Swollen Node and Seizures

My dog had dental surgery and teeth removed just over a week ago, swollen node in left side of his neck prompted the vet visit.  He was fine for two days.  On the 3rd day he started feeling ill and getting weaker, didn't want to eat.  I liquified his food and he ate that.  On the 5th day he had 3 seizures in a row and I took him to his vet's office.  They thought he might be having a bad reaction to the antibiotics so they were stopped.  He was injected with valium and B12.  He came home and ate fine but was too weak to stand or even sit up on his own.  Big appetite though.

On the 7th day he had 2 more seizures - back to vet.  They kept him for the day - did blood work which showed increased lymphocytes, high white count and low red count.  An aspiration was done on the node and sent out to pathology lab.  Report will not be back until Monday.

Today is the 9th day and he's been home with me - has an iv catheter so I can inject valium for seizures (receiving 5mg per day of valium and it seems to keep him free from seizures).  He eats, drinks, toilets are normal.

His gums are healed from the dental surgery, no other nodes are swollen and he seems alert when he can rouse himself from the valium.

Back to vet on Monday but wondering if anyone has been through this with their dog?  Vets don't know what this is yet - worried about cancer but also about disorder from bad reaction to antibiotics or epilepsy.   I'm hoping to help him get a big stronger at home for now.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

This is the expert forum and should be answered by vets.  You were asking if other owners had been through something similar so I suggest that you also post to the community forum.  I will answer your question as the veterinary expert below.


The antibiotic, metronidazole can cause seizures and other neurological problems at high doses in some dogs but,  the neurological problems usually subside pretty quickly once the antibiotic is eliminated.  I don't know if your dog was on metronidazole.

Late seizure onset in a 10 year old dog can be caused by a metabolic disease, meningitis, encephalitis, or other neurological disease or infection,  or a brain tumor.  Unfortunately, an MRI, or CT scan are necessary to identify a brain lesion.  Cerebral spinal fluid analysis may be necessary to determine meningitis or encephalitis.

Idiopathic epilepsy is usually the cause of seizures in patients under 4 years of age but can occur in older patients who have sustained serious head trauma.

I am sorry that the biopsy of the lymph node has not come back yet because that may give you the answer.

It is very unlikely that anesthesia caused a seizure disorder in your dog.