seizures

[Myown]

Hi!
My mothers dog has been having seizures once a month. We took her to the vet and the vet did a blood test and the dog was low on b12 which can cause seizures, Liver enzymes were fine.

It lasts about 3 minutes and when she comes out of them she wobbles, but then its as if she can't remember them and is happy.

The vet said that it is very hard to find out why a dog has seizures. She doesn't think its a tumor, but if they come more frequent she would want to do more tests.  She is part husky it seems, curled tail etc. I was reading malmute type dogs are sometimes prone to seizures.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience they can share.

Thank you

[Barkeater]

My golden retriever had seizures, occasionally and affecting his back half.  Three minute events that left him wobbly and confused but that passed quickly.  We may have seen three or four a year from ages two to five, but then the frequency increased.  On May 29 and May 31, 2009, he had seizures.  The vet had said they could give him a doggie downer, but it would dope him up and not make for a good quality of life.  

Meanwhile, I was doing deep reading on prevention of heart disease by means other than statins (they were causing bad side effects for me), and had started to supplement magnesium.  Magnesium is implicated in hundreds of biological functions.  Magnesium is essential at the cellular level for the process of muscle relaxation (as an instantaneous thing).  Modern diets almost universally fail to deliver the recommended daily levels of magnesium.  Humans are to a large extent undernourished in magnesium.  Dog food, it turns out, may have magnesium as an ingredient, but it may be a poorly absorbed form or may be leaching out of the food in the process of its manufacture (I saw one manufacturer admit to this effect).

In short, I started sharing my magnesium supplement with Calvin, my dog.  Since doing so in 2009, he has had only 2 seizures (in six years).  He has been essentially cured.  (Of the two seizures, the first happened when we forgot to supplement for a few weeks.  The second happened when he licked soy sauce off of some aluminum foil.)  

Not all magnesium supplements are well absorbed.  I was using a home brew, which I believe (and some science backs this up) is very easily and quickly absorbed.  It is magnesium water, made by mixing Phillips milk of magnesia with club soda.  The formula was developed by folks with atrial fibralation.  Search on Google for "magnesium water" to find the recipe -  I have posted it many times, and others have too.  Add some to the regular drinking water.  Cost is less than 20 cents a day.  It cured by Golden Retriever.  Any dog with seizures should get it, as it is virtually a no-brainer to try it.  If the problem is a magnesium deficiency, it is unlikely to be diagnosed in any way other than by making it go away with an effective magnesium supplement.  

I have accomplished a few good things in my life, but if you ask me my greatest accomplishment I will tell you it was finding the cure for my dog's seizures.

[grandmaof2babies]

Hello I have been reading up on ur stories on ur dogs with seizures. I have a almost two year old small chihuahua that doesnt weight 5 pounds .Shes has had 3 seizures the past three months. i wish i could find a cheap vet that would help me i cant afford to take her and do all the blood work and meds, its very heart breaking watching her go through this my daughters cries because she belongs to her.

[bonitacasas]

Thank you for the advise. I am going to give my pomeranian /bichon mix the same and see if it works. She has been having siezures for 2 days now.She has had them before but then nothing for awhile. I also thought hypoglycemic. She seems to be very hungry after to no end.

[tourri3]

I can relate to what you went through.....
My wife and I had to put down our Bull Mastiff, (Radar) this past Monday. It was the hardest thing to do.
We had Radar for seven, wonderful years before he had his first seizure. Dr. Reagan believes he developed a brain tumor.
As in your case, we tried meds, up the dosage of meds and it did little. After all was said and done in the two-three months of this situation, Radar's body and mind was spent.
We just got his ashes back today which I'm thankful for. I don't believe in leaving a pet behind. Radar was a huge part of mine and Melonee's life and I made sure he was coming back home in the end.
I posted something on my Facebook Page today that came from my heart. I'll share it with you.....
"Radar came home today. Even though it's not in the physical form, I know he's alive and well in spirit and in my heart. Life is beautiful".
As long as your love and appreciation for your Jojo is strong.... His spirit will never die.

