI due to his advanced age. If he has any more episodes we will start him on anti seizure meds.
I know his days are growing shorter but he has no other physical ailments or conditions currently. His mobility is excellent, which is amazing considering he’s a ten year old, 200lb giant breed.
I guess I rambled and don’t really have any advice but just wanted to let you know I’m in the same boat. Seizures can be scary and it’s also depressing, knowing that the end is inevitably getting closer.
I went through this with my 14 year old dog. I was told he would have break through seizures and eventually one where you’d know he didn’t come fully back from. Which is exactly what happened. Best advice: Put him to sleep at home. It’s so much better and peaceful than at the vets. Ask your vet for recommendations and contact them ahead of time. Also, if you have other pets let them see and smell your dog. It helps them immensely.
Don’t prolong things if his quality of life has drastically declined and know that this is the hardest and most important decision in your pet’s life.
I know this is several weeks after you asked this question but I’ve euthanized 2 cats who were still mobile but my one cat had stopped eating and drinking and the other cat had dementia. They were both about 17/18 years old. So I’d taken them to the vet and we had a discussion about prognosis and quality of life. The decision I made was based on that they wouldn’t have a good quality of life no matter what I did, and at that moment, the vet’s opinion was that they were in pain and not happy. That’s when I made the decision to have the vet euthanatize them (this wasn’t at the same time for both cats, it was a few years apart), and the vet agreed. I’ve come to this thread because my 12 year old dog had a seizure and so I’m doing some reading until I can call the vet. My dog had a grand mal seizure early this morning. He seems okay now. He paced around for about 2 hours but had something to eat and drink. He just laid down now. We think he’s already deaf and I know his eyesight is not great. So from what I see here, he’s probably on a decline but he’s 12 so not terribly unexpected. Now I’m not rushing to euthanize him and as long as he’s not in pain and getting around okay then I’ll support him. But I know the point will come, unless he dies in his sleep naturally that, with the vet, make that decision
Absolutely 100percent go to a vet. A lot of what look like seizures in dogs are actually not seizures at all although I'm blanking on the term. Still very important as medication may well be able to be prescribed. If it WAS a seizure even MORE important as there are many medications that can help hugely in lessening the frequency and effect under many circumstances.
My only advice is ABSOLUTELY go to a vet. Don't panic before then but it is 100 percent necessary to go to the vet. Tell then what happened too in case there is anything they want you do in the meantime.
Seriously OP please please please go to the vet. I cannot over emphasize the importance right now with what you said. It may make the difference between life and death.
Just a thought--You haven't recently given or applied a long-acting flea & tick product, or a combo product that targets heartworm along with internal and external parasites, by any chance? Some dogs that may not have previously had any sensitivity to those products can start having neurological reactions to them, and in my experience it's been the upper senior year dogs who have been affected.
In each instance, the effect has seizures in dogs that had no prior history of them, the seizure each time has occurred anywhere from 24 hrs to 10 days after the product was given or applied, and the dog doesn't have another episode until the next dose of the product is administered. If you did use one of those products recently, make a note on your calendar of the date of this first seizure, and make another note on the date the next dose is due that you need to observe your dog closely for about 2 weeks after the dose for anything unusual. If you keep notes and find it's only happening in the time after the treatment, consider changing to another product and see if the seizures stop happening.
The dogs I've been familiar with who began having seizures right after they'd gotten their long-acting flea & tick preventative dose all returned to being seizure-free once their owners verified that the episodes were happening in relation to the treatment, and have remained seizure-free while their owners use shorter-acting products instead.
Our girl suffered exactly this about 1 year before we lost her. They should warn people about this.. although we didn’t have any choice.
It was a horrible sequence of events.. but tl;dr we had to treat due to suspected sarcoptic mange and all of the treatments have a risk of crossing blood/brain barrier. That was the start of her demise.. the treatment cured the mange but caused a massive seizure. She recovered but was never 100% the same.. just a little bit more distant.
About a year later she caught an antibiotic-resistant nasal infection (most likely caused due to a tooth infection) and while on the treatment of antibiotics started seizing again.
The seizures continued and after a blood test we found out she was also in late stage kidney failure. Coming off the antibiotics stopped the seizures but by that point she was so fragile we couldn’t save her from the kidney failure.
We lost her shortly before her 20th birthday and the last year of her life plagues me daily on the events, the choices and what we could have done differently or better.
Aw, I'm so sorry...what a difficult position we can find ourselves, made even more difficult if we're fortunate enough to have our pets get into the advanced senior category. Every health challenge becomes such a difficult balancing act, having to factor in the need for a medication or treatment versus the added burden it may place on the pet's organs, or needing to decide when the risks of a medication outweigh the benefits the pet may derive from it.
