seizures

I have a new puppy at 10 weeks old she started having seizures,she has had 3 seizures everything checks out fine at the vets.  I now found out that 3 out of the 5 puppies from the same litter are having seizures.  Has anyone ever heard of this?

[Jaybay]

It's not uncommon in purebred dogs to have these kinds of problems become genetically built in to a breeding line.  I hope to heaven that whoever bred your puppy will spay and neuter the parents.  

Have any imaging studies like an MRI or CT scan been done on your pup?  When dogs develop epilepsy at a young age an underlying cause is usually not found.  In older dogs you'd look for something like strokes or a growth in the brain.

Is your vet recommending any medication like phenobarbitol at this point?  Epilepsy can be managed in dogs - just like people - so right now there is every reason to hope that your pup will have a normal life.  She'll probably have seizures off and on even with medication, but try to remember they're actually harder on the people watching than the dog.  Try to keep strict records of seizure dates, times and circumstances.  You may be lucky enough to pinpoint a trigger (or triggers) and avoid them.

[jeankow]

my vet is not yet treating Sugar for her seizures he feels she is to young for the medication because of all the side effects.  I quess they should aleast be 6 months old for the medication.  You are right it is very hard on me and my husband when she has a seizure.  We have everything done except the ct scan or mri my vet suggest we wait until she is older he is hoping that she may out grow the seizures.

[Jaybay]

That sounds like a reasonable plan to me.  It's certainly possible that the seizures will decrease with time, and hopefully that's what will happen with your pup.  I recall my vet mentioning a patient of his - a shepherd mix who had seizures.  Turned out he had one every single time someone rang the doorbell.  It just took some time to figure out that was the trigger for him.  Obviously, the owners disconnected the doorbell.  LOL!

That's one reason why it's important to keep detailed records of your dog's seizure activity.   You never know - you might get lucky and pinpoint a specific trigger.  

[girlvet]

Just a quick thank you - sorry about the outdated addition.  My 6 mo old pom puppy had a fall about six weeks ago, mild concussion and three days later she was back to her normal diva self.  Ironically this past week Ive noticed what appear to be seizures or "episodes."  Not sure if there is a connection to the former, but she heads to the vet in a couple of hours and I am one worried Mommy. We had to put down our old man (beagle/mutt) a few years back - but he was having much more severe, age-related episodes.  The puppy  "just" twitches with the blank stare, and Ive seen foam twice.  She is very high strung even by pom standards, but loud shrieking noises have "triggered" all events that I have caught her having.  Im hoping for the best!