Seizure

[QueenOfOversharing]

My 6 yr old beagle has just had a seizure - never seen him have one before. Not sure if this could be a one off.

He was - luckily - in bed with me. He was under the duvet & just started shaking his head violently. I thought at first he was scratching (he has skin allergies), then realised it was too vigorous. That bit was very short, then I pulled the duvet back and he sat up - he looked completely "out of it", not reacting to me talking to him, and his front paws kept slipping forward, he turned his head to one side & was drooling loads. I just kept stroking his shoulder & talking quietly to him. He took a little while to sort of come round, then he moved away from where he had drooled & lay down.

I'm going to call the vet, but has anyone been through this? I know it's common in certain breeds, and I 'think' that includes beagles.

Do I worry at this stage? Is it epilepsy?

Thank you for reading - I'm a bit shook up.

[Scattyhattie]

My lurcher had a blood test morning after her first seizure (in middle of night) which ruled out metabolic issues I think. She was over 7 so they suggested unlikely to be epilepsy and may be a a brain lesion but the treatment for seizures would be same. They need to have so many seizures within a time period be medicated, but they gave us some rectal diazepam to use during another seizure.

As we were all asleep we only awoke to the leg paddling as she was full on galloping & panting but before this she went very stiff, after she was quite wobbly, disoriented as can cause temporary vision loss and then very hungry.
As it happened she had another 6wk after first at same time of night and 3rd 12wk later about 11pm, all while she was asleep.

She's 13 now and only had those 3 seizures and no signs of anything like a brain tumour either. My friends cockapoo was having occasional seizures while awake and is doing great on medication.

[Scattyhattie]

for the shock, it is really distressing & feel helpless.

[DogInATent]

Yes, ours has had two over the last month or so. It's very concerning at the time, but she doesn't seem to be aware of it. No identified cause.

Speak to the vet, they may want to do blood tests. Like @Scattyhattie we were given some diazepam to use in case of a prolonged seizure (several minutes).

[QueenOfOversharing]

Thank you @Scattyhattie & @DogInATent

I'm sorry your dogs (and you) have been through this too. It was the shock of it, then him not responding.

Got vet at 11.40, but there's no way they'll get blood tests done as he's horrifically reactive to handling (rescue who was neglected & tied up outside).

I'm hoping it was just a one off. I'll ask about the rectal diazepam too.

Thank you for replying!

[FuckYouBing]

My staffie started with seizures about that age. Unfortunately it wasn't a one off and they couldn't find a reason as to why it started. We struggled to get them under control as they became more frequent and he eventually got really poorly and couldn't stop seizing so we had to put him to sleep. It was awful!
I really hope it's a one off, I found it really difficult to deal with.

[QueenOfOversharing]

@FuckYouBing oh no - that's heartbreaking!! I can't imagine - it was hard enough seeing him have one. I'm just hoping he'll be lucky & it'll be a one off.

[LochJessMonster]

Exactly the same as @Scattyhattie, I took him to emergency vets but they said not much can be down after the event and they would only look to investigate if he has so many episodes. They also gave rectal diazepam in case he has another one.

Hopefully it was a one off, but because I know its terrifying to watch!

Vet did suggest that it could have been the extreme heatwave we were experiencing that Summer, plus he was lying under thick blankets and he just overheated leading to the fit.

[QueenOfOversharing]

@LochJessMonster just back from vet & they've said to keep a diary. Did a urine test & it showed up as very diluted, which might indicate a kidney issue, but re-testing next week to double check. He also has problems with his hips at the moment, so he's on pain meds to see if they help at all.

Thank you for replying - I'm sorry you've been through it too. And thank you for the it was really worrying.

[LochJessMonster]

@QueenOfOversharing Yes a diary is what they said to do to. They said he might have another one the very next day, in which case it needs looking in to further, or he might never have another one.

Luckily he has only had 2 in his life, and both were in extreme hot weather.

It is really scary, I'm glad hes doing ok now.

[QueenOfOversharing]

I'm just going to keep a close eye on him - hopefully he won't have any more. So glad to hear your boy only had two.

It is scary - I'm glad the vet was so thorough & so supportive. She understood that I was worried.