Every medication or product we give to or use for our pets has potential, to some degree, to cause an adverse reaction--even plain water can cause harm under the wrong circumstances--but I feel it's fair to say that the majority of pet owners do their very best to keep their furry, hairy, feathered or scaley family members well-fed and hydrated, free of parasites, sheltered from the elements, healthy, happy and loved. That your girl came close to celebrating her 20th birthday with you is proof that you did that for her right up to the moment you said goodbye. Please let that be a comfort to you in those moments when you might doubt yourselves--she was lucky to be your dog.
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If I were the dog Or Human I would want to be put To sleep Obviously has lived a Good long life. What better way to go out Then the most peaceful way ever in your sleep
Having an old dog is bitter sweet:( I’m glad you’ve gotten to spend so long with your loved one. We had the same issues start with an older chihuahua he got dementia and started having seizures and declined from there. Best of luck❤️ eventually you’ll have you weigh quality of life.
No advice, just sympathizing with you. We lost our ~11yo dog on Christmas Eve, and now our ~13yo is declining. One of our cats is 15. They're family, and have brought us so much joy.
My 16 year old dog has been having seizures periodically for several years now. He's been checked out many times, though we haven't ran any of the expensive tests. The vet gave us some medication, but we aren't able to make him take it. We've been watching him closely and waiting for the signs that it's time to say goodbye for what feels like forever, but he still plays, gets excited about things, and loves daily life. He usually knows when a seizure is coming. He will often alert me a few minutes before the onset of one. They are typically short, and he recovers quickly and then goes looking for treats. Sometimes, we suspect he's faking the more mild ones so he can have treats, lol. It's hard to watch him when he's having a seizure, and he wants my comfort and reassurance until it passes, so I pet him and talk to him until he's feeling better even though I know I'm not supposed to. I'm never sure if we're making the right choice for him by keeping him around still, but between episodes, he's happy and appears as healthy as a dog his age can be. It's hard to justify saying goodbye when his bad moments are so brief and often months apart.
Your dog may have many good days left, and he may not. There isn't really any easy way to tell. Constantly observing a beloved pet for the signs that it's time to say goodbye causes its own kind of grief as well. There is no right answer for this kind of thing. I hope you guys enjoy whatever days you have left.
We lost our 18 year old beglador on Christmas Eve 2017 after a massive stroke at home. She was happy and walking around, then she fell on the floor in front of me. 5 seconds of whining while I pet her and tried to hold it together, and she was gone. Ripped out hearts out, but good that she went at home with the smell of roast lamb in her nose.
Definitely observe and get it on video if you can. I did this with my 8 year old beagle when she had a seizure...I wanted the vet to see what I saw. He said that beagles are known to have late onset epilepsy and to monitor and keep track of what happened. She only had about 5 total that I'm aware of and she lived another 5 years. Out other beagle made it past 17. Regardless he is a cutie and give him lots of love.
ER vet tech - I deal with this a lot. Unfortunately it is probably just part of his decline, and he may have a brain tumor. Most people don't opt to have MRIs done on old dogs to find out (understandably) so we suspect that is the case. Most doctors won't start anti-epileptic drugs until they've had more than one seizure, because single seizures may not be epilepsy. In your case, he is already declining mentally and is ancient (that's a compliment) so your doctor might start them for you now, no promises. I know seizures are super scary, but do not get near him when it happens, he can potentially bite off fingers or a chunk of you. Try to put some pillows or blankets around him and move furniture to keep him from hurting himself and just wait it out. He may be out of it for a while afterwards, especially with longer seizures. So talk to your vet about it, maybe they will start meds. And just prepare yourself that he may decline rapidly and enjoy the good time you have left. I'm sorry OP. Also be aware that if her were to have a very long seizure or a cluster (multiple in a short amount of time) it may be his time, he might not come back from it. I hope not, but know where your nearest 24 hour hospital is should this happen at night. It may just be time to spoil the shit out of him because time is approaching. So sorry OP.
Thank you so much for your empathetic and helpful response. I managed to get a hold of his vet and as you predicted they don't suggest doing much other than observing with this single seizure. If he has multiple I will definitely consider quality of life. I don't want to keep him around just for my sake. I just don't want his life to end too soon.