[tourri3]

Hello Miami,

I just read your post and had to respond. I'm hoping you can be of help to me as I'm trying to find answers for my previous experience with the Bullmastiff  Breed.
I had a seven year old bullmastiff, (Radar) who I had to put down yesterday, (08-20-12). He had his first seizure 2 1/2 months ago. We took him to the vet and they were able to give him meds which was working for a short time. About three weeks ago before leaving for Bonita Springs, Florida, Radar had a really bad seizure. We took him to the vet once again that following Monday and boarded him there while we were in Florida. While Radar was at the vet's office, he had two seizures. Dr. Reagan increased the meds and it did prevent further attacks however, Radar wasn't the same when we brought him home. He began barking all the time and wasn't active with my wife, myself or the other two dogs we have.
Radar wondered around the back yard as if he had dementia and acted as if he didn't know who Melonee and I were.
Dr. Reagan informed me a month ago that he suspected that Radar had a brain tumor but without having an MRI and CAT Scan done, (which he didn't suggest because of Radar's age and out of pocket cost) he wasn't 100% sure. He did feel confident enough in his practice/experience that it was indeed the problem. We had the blood work and everything else done which came back negative.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is this.... Does your mastiff have any of these similar symptoms? I'm trying to learn more about the mastiff breed and find out if this is a rare or common disease.
Any suggestions, experience or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I love the Bullmastiff Breed and would like to have another, (once I grieve the loss of my Radar) however, I don't want to go through the heartache and pain that I just endured if this is a common disease. It hurt like hell to say good bye to my friend and companion. I'm thankful I did so because Radar was not the same and it wasn't fair to make him live that kind of life.
Thanks for your time Miami...

[doggiesaysruffruff]

I recently fostered a 3 1/2 month old terrier mix, who was found with his  mother a 5 litter mates tossed out like garbage.  The owner just decided that they did not want them anymore.  The mother from what I was told, was eating garbage to stay alive and to give some nutrition to her babies.  Out of the 6 puppies, 3 were blind and subject to seizures, 3 had coordination problems.   I feel in with "jojo: one of the blind puppies, that had not yet suffered any seizures.    I brought my baby home on July 1, on July 2nd he experienced a grand mal seizures, I held him close and talked to him, he recovered rather quickly.  On July 2, he had 3 more seizures, a bit longer in length,  On July 4,  4 more seizures, took him to the vet, and they ran blood work, came back normal.  Doctor put him on phenobartial, brought him home, and ihs seizures became more violent (bitting, snarling, ) and the duration increased.  July 5, took him to an ER clinic to have neurologic test run (MRI and spinal tap)  MRI showed gross abnormalities in the brain, and the Spinal tap was normal.  The vet added another seizure med.  July 6, more seizures.   July 7, my precious angel seized almost every hour, each one lasting longer and hardly no recovery.  July 8, the decision was made by the director of the shelter, that this could no longer go on.  His little body could not take nymore.   A painful decision to put my jojo to sleep was made.   I brought him back to the ER clinic, and was going to stay until the end, however, because he had no veins left, they sedated him and brought his almost lifeless body back to me to say goodbye.   As I held his lifeless body, I told him it was OK, he could go and join the puppies that were well and could see.   My baby loved watermelon and popsicles, and told him that there would be an abundant amount of both.    They say that dogs are not able to feel pain when in seizures, but if anyone has witness and heard the screams and cries that they exhibit, would definetly agrue that point.    I know in my mind that jojo is in a better place, and there is no more pain.  But my heart is broken, and cries for this little angel.   I only had him in my life for a week, but in that short week, he stole my heart and the very essence of my love for him.   I miss him terribly, and still cry at night.   I hope that everyone who has had to make the painful decision to allow your pet to go, has kept a token of them.  I have his collar, his tag from the shelter, and his blanket that they brought him to me just a week before.   What will keep us alive and going, is knowing that our baby is always with us and is just on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.  I urge people to write about their angel and to shtleare it  with others.    And although they are gone in body, their spirit, their love lives on in our hearts and our lives.   We are a better person because of them.  Our little angel.

