What is this?

[stoppedwindows]

My Labrador aged nearly 3 gets what seems to be a spasm or a funny turn about every few weeks or monthly whereby he seems to be suddenly in pain and he can't seem to get onto his legs he pants and shakes and salivates. He virtually climbs onto me when it happens as he's so stressed by it

I usually massage his legs and body and try to calm him until it goes - it last about 5 minutes and it's scary to watch. Once it's gone he seems back to his normal lively self and will run into the garden

• I watched him and there was no sign afterwards of pain or limping

We don't know what it could be - he's going for his annual check up at the vets tomorrow and we'll ask them what it could be, I wanted some suggestions before I spoke to the vet. He's a lovely active lively boy who loves swimming and chasing his ball as well as snoozing between walks.

The only health problem he's ever had was that one testicle was undescended and when he was spayed the vet had to hunt for it. Could it be that something is tangled or twisted, that's causing these spasms?

It could be epilepsy.

Try to video it when it happens, so you can show the vet.

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat
It happened today while I was out and DH videoed it. I hadn't thought of epilepsy as He is right as rain afterwards - no drowsiness or weeing. I wondered if it's a cramp?

I don’t know, it’s just a suggestion based on what you wrote.

Hope the vet sorts it out.

I'd go with possible epilepsy too, one of my labs had, although he had full on fits, but symptoms can vary from just seeming spaced out as well. The other thing that comes to mind would be bloat, does it happen within an hour or so before or after eating?

Also my lab would be fine after a fit, just desperately hungry.

Thanks @Stickytreacle @ChardonnaysBeastlyCat I'm not dismissing your suggestions - it's just I hadn't thought of epilepsy
Re the bloat It seems to be early afternoon or around midday - so that's possible

He's our 3rd lab and he's different to our other two in that he can be a bit restless - we joke about it as he moves around about 3 beds at night

I was going to say epilepsy too. Fits don't always mean they lose awareness or that they wee themselves. They can just space out or suddenly seem really panicked.

I have a lad with Labrador & Golden Retriever in his history and he has hypothyroidism (not uncommon apparently) and one of his symptoms was seizures.

Absolutely bloody terrifying, but he’s only had a single one since starting treatment (although he only had one before diagnosis, but we suspect he’d had partial seizures that were over in seconds with a bit of trembling & looking, and I’m quoting the vet here, ‘gormless lol!).

Both his seizures were standing ones with cessation of breathing; having an epileptic cat we’re well used to the full tonic/clonic seizure - she just plops over onto her side - so standing seizures were a new one!

After the first one, we got to the vet within the timeframe for a Fits and Faints (I think?) blood panel, plus a thyroid test/fulls bloods etc.

He’s doing really well (been on levothyroxin since June) and still has his gormless moments, but they’re not seizure related now; when his brother died in September he took the single brain cell with him.

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy Thanks we've got a few things to discuss with the vet. Hope he's going to be ok.
I 🤣'ed at the single brain cell

The vet thinks it could be epileptic seizures. We've to keep a log and see how it progresses then decide on next steps

@stoppedwindows That sounds like a good plan!

With the cat, keeping a seizure diary was great in looking at patterns of behaviour, fit length, actions before seizure etc. MRI and CAT scan were all clear, and her neurologist has said it’s just one of those things, with a final diagnosis of Idiopathic Epilepsy.

We’ve done the same for the doofus, and so far they’ve been at approximately the same time of day and start when he is transitioning from sleeping to waking. But then, he’s only had 2 tonic clonic seizures, the partials have been very subtle and now his levothyroxin is at a stable dose any seizure activity appears to have stopped.

The cat has a dose of benzodiazepine to be used if a seizure lasts for over 2 minutes; we have nicknamed it ‘The Bum Valium’.
“Where’s the dog nail clippers?”
”In the Pawly First Aid Kit main pouch. If you’ve hit The Bum Valium, you’re in the wrong pocket.”

Here he is, hopelessly waiting for a wild brain cell to float by.



Thanks @CentrifugalBumblePuppy As soon as we described cheeky monkeys funny turns, the vet suggested epileptic seizures although she wanted us to wait and see at the same time as keeping a log of it all. Hope he’ll be ok and hope the medication won’t make him to dopey
Your dog looks lovely. Our is still searching for his brain cell - you never know he might find it one day ….

your lab looks lovely windows, and Bumble puppy too.

@stoppedwindows

when you're that gorgeous brain cells are over rated!!

he is absolutely gorgeous!!

I hope he's ok. Please make a huge fuss of him on my behalf xx

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy bumble puppy has the loveliest coat, it looks like he borrowed it from a sheep!!

He is from Wales, so there is a possibility there’s a bit of sheep in there lol!

Thank you from daft dog. This likely condition makes him extra special to us and he'll have the best life a dog can have.

I just hope he's going to be ok.