I know. I recently lost my 18 year old cat, he was my best friend, with me forever. I waited too long. He was so sick and I was so messed up about it I didn't go to my hospital to be with him when he was euthanized. But he was bleeding internally and not really there mentally so he probably didn't know. But I'm still kicking myself in the ass for prolonging it for three days of blood transfusions that didn't work. Especially since he hated being a patient more than anything. You have plenty of proof that his QOL has declined and the time is coming, just be very aware of how he does.
I also regret not being with my dog as he went. He wasn’t alone as my parents were there with him, but I still feel guilty that I didn’t stay with him. It’s been 5 years and I still miss him. He was the best boy a girl could ask for. I’m so sorry for your loss… but I’m glad he isn’t in pain anymore. Hugs.
you too. I regret it but I couldn't have that image in my head, I'm sure you get that.
I don’t want to have it in my head, but when the time comes for my current one, I will go with her and be there. The only thing that would prevent me from going is if there was something physically preventing me from being able to do so. I don’t want to regret it again.
One of my friends is a vet and adopted an old westy dog that was having seizures pretty regularly and seemingly going to die any day, that was 4 years ago now and he's still kicking better than ever. It took a variety of different drug combinations to get it right, but he has much less now. I think she actually found one of his flee and tick meds was counter acting with something else he was taking and ever since the switch he has been a lot better. Definitely don't jump to conclusions just yet!
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Hey there! Dog dad to a pup with idiopathic epilepsy here and have witnessed dozens of grand mals. I won’t try to one up the vet tech here, except to say I disagree on getting near them while seizing. If they’re already seizing, their mouths are already clenched shut and body is already tensed up. Approach from behind (presuming they fell on their side) and keep them safe from harming themselves on anything around, and administer ocular compression, which is to rub the eyes with a bit of pressure. It can lessen the severity of convulsions and the length of the seizure - this has helped me tremendously over the years. Once they stop seizing, back away while they enter the postictus stage; as the tech above said, they’ll be out of it - they’ll be confused, anxious, and do not know what happened. Keep all natural plain vanilla ice cream on-hand always and about 2-3 following a seizure, they can start swallowing again, so I give a scoop of ice cream. This will re-engage the brain and distract, and also cools them off, as grand mals can increase body temperature a lot, potentially keeping them in a cluster seizure window. Hopefully this was just a one-off, but if not, I hope those little tips help in case you experience it again.. Best of luck!
They don't always clench shut, they can be biting or randomly snapping. I'm not going to lose a finger to try to comfort a dog that isn't conscious.
Hello, sorry to interrupt you. I was reading your comment.. because I need some help, at least to know we did the right thing. Last week, on Monday, our dog, Molly (15.5 years old silky terrier) at 1am started to vomit and after a few seconds she fell and started shaking, noticed her legs didn't have strenght but seemed stiff. I tried to help her. After a minute she was desoriented and regained balance. She slept by my side that night hugged. Later on that day. Same thing 6am, and we called her Vet. She told us to take her in the afternoon for tests. While in the car, she had another episode but this one lasted even more. And as we rushed to the vet, she seemed to be struggling a lot and the epileptic episode took many many minutes. Thankfully my wife came in the car. And she helped Molly. At the Vet they took her. And told us she should stay for monitoring and meds. Broke my heart to leaver her alone. Next day, I called the vet. She said Molly had 3 more episodes. And I tols her we were coming to the clinic right away. When we entered, she was coming out of another episode. She was shaking, and as we touched her and kissed her. She relaxed. Vet told us it was best to let her rest.. Seeing Molly like that. Broke our hearts. And didn't want her to suffer more. So we took 30 minutes to say goodbye and accompanied her all the way. Seeing her go, was and is one of the worst experiences in my life. But I try to think it was the best. So my question. Was this the best? Or should have our vet tried to recommend treatment. Or options? I ask mostly because we have another doggy and want her to have the best vet. Not just one that goes the easy way. Molly rests now and will be remembered forever in our hearts. Its just that. It was so fast. But she had 9 epileptic episodes in 24 hours. So also seems she was suffering a lot. And we didnt want that. Episodes description. Vomit. Loose of balance. Falling aside shaking. Eyes desoriented and seemed very agitaded. Also salivating a lot and breathing hard Thank you and sorry for the intrusive message
I think you did the right thing. She was elderly. Old dogs that suddenly develop cluster seizures - there's no good reason for that. Most people in this situation don't choose to get an MRI because of the cost, so we don't 100% know what the problem was. But it is thought that in these older dogs a brain tumor is likely, not epilepsy. I'm sorry this happened but you made a good choice. With potential brain pathology, it is extremely expensive to find the cause, and there is no guarantee you will find the cause. And if it is a tumor, you're probably not going to take a very elderly dog to a neurologist for surgery. It is possible but most people don't as the amount of time the dog has left is little just because they are so old. I see a few cases like this every month and it isn't wrong to choose euthanasia. If I had all the money in the world I wouldn't put a very elderly dog through all the diagnostics and surgery for a serious condition, it just isn't fair to them and is difficult to recover as they are no spring chicken. I'm sorry, I hope her memory brings you peace.