[Tobytime]

Wow I just experienced the exact same situation with my 11 1/2 yr dog. He was having seizures that started 6 months ago. The vet said his sugar was high and we put him on insulin. he went 3 months without a seizure then had 5 in one day. The last one lasting a good 5 minutes. We rushed him to the vet and they recommended we put him to sleep because of his age and the number of sudden seizures. He was panting heavily all day and was definitly not acting himself. The vet said he could go into cardiac arrest or stroke if he had another seizure. We decided to put him to sleep. Now i read about all these different seizures meds and I second guess myself about putting him to sleep. 11 yr old dog is not that old. For 3 months he was fine and then one day the damn seizures wouldn't stop..ugh. Hardest decision of my life :(

[jennie445]

Hello Kate,

I am so sorry for your loss, i am going through the same thing with my 12 year old shitzu, and having a very hard time too, Henry has been having seizures for the past 5 months, there about 30 seconds at a time, i came in from taking him out this morning and he took another one as he was going, he started to yelp, i hate seeing him like this, when this happens I pick him up and hold him tightly, that calms him down and then he is okay, what should i do? he still seems to be happy, he eat well.  I need advise this is hurting me to see Henry like this, I want to to what is best.

[shanga]

This past Wednesdy 11/16/11.  I found my little yorkie in his room having a seizure and I picked him up and tried to comfort him as I always did.  This time he didn't seem to come around the way that had before.  He has had seizures in the past but they only lasted for about two or three minutes.  This time it went on what seemed like forever.  He would seem to come around for a minute and then another one would start.  It lasted for over 45min and I called the vet.  They told me to bring him in right away.  He had calmed down when I first got there and then he started up again uncontrollably.  It was a grand mal seizure and I knew he was almost gone.  The doctor came out and told me that she gave him valium but when he first got there they couldn't get a reading on his vital signs.  I was told that it would be over two hours before they would know if he would come out of it or not and if he did she couldn't promise me a good prognosis.  I asked her if I should have him put down and the doctor told me that if I did she didn't think I was a bad person. I asked if I could hold him when she put him to sleep and she told me yes.  We went into the room and she put him in my arms with a towel wrapped around him and she gave me a few minutes to say my goodbyes even though he was not aware of anything.  His eyes were open but they were blank and his little tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth.  He had a very loud breathing sound coming from him that was almost a gurling sound.  Finally it was time and she gave him the needle in his little vein and in a second the sound stopped.  He was finally at peace.  The sound stopped without a jerk or anything from him.  He was gone and my heart was broken.  I cried and held him for a few minutes and finally gave him to her to get him cremated.  He will have a personal cremation and I will be bringing his ashes home.  I have other dogs and they are all depressed because they know that their little brother is no longer there.  I pray that I did the right thing.  I cried for two days and just today I finally was able to get out of bed.  I had him for 71/2 yrs and had gotten him from a person who's boyfriend abused him.  It took him a long time to get used to us but finally he did.  Now my little baby is gone and I pray that the pain will get easier with each passing day.

[joshiewashie]

I am glad to hear that this has been a great site for you to find information and get answers to a lot of your questions about your dog. I know that it isn't easy when you see things happen that look harmful to your loved ones, but continue to be strong and know that you are in our prayers. Thanks so much! www.bulldoggesoftexas.com

[Carvx2]

This forum has been tons of help, thank you~ My 4yr chow/newfoundland had a siezure early this morning, less then 3 minutes and he jumped on the bed and laid in between my boyfriend and I before  it happened! Such a sweet pup letting us know that something is wrong, it scared us half to death due to having to put down my boyfriends cat just recently :0(  Called the emergency vet and they let us know what to do. Taking Samson to the Vet this afternoon, just for testing....I may try the honey thing and there is also some supplements that are natural that are supposed to help with seizures.. Again thank you all again for your experiences it has helped a ton, animals are family and I dont know what i would do with out thier love and devotion!

