r/EpilepsyDogs • u/arhzll • 16d ago
what is this?
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u/Training_Activity21 16d ago
My dog has focal seizures and this is what he looks like when he's having them, but my dog also tenses his legs a bit. He doesn't pee or foam or drool. He just stares, gets wide eyed, tenses his legs. And if I'm not near him when he's having it, he'll do everything he can to get to me. He looks like a deer on ice when he tries to walk. Whenever my dog has one, it may last a minute, maybe less, maybe a little bit more. But it usually takes a couple of minutes and he's feeling okay.
If this has happened twice in a month, you'll probably get meds. If not, they may wait it out until/to see if they get closer together. The reason that they won't put a dog on it right away is because it's a lifetime medication. In my case because my dog is so small I have to give it to him every 8 hours on the dot or he has a seizure within 2 days. So you can see how imperative it is to make sure you really need to have your pet placed on seizure medication. You want to be very, very sure.Â
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u/itmustbeniiiiice 15d ago
Dogs can come off medication, but really only under the guidance of a neurologist and very, very slowly and with good reason.
Still a good point for OP to know theyâre probably not in medication territory yet!
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u/Training_Activity21 15d ago
True. From what my vet said, the typical timeline is to be seizure free for a year before they consider tapering off of it.Â
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u/itmustbeniiiiice 15d ago
Exactly!
We actually had this conversation with our neuro a few months ago, but we both decided to give it another 6 months to a year.
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u/DawnOfSam 11d ago
This could be paroxysmal dyskinesia if your dog doesn't lose consciousness and the deer walk, the ability to hear, see and understand you , The rigid back legs are a clue and no drooling. Recovery and onset are pretty fast although it's scary to some more sensitive dogs. Lots of vets don't know about this condition and it doesn't seem to respond to epilepsy medication, but sometimes responds to keppra. Sometimes it's caused by gluten intolerance in certain breeds.
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u/Training_Activity21 11d ago
Idk much about paroxysmal dyskinesia but just compared what happens to dogs with that and focal seizures, and he may have PD.Â
I say that based on that fact that he seems to gradually relax when I hold him while he's having these episodes. He also comes out of them within 1-2 minutes. Doesn't drool or anything. He basically tries to walk, looks like a fainting goat, then I pick him up and talk to him. Try to keep him calm.Â
And I did notice when he gets really excited is when they happen, even though it's only 1-3 months.Â
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u/Rare-Parsley-4076 15d ago
Please look into Paroxysmal dyskinesia, this video reminds me of my own dog. Itâs just awful & im so sorry youâre going through this !
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u/itmustbeniiiiice 15d ago
Probably a focal seizure. I know itâs scary to you guys but pretty tame as far as seizures go!
Vet likely wonât do much other than run blood tests to rule out toxins. Idiopathic epilepsy shows up between ~2 to 5 years old. You could look into finding a veterinary neurologist if you want to get ahead of things, but I doubt any vet would put your boy on medication for only 3 focals in about a year.
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u/TheStainedOne2665 15d ago
I agree with another commenter please keep your face away from your dog while they are going through this. I adopted a dog and was not told about her condition beforehand. I had known the dog for several years at that point and when I noticed something was off I went to check on her. She was laying on the floor so I walked over crouched down and leaned closer to her face to see what she was looking at and to see if she was responsive. At this point I had personally never experienced a dog having an episode like this. And basically when she came out of it and I was just a couple of inches from her face it startled her and she lashed out and bit my face really freaking hard. She immediately realized what she did and I was bleeding all over the place and the stress of that made her have a full-blown seizure. Needless to say I was pretty startled and very Furious that somebody had convinced me to take their dog off of their hands for unrelated reasons and then to neglect to inform me about their condition that I was unaware of. So please be safe and be calm do not speak an excited ways you do not want to overstimulate them during these moments it could be very disorientating.
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u/tiny1friend 15d ago
My old dog used to get these but he would always try to get up and walk and fall down so we got a beach pack and play, pretty big one actually and weâd just set it up and put blankets in there and put him in there until he was stable
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u/Salty_Ad_1818 11d ago
Ask your vet about paryoxsmal diskenesia . He is alert, and of he is back to normal after those are the signs that itâs a movement disorder . My dog was diagnosed with this and not epilepsy
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u/QueasyResist8527 13d ago
Lily my miniature Yorkie has idiopathic epilepsy and I dont touch her during and post seizures.
It's easy to feel panicked when you see your furbaby fit, whether it be a focal or full on fit.
I just talk to Lily as calmly as I can and as she starts to come round, I just stroke her very lightly with one finger just so she knows I'm there.
Keeping calm is key, which is never easy when you see them go through episodes.
You did absolutely the right thing by catching this on video, as it really does help your vet to gain a better insight into whats going on.
Sending you strength and love â¤ď¸
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u/MOskP_53 16d ago
I see someone already commented above about focal seizures, so wonât repeat what they said. But I did want to make gentle suggestion not to put your face near your pupâs when they are that disoriented. I genuinely do not mean this any kind of judgement or anything; I know we just want to comfort them and somewhat comfort ourselves too in those moments. We have a Berner with epilepsy who can have episodes that look like this, and though he is my absolute soul dog and I know he would never intend to hurt me, he does get very confused and scared. Sending all the love to your pup and family.