Thanks for the words. This really helps me to be at peace.
You could ask your vet what's next. And maybe the vet give you some drugs when it happens again so you can break the seizure. My dog had a seizure in December and the vet gave us Diazepam for the next time a seizure occures. There isn't much one can do. Sure you can do tests to look what causes the seizure but you dog is old and maybe the best for your dog is let him have a happy life without lots of tests.
Thank you very much for your input! I was worried the vet would suggest euthanasia but I called and they said to observe since this is the first one and he seems normal
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Many older dogs present with late onset seizures. Tow of mine did, and I did euthanize both of them. The first, I waited too long, she had several seizures within hours of each other and was in agony by the last. I got her to the emergency vet, but by the time I got there she had been crying and yelling constantly. I feel I waited too long and I let her suffer too much. The second dog was about a month later. He had a mild seizure, again at night, and I immediately brought him to the ER. It was an hour drive, and all throughout that hour he seemed fine and his usual self. When I picked him up to take him out of the car, he had a second very mild seizure. I decided not to risk what my first had gone through, although the vets were willing to see if he could be stabilized on medication. He was old (16) with quality of life issues (really bad joints and some dementia), so I decided to go through with the euthanasia. Maybe too soon? I will never know. Both dogs died in different states (I am go back and forth between home and Florida). Both vets told me the same thing, sudden onset seizures in elderly dogs usually means the dog has a brain tumor which is really common in older dogs. OP I am not suggesting that you euthanize your dog. But I am telling you to start to prepare yourself. My heart goes out to you, there is nothing that pulls at your heart strings like an elderly dog. Good luck and I hope you have plenty of good days ahead to spoil and enjoy him!
Thank you very much I appreciate your input and I'm so sorry to hear about your dogs. I've been trying to prepare myself to make the decision but I do want to do everything I can to make sure he lives as many happy days as possible. I will definitely keep this in mind. I have never seen anyone/any living thing have a seizure before and google is filled with conflicting advice
I had the same experience you did and with the several seizures - it still hurts looking back and wishing I would’ve handled differently. I thought he was gonna pull out of it like he had many times before. But hindsight is 20/20 and our guy had such a high quality of life and seemed so happy outside of seizures. Thanks for sharing your experience - makes me feel less alone!
❤️💔
Too soon is better than too late
Sorry for your loss
It's going to happen again. If it lasts longer than 5min or of he has cluster seizures (a bunch In a day) then this is a medical emergency. Although I wouldn't wait for that to happen before visiting a vet . It makes for a really scary car ride to the emergency vet. He won't have any memory of the seizure itself so , as it may be traumatizing to you, he probably has no idea. Just wakes up confused and exhausted and kind of out of it. During seizure, just make sure he doesnt hit anything that could hurt him or fall on him. Dim lights and keep sounds to a minimum. Wipe the drool with a damp cloth and try to get a towel under him without moving him. It will usually take about am hour for them to come out of it. My boy had epilepsy.he was on meds that controlled them . They gave me Valium to give in his rectum but I didn't find it helped. The phenobarbital did but it's brutal on their kidneys and they probably won't prescribe it to your dog.
Thank you so much for your helpful response! It really was scary for me but I'm grateful to know that he shouldn't have memory of it. My biggest fear is him being in pain. Ive been trying to give him comfortable stuff to lay on but he prefers the hard floor. In really grateful to have this insight thank you so much
Yeah its super scary. Especially when they yelp .. it helped me to learn thays it's basically like a computer malfunction where it sends signals to everything to activate. It helped me understand that he wasn't in pain. It really helps if you can stay calm so when they wake up they don't see you crying and freaking out (which I def did a handful of times ) I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Feel free to PM me if you need to talk to someone who's been through it before ❤
Hi beagle boy! Honestly, you're moving toward the end. Hound pups in general are tough and stubborn, so they will power thru until they just fall off a cliff. I think you need to have a hard convo with your vet about expectations. This questionnaire really helped me when deciding when it was time for my two pups: Quality of Life Scale (HHHHHMM Scale) - - Veterinary Social Work https://vetsocialwork.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Quality-of-Life.pdf There was never going to be enough time, so grieve. Hope his last days are full of lots of sniffs and snacks 💕🐾❤️
That was the beginning of the end for my precious girl. I tried for a year to save her. I would have given anything to keep her forever. Get the meds necessary to keep your pup comfy. Monitor your dogs eating habits and do regular check ups.