[Trish551109]

MY 1 YEAR OLD BULLMASTIFF GEORGE has started having fits. I took him to the vets she said it can happen to any dog and wasn,t too worried. She gave him an MOT and assured me he was fine. Tonight he had a massive fit, wetting himself and loosing control of his bowels. We thought he was choking on his tounge it was so bad and it really scared us. Now I just don,t know what to do, what if it is a brain tumor, or something else. I was reading about honey and shall buy some tomorrow. Has anybody got advice? it would be much appreciated.

Trish Tommy and Daniel

[BaileyjdlkJennifer]

Thanks

Regards
jenny
canada pharmacy online

[Jaybay]

Since honey isn't exactly a proven method for treating seizures, you're guess on dosage is as good as mine.  LOL!  I would say at least a tablespoon for a bull mastiff, and maybe two.

Start today and keep a journal of your dog's seizures.  Include time of day it happened; length of the seizure; how long it took your dog to recover; and any other possible triggers.  Some seizures can be triggered by something as mundane as the doorbell ringing or a light coming on.

Also, call your vet and have his staff record every seizure event.  This may be one of those odd things that happen with senior dogs for no apparent reason.  I had one dog who had two seizures when he turned 10, and never had another one over the course of the rest of his 4 years.  

Seizures are really more frightening for the people who see it rather than the patient.  All you can do is calmly wait it out and keep your dog away from furniture or anything else he might hurt himself by thrashing into.  Loss of bowel and bladder control and howling or barking are also common to seizures, so try not to worry about that part of it.  Much depends on exactly where the misfires are happening in the brain as to how the seizures will manifest themselves.

If they become too frequent or severe, the usual first resort is phenobarbitol.  It's a very safe, effective, and inexpensive medication so don't be afraid if your vet recommends it.  Best of luck to you both that this will be a one-time episode.  :-)

[LLorette]

My 8 year old Bullmastiff just had a rather long seizure this morning. My son woke me up (he was in my sons room). After he sat up and looked confused. He then looked like "am I going to get in trouble for going to the bathroom on the floor".  I told him it was okay. I had my son talk to him calming during the seizure and he seemed to come out of it. My son is almost 20 and the dog is his buddy. The dog then got up and acted fine. He was hungry so I waited about 30 minutes and then fed him. He went out to go to the bathroom and is now sleeping. He does also have a ACL problem. I am curious about the honey that I read in other discussions. My question is how much would I give him?

[djmikedavis]

My little Bulldog just had 3 seizures last night. It seems they came out of nowhere. We rushed her to the vet. They kept her overnight and she had the third one in the hospital. We are awaiting word from the vet as to what they may know after running tests on her last night. Seeing her in a seizure was terrifying. She is only 3 years old and hopefully, she'll be Ok. But, I had a Bulldog who was 11 years old and if she had been suffering the way it sounds like your dog was, I think that my love for her would have made me do the same thing you did. I will pray for you and I believe you will see Riley again. God bless.

[Mommy2DB]

Our 15 year old pitbull had her first seizure last night. It was devastating! She started convulsing and foaming from her nose and mouth and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. My hubby and I were trying to be hopefully and chalked it up to a "one off". This morning she seemed like her old self. We have two young children (2 yrs & 7m) so we were cautious with her at first. Well, early this afternoon, she had another massive seizure. This time we knew something was up. My hubby scooped her up and rushed her to the emergency vets. They ran blood work and checked her heart. They said she has an irregular heartbeat and that we should expect the results of the lab tomorrow. The vet told us if they came back inconclusive then our next step would be an MRI or putting her down. The MRI would roughly cost a $3000. I don't want to put a price on our life long friend, but at the same time, it's quite a bit of money. We have already spent over $15 000 on her over her life (she had 3 knee surgeries, hip surgery, yearly allergies, monthly prescription dog food and a gazillion smaller surgeries to test/remove cancer) So, my question is, what are the odds of this passing? Is she still safe to be around my children? Should I expect more seizures? Is there anything I could ask the vet for to reduce them? Also, if we do need to put her down, is there anything that I could get so we could do it at home? The thought of her being put to sleep on a cold, metal lab table just brings me to tears. Please...anyone...I feel like we are losing her :(  

[Ghilly]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this with your dog.

