Dog having fits

[mogs]

Late yesterday afternoon our lovely dog was sleeping quietly in her bed, and initially I thought she was having a dream but things were different to usual. Her head was upwards and she was making a strange noise clicking her teeth, jerking her legs and dribbling. It lasted just a couple of minutes and afterwards she was back to normal, even going out in the garden and playing with our kitten.

Around 10pm last night it happened again, only this time seemed worse. Once it finished she tried to get up but was slipping on the wet floor where she had dribbled so we guided her to safety and kept her calm.

I phoned the emergency vet who suggested just to keep an eye on her overnight, but to get her to the vet today for a blood test. This we are going to do.

I am so worried that the problem is related to an intermittent back/leg problem that she gets from time to time, as in pain when trying to stand and walk. Usually with a dose of her intiinflammatory (Meloxivet) she is fine the following day or a few hours after.

Anyone else had similar doggie problems?

[grumpyaudeman]

Hi

Sorry to hear of your best mates problem I had a Border Terrier Merlin who had fits every couple of days for 3 years I was told it was dog epilepsy No medical help suppressed it, perhaps its just old age, he passed away aged 13

[mogs]

thanks for your reply grumpy, we saw the vet on thursday morning, she explained how common dog having a fit can be and it might be just a one off or might mean epilepsy.

She took bloods which all came back ok so at the moment she has been prescribed diazepam (strangely enough which we collected from the pharmacy) for one week, and then when she comes off them to see how it goes.

A very distressing couple of days for us but thankfully all is well at the moment.

[Rabbie]

We also had a dog that suffered from epilepsy for many years. They only occurred relatively rarely and did not last very long. The dog seemed OK when she recovered from each fit. On veterinary advice we did not treat her as they said that could make the fits more frequent and it was better to keep the treatment in reserve. The dog lived to over 16 so the fits do not seem to shorten life very much. Of course it all depends on the severity and frequency of the attacks.

Anyway, I hope everything works out well for you and your dog

[PaulT]

Sorry to hear about your dog. Humans have fits and they lead a normal life so your dog should be able too. Just don't let the dog drive.

[Patf]

Our 12 yr old border collie has had a few fits during the last year. They seem to happen if she's over-excited, and only last about 30 seconds.

The vet took blood tests, and after a 2nd visit prescribed Crisax, which I think is phenobarbitone.

This stopped the fits for a few weeks so we stopped the meds. He had said to stop after a certain time.

Since then, TG, she's been better, just an occasional one.

I know it's very upsetting to see, but they say the fits don't do them much harm.

Vet also said there was a possibility of a brain tumor, but she would need a scan to find out, and that would be very expensive.