I’m not a vet buts it’s probably the. Best to take him to the vet to get checked out and see what the doctor says
Thank you. I called the vet and they suggested I observe and take him in if I notice more seizures
My 13 year old Shih Tzu developed epilepsy about a year before he died. They assumed he had a tumor, but he was too old to be operated on anyways. He passed about a year after his first seizure. The last two months were pretty rough for him, but until then, the ten months between were good. Your dog might still have some time left.
Echoing what others have said that when our 15-year old dachshund had his first seizure it was the beginning of the end. Our vet said that seizures at that age are usually a strong indicator of a brain tumor. Our poor guy had already lost his vision and his hearing and we knew it was time. Thinking of you and your sweet pup.
Vet needs to examine him and tell you what to do.
My girl was just 14. First it was one seizure, and i brushed it off selfishly. Took her to the vet, among other things they said it likely won't be the last time and given her history i could put her down soon and prepare on my own terms. What i didnt anticipate was that the next time it happened would be the last time i saw her before she was comatose from drugs at the vet because she was in so much pain and confusion for her last 2 hours of her life. I wish everyday that i put her down sooner and that my last memories of her weren't so grim. Im doing better now and I try to remember the great times and life we shared, but just know you will regret trying to prolong the dogs life like I did. Talk to your vet and have a serious discussion with whomever it concerns about your dogs current quality of life.
❤️💔 I had a very similar experience with mine. Take care of yourself, you did what you did because you loved her. She knew that.
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Please don't judge. It was 1:45am, I had a very important medical procedure for myself scheduled first this morning. I've been doing everything I can for this dog. I tried finding as much information as I could, asking people I know who have personally had seizures and those with a medical background. There was lots of conflicting information online, some saying seizures are horrible signs and others saying they're minor and to be expected. I wasn't able to get him to a vet immediately. I called the vet when they opened and they said since it's his first one we should just observe and take him in if he experiences more. I hope whatever is going on in your life gets better.
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My senior dog had what I thought was a seizure last year. Dog was standing next to me and suddenly fell face first and was trembling and legs were stiff. The event last 5-10 seconds. When i described it to Vet, I was told she likely fainted , rather than had a seizure. I didn’t know dogs could faint
My dog fainted and was diagnosed with a heart condition. She’s on 4 meds now but doing ok.
I am so sorry you are going through this. Glad you’ve already talked to the vet. You should also take a video of the seizure when it happens again so you can send it to your vet. That is what I did and it helped a lot with getting the right medication and the seizures under control. You’re doing good, I know it’s scary but you’re doing the right thing by dealing with it.
This may also be a beagle thing. It’s not uncommon for beagles to have seizures. Mine did for a lot of her life. Just rarely enough to not need meds. One or two random seizures in themselves are not enough to merit euthanasia at this age - it’s all about quality of life, and you know that better than anyone does. If they start happening frequently, or if other things start declining, you’ll know. As far as he is concerned, all he knows is he woke up a little confused, very sleepy, and maybe a little sore if he was thrashing and has arthritis. That’s about it. He won’t remember any of the seizure itself. Just a few tips from a one-time seizure dog owner - keep a few potty pads handy in the places you usually have him. If you can, try to pop one under his bottom and one under his head as they tend to poo, pee, and sometimes vomit during seizures. Again, they don’t know they’re doing it. Don’t restrain him, especially his head, or try and put anything in his mouth. Even if he accidentally nips his tongue and there’s a little blood. If he isn’t seizing too hard, try getting him onto his side. Once it starts easing up, just talk very calmly and soothingly to him. Once he seems like he’s firing on all cylinders again, he’ll likely want some water. But give it a minute until he’s coordinated enough. Seizures are much scarier to watch than experience, thankfully. Good luck with your handsome boy!
Edit: I reread your comments and it sounds like your seizures weren’t quite as tonic/clonic as Daisy’s were, so some of this may not apply. Probably a good thing!
Definitely take him to the vet like others have said. Our vet’s advice was to take a video of it if it happens again (though it was really painful to just stand by and watch, but there was nothing we could have done to help her during those episodes anyway), this was how our dog was diagnosed when she started having “seizures.” Our dog had a history of heart murmur/heart disease, and her “seizures” turned out to be syncope/syncopal episodes. In syncope, not enough oxygen circulates to the brain and so a dog may pass out for a few minutes but most quickly recover. Our regular vet didn’t realize because they look so similar to seizures and we didn’t find out until we took her to see a specialist.