There is no good way to say this, but I agree with your vet.  Since his personality is altered at times now, and since he has already bitten people, it's not fair to him or to any rescue group to put him with them.  As a known biter, he would be considered unadoptable.

I can only tell you what my thoughts would be if it were me in this situation.  I would rather take the dog to the vet myself to be put down.  That way, there is closure for me, I was there with him when he passed, and I would know where he was.  If he were to go to a rescue, I couldn't stand not knowing what had happened to him.  

From the sounds of your post, you have pretty much decided what you want to do, you just have to get up the courage to do it.  You said that you are emotionally and financially drained.  If he bites someone else, they could end up taking you to court and you might lose a lot more than you already have.  It's obvious that you are the type to go to the ends of the earth for your dog, as evidenced by the fact that you spent all that money on his surgery, so PLEASE don't feel as though you are somehow letting him down, because that's most definitely not the case.  We're only human.  We can only handle just so much, and you have to do what you have to do before you have nothing left in your bank account and your psychological reserves are drained.

Since your vet thinks the dog should be put down, could you maybe talk to him about coming to your house to do it?  Many vets will do that.  They might charge a few dollars more to cover the cost of gas, but after they close the hospital for the day they will come to your house where both you and the dog are more relaxed and not all keyed up about having to deal with other people and pets in the waiting room.  The vet will then take the dog with him back to the clinic for whatever you want done (cremation, etc.).

I feel so awful writing this post.  I really do.  I know you wanted someone to say ANYTHING but what I wrote, but in this situation I really can't.  To this point it doesn't sound as if anyone has been seriously hurt by a bite, but you never know now when that will change, and if he bites the wrong person, it could be financially totally devastating for you.  I wish I could offer ANY other type of advice, I truly do.  Unfortunately, in this case, I can't.  I truly apologize for not being able to give you a less devastating opinion.  If you need to talk, PM me any time.  I'm so sorry.  

Ghilly

[kimpage917]

I need some help...I have a 9 year old adopted husky that I have had for 5 years and has been having seizures for the past 4 years. He has been Phenobarbital for years now, but he continues to have seizures at least once a month. Recently, the vet put him on pb, yet he still continues to have them. And on top of all this, Marley just bite a vet tect at the place I was bording him at when I went out of town. Not just a bite, Marley clamped down on her hand and wouldn't let go. He becomes aggressive after his seizures, wanting to chew anything is his site and I have even feel victim to a bite before on the back of the leg.

I am really considering putting him down among other reasons other than not being able to control his seizures. Last year he ate a sock, twisted and busted his intestines, which now I am $5K debt because of and he has to eat "special" $50 a bag food because of the surgery. He is developing cataracts is both eyes and he has seperation anxienty to where he urinates on my carpet every time I leave my house. I have become emotional and financial drained.

I have contacted all these rescue but no one will return my emails or calls. I know that they are overwhelmed with dogs as it is, much less take in one with all these problems.

I need some feedback in what someone would do in my situation!!! The vet says that I should put him down but I don't know if I can bring myself to it. He acts normal and bouces around. PLEASE HELP!!!

[miamidoglover]

My 9 year old Bullmastiff has had 4 seizures today.  It is likely due to a brain tumor as he is living with cancer.  My wife and child are distraught, and I am faced with putting down this gentle dog.  The seizures began just ten days ago.  The vet gave me the anti-seizure medication today, though it does not seem to be helping, and the seizures are coming more frequently.
In between the seizures, he does seem "happy", adding to the difficultly of the pending decision.  Rough and emotional day.