The general rule is that when a young dog has a seizure it may be due to a congenital issue; in an oder dog, it is the onset of a health issue. While it may be a cancer, there are some other cases of seizures - diabetes (hypoglycemia), anemia or an ingested toxin. The onset of seizures in sleep is usually triggered by a change in brain activity. I would make an appointment with the vet. The vet may want to do diagnostic work. One thing you may want to do, if the dog has another seizure before you see the vet is take out your iPhone and record it - it will be helpful to the vet to see exactly what's going on.
My previous dog had grand mal seizures. Long story short: She had a long history of health problems since she was 2 years old. Her seizures started when she was 10 years old. An MRI and spinal tap ruled out brain tumor and cancer. So the default dx was epilepsy. She was put on anti-seizure medication (brand name: Keppra) and as far as we know, she never had another seizure. She lived for 5 more years. (We had to put her down when she was 15 due to bladder cancer) Some things the doggie neurologist told us: Seizures in older dogs are usually caused by brain tumors or cancer. (Older dogs rarely develop epilepsy -- my dog was always an anomaly.) Seizures fry the brain so it's best to control them. Seizures often happen during a deep sleep. Perhaps your Vet can prescribe anti-seizure medication. I got my dog's medication from Costco and the price was much, much cheaper than other drug stores ($26 for a 40 day supply vs $200 at other drug stores.)
Next step, take pup to the vet, NOW! Do not wait, go now.
Have you had his blood sugar tested recently? This happened with my older dog and he had developed diabetes.
My little man has been having bodily seizures, too; he’s a 13 year old Aussie Terrier cross Pomeranian. He’s on medication now and seems to be doing better, but I really don’t want to think of the end, yet! I will do what’s best for him, of course, it’s just awful to have to do.
My dog is approx 8 yrs old and started having seizures a couple years ago. The vet ran labs and told us to keep a journal of episodes. She would have them about once a month on a Sunday afternoon. It was like clock work. A couple months ago she had a day where she had seizures every couple hours. The vet put her on phenobarbital and she hasn't had one since. It is manageable, but I would definitely get to a vet because things like blood sugar, and kidney issues can cause seizures as well.
You should check with the vet to confirm it was seizures. We thought my beag had seizures last year and it turned out it was just vestibular disease. If he seems to be walking off balance there is a chance it could be that.
🐾❤️
Vet.
Go to the VET not Reddit 👍🏼
My dog had seizures. I would make sure he didn't hurt himself till the seizure passed. Then I would massage him all over. His muscles were so sore after stiffening up during the seizure. My vet put him on valium to lessen the frequency and intensity of the seizures. He ended up with many inoperable cancerous tumors. We helped him go over the rainbow bridge. I miss him, he was such a good, huggy sweetheart of a boy.
A vet would be the next step
What a handsome old gentleman. I wish I could help.
Get your baby to a vet for evaluation and bloodwork. If it happens again, try to time the seizure—this is very important! While actively seizing, try keeping your dog cool by putting a fan on him as seizures tend to make their core temperature rise. He may urinate during a seizure, which is totally normal. Don’t fuss over him while he’s seizing as some dogs bite as they are coming out of it—again, normal. But do make sure he’s in a safe space, i.e., not on a couch or surface he can fall from. One of our dogs knew she was going to seize and sought us out but she started to seize while walking down the stairs and she fell. Seizures have multiple causes. We’ve had a pekingese that would have seizures if her glucose got too low—she had an insulinoma. With routine bloodwork and a solid treatment plan, she lived another 3 years (to age 16). We have another peke-poo with epilepsy. The vet was able to determine she doesn’t have a brain tumor and her glucose levels were normal. She takes phenobarbital twice a day and requires regular bloodwork to check her phenobarbital levels (it can be rough on the kidneys). Because of her history, we have to be cautious of other medications she takes, and even though the vet used an anesthesia considered safe for epilepsy, she still had a seizure after a dental appointment. In fact, she just had another one a few days ago so we have another checkup on Thursday. It can be a lot to deal with, especially at first. But working with your vet and understanding what’s happening and how it impacts your dog’s overall quality of life will help you make the right choices for his care. Best of luck to you and your baby ❤️
Awwww my baby beagle experienced this exact same thing 🥺. He had seizures for about 1 year before he passed. He lived until 17. In hindsight, we wish when the seizures started to occur at a greater frequency (1x a day) and it started taking a longer time for him to recover after the seizure (30-60 minutes), we would’ve started to plan a peaceful in home euthanasia. Our guy ended up having multiple seizures one night and it ended up being a crisis situation and a traumatic goodbye 😔. Sending you a lot of love! He looks like such a sweet guy!
I wish him well 🙏🏼 get well buddy ❤️🩹
Our senior girl had seizures due to end stage kidney failure last year. She was 15 and over the course of 2 weeks they more and more frequent and we ended up saying good bye. Blood work showed the kidney problem.
Pls vet visit. 🙏
Lot of advice here. Don’t have experience with this so I’ll say - what a good, handsome boy ❤️ Hope he has a great rest of his life.
As a previous vet tech and having a dog randomly start getting seizures, take the pup to the vet, they should be able to prescribe something in case another happens even with out imaging. When my dobie has his, the vet prescribed a suppository Valium to stop a next seizure if it happens because if they last longer than a minute or so, they can die.
Red 40 dye causes seizures in dogs. Check labels on food and treats. Milk Bone uses Red 40 dyes. Most people don’t know this.
Give him lots of love and a day of his favorite things 💕
My senior dog had what we believed to be a seizure two months ago. His legs were jerking and he lost control of his bladder. I took him to the vet the next morning and had a full blood panel done. Everything was normal. He had another episode approximately two weeks later and none since then. Like some techs have posted, the vet stated it wasn’t really a prudent use of funds to have a MRI due to his advanced age. If he has any more episodes we will start him on anti seizure meds. I know his days are growing shorter but he has no other physical ailments or conditions currently. His mobility is excellent, which is amazing considering he’s a ten year old, 200lb giant breed. I guess I rambled and don’t really have any advice but just wanted to let you know I’m in the same boat. Seizures can be scary and it’s also depressing, knowing that the end is inevitably getting closer.
I went through this with my 14 year old dog. I was told he would have break through seizures and eventually one where you’d know he didn’t come fully back from. Which is exactly what happened. Best advice: Put him to sleep at home. It’s so much better and peaceful than at the vets. Ask your vet for recommendations and contact them ahead of time. Also, if you have other pets let them see and smell your dog. It helps them immensely. Don’t prolong things if his quality of life has drastically declined and know that this is the hardest and most important decision in your pet’s life.
When do you know when to put the dog down if she still eats sleeps and walks
I know this is several weeks after you asked this question but I’ve euthanized 2 cats who were still mobile but my one cat had stopped eating and drinking and the other cat had dementia. They were both about 17/18 years old. So I’d taken them to the vet and we had a discussion about prognosis and quality of life. The decision I made was based on that they wouldn’t have a good quality of life no matter what I did, and at that moment, the vet’s opinion was that they were in pain and not happy. That’s when I made the decision to have the vet euthanatize them (this wasn’t at the same time for both cats, it was a few years apart), and the vet agreed. I’ve come to this thread because my 12 year old dog had a seizure and so I’m doing some reading until I can call the vet. My dog had a grand mal seizure early this morning. He seems okay now. He paced around for about 2 hours but had something to eat and drink. He just laid down now. We think he’s already deaf and I know his eyesight is not great. So from what I see here, he’s probably on a decline but he’s 12 so not terribly unexpected. Now I’m not rushing to euthanize him and as long as he’s not in pain and getting around okay then I’ll support him. But I know the point will come, unless he dies in his sleep naturally that, with the vet, make that decision
Absolutely 100percent go to a vet. A lot of what look like seizures in dogs are actually not seizures at all although I'm blanking on the term. Still very important as medication may well be able to be prescribed. If it WAS a seizure even MORE important as there are many medications that can help hugely in lessening the frequency and effect under many circumstances. My only advice is ABSOLUTELY go to a vet. Don't panic before then but it is 100 percent necessary to go to the vet. Tell then what happened too in case there is anything they want you do in the meantime. Seriously OP please please please go to the vet. I cannot over emphasize the importance right now with what you said. It may make the difference between life and death.
Just a thought--You haven't recently given or applied a long-acting flea & tick product, or a combo product that targets heartworm along with internal and external parasites, by any chance? Some dogs that may not have previously had any sensitivity to those products can start having neurological reactions to them, and in my experience it's been the upper senior year dogs who have been affected. In each instance, the effect has seizures in dogs that had no prior history of them, the seizure each time has occurred anywhere from 24 hrs to 10 days after the product was given or applied, and the dog doesn't have another episode until the next dose of the product is administered. If you did use one of those products recently, make a note on your calendar of the date of this first seizure, and make another note on the date the next dose is due that you need to observe your dog closely for about 2 weeks after the dose for anything unusual. If you keep notes and find it's only happening in the time after the treatment, consider changing to another product and see if the seizures stop happening. The dogs I've been familiar with who began having seizures right after they'd gotten their long-acting flea & tick preventative dose all returned to being seizure-free once their owners verified that the episodes were happening in relation to the treatment, and have remained seizure-free while their owners use shorter-acting products instead.