[aayeye]

It has been no more than two hours since I had my beloved 13-year old beagle put down.  Last night she started having violent grand mal seizures.  They lasted possibly more than 5 minutes each time (there were a total of three that I saw).  I noticed her vitality waning over the past couple of months;  I knew she was dying, but she didn't seem to be suffering.  When she started seizing,  I felt certain that her time had come.  Her little body was shutting down.
The vet gave me a strong injectible seditave to give her before taking her in.  She went peacefully.  I was so frightened to be with her in the room,  but I chose to do so reguardless.  As painful as it was, this was the right decision.
Sometimes I would stare into her sweet brown eyes and wonder how I would ever cope with the day our time together would be over.  Although I'm in shock over losing her today,  Seeing her become so violently ill with seizures helps me realize that her death is a type of healing. Her pain is over.  My fear of her pain is over.   How precious her life was to me.  

Love to you,  Andy

[shadowpaul]

I noticed this post and i needed to talk to someone!

My Dog had a seizure 12 months ago and then in February! WE called the vet straight away and they said let us know what happens if he has a third one..My doggies called Shadow :( ok!
So last week he started crying really loud, like ear piercing cries. WE rang the vet and they said he should be ok because it only happened for 40 seconds. What happens is he screams, we run outside, we calm him down, his whole body goes stiff, and his leg raises. It happened 3 times that night so we took him in!! THE VET said ohh, it could be his bones!!! This is the same vet that told me 12 months ago that he was ok after the seizures, So every night from last week its happened 3-4 times a night. We made an appointment with another vet and i was just told it most likely is a brain tumour! and im just...yeh!

My poor shadow has to suffer because of stupid vets!! so my advice, please if anything like this happens go to all vets and get the answers that will help him....We have not much money but id rather not eat than to see him suffer, he is family and he is 7 years old!!

So now im waiting for the vets to tell me more!! so people dont leave it like i did!! and ii know what you are going through is so hard and im dealing with it at this moment! take care!!

--paul

[fossilflower]

I noticed your post and wanted to tell you that I went through the same exact thing with my Emily several years ago. I also had regrets to, but you did do the right thing. I say this because the dog was suffering. My dog had 14 seizures in one day and after I already spent 1000.00 I finally had to euthanize the dog and I regretted it so much, it crushed me to. Try not to beat yourself up over it. Give your self time to heal some before you adopt another dog. I waited a year and now I have my Tango, I have had him 6 years in October. Last year I rescued Traci a sweet 3 leg dog, and last week I just got Teddy Bear who wandered up. My heart goes out to you, I know that is soooo hard.

[happyend]

HI,
  Well just throwing my two cents worth in and each case is obviously different. I have a Yorkie who was having mild seizure problems. Have never put him on any seizure meds as yet and hope not to. He had a seizure in the middle of the night and I called an emergency number for a vet and he recommended a few things.... keep him calm, , place a cool wet clothe on him to cool him a bit and the most amazing important part that "to this day" seems to keep his seizure's away is he said give him a teaspoon of "honey". Its an all natural immediate burst of energy because it breaks down and enters the bloodstream quickly. I've since started giving him a half a teaspoon or so once a day every day or every other day and he hasnt really had any seizures to this point since then, which has been over a year.
Then about 8 months ago a family member's bf bought a Shi-Zhu puppy and it started having seizures daily and even when not was randomly running into walls and always seemingly disoriented. They tried everything...meds...etc etc etc..nothing worked. They were tired of seeing it suffer that way. The very day they were going to take it to the vet to have it put to sleep, my neice called to ask if I knew of any advice or vets who might try something different. I thought what I had been doing with my Yorkie was worth a try. I recommended they give it a teaspoon of honey and do that daily to see if anything improved. By miracle and grace...from that very day the dog has not had another seizure, is no longer disoriented and is totally normal and healthy. My belief is that often seizures are only looked at as nervous system or brain related? I think that alot of our dogs seizures are due to hypoglycemia. Therefore the small amount of natural sugar and healthy compounds in honey help to regulate this problem. Just wanted to share this bit of information that can possibly help and save the life of our loving pets. I would recommend a good organic or raw honey. Most commercial honeys are to processed. But honey seems to work nonetheless.
I guess you would have to adjust the amount to size of dog obviously. I do about a half teaspoon a day or so for my yorkie. He's responded well so far. With God's grace hopefully he'll continue to be spared that awful process.
                                                                   Thanks..Kenneth
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