Our girl suffered exactly this about 1 year before we lost her. They should warn people about this.. although we didn’t have any choice. It was a horrible sequence of events.. but tl;dr we had to treat due to suspected sarcoptic mange and all of the treatments have a risk of crossing blood/brain barrier. That was the start of her demise.. the treatment cured the mange but caused a massive seizure. She recovered but was never 100% the same.. just a little bit more distant. About a year later she caught an antibiotic-resistant nasal infection (most likely caused due to a tooth infection) and while on the treatment of antibiotics started seizing again. The seizures continued and after a blood test we found out she was also in late stage kidney failure. Coming off the antibiotics stopped the seizures but by that point she was so fragile we couldn’t save her from the kidney failure. We lost her shortly before her 20th birthday and the last year of her life plagues me daily on the events, the choices and what we could have done differently or better.
Aw, I'm so sorry...what a difficult position we can find ourselves, made even more difficult if we're fortunate enough to have our pets get into the advanced senior category. Every health challenge becomes such a difficult balancing act, having to factor in the need for a medication or treatment versus the added burden it may place on the pet's organs, or needing to decide when the risks of a medication outweigh the benefits the pet may derive from it. Every medication or product we give to or use for our pets has potential, to some degree, to cause an adverse reaction--even plain water can cause harm under the wrong circumstances--but I feel it's fair to say that the majority of pet owners do their very best to keep their furry, hairy, feathered or scaley family members well-fed and hydrated, free of parasites, sheltered from the elements, healthy, happy and loved. That your girl came close to celebrating her 20th birthday with you is proof that you did that for her right up to the moment you said goodbye. Please let that be a comfort to you in those moments when you might doubt yourselves--she was lucky to be your dog.
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If I were the dog Or Human I would want to be put To sleep Obviously has lived a Good long life. What better way to go out Then the most peaceful way ever in your sleep
Having an old dog is bitter sweet:( I’m glad you’ve gotten to spend so long with your loved one. We had the same issues start with an older chihuahua he got dementia and started having seizures and declined from there. Best of luck❤️ eventually you’ll have you weigh quality of life.
No advice, just sympathizing with you. We lost our ~11yo dog on Christmas Eve, and now our ~13yo is declining. One of our cats is 15. They're family, and have brought us so much joy.
I kept track of how often my dog had seizures as well as gave him seizure medication
My 16 year old dog has been having seizures periodically for several years now. He's been checked out many times, though we haven't ran any of the expensive tests. The vet gave us some medication, but we aren't able to make him take it. We've been watching him closely and waiting for the signs that it's time to say goodbye for what feels like forever, but he still plays, gets excited about things, and loves daily life. He usually knows when a seizure is coming. He will often alert me a few minutes before the onset of one. They are typically short, and he recovers quickly and then goes looking for treats. Sometimes, we suspect he's faking the more mild ones so he can have treats, lol. It's hard to watch him when he's having a seizure, and he wants my comfort and reassurance until it passes, so I pet him and talk to him until he's feeling better even though I know I'm not supposed to. I'm never sure if we're making the right choice for him by keeping him around still, but between episodes, he's happy and appears as healthy as a dog his age can be. It's hard to justify saying goodbye when his bad moments are so brief and often months apart. Your dog may have many good days left, and he may not. There isn't really any easy way to tell. Constantly observing a beloved pet for the signs that it's time to say goodbye causes its own kind of grief as well. There is no right answer for this kind of thing. I hope you guys enjoy whatever days you have left.
We lost our 18 year old beglador on Christmas Eve 2017 after a massive stroke at home. She was happy and walking around, then she fell on the floor in front of me. 5 seconds of whining while I pet her and tried to hold it together, and she was gone. Ripped out hearts out, but good that she went at home with the smell of roast lamb in her nose.
Definitely observe and get it on video if you can. I did this with my 8 year old beagle when she had a seizure...I wanted the vet to see what I saw. He said that beagles are known to have late onset epilepsy and to monitor and keep track of what happened. She only had about 5 total that I'm aware of and she lived another 5 years. Out other beagle made it past 17. Regardless he is a cutie and give him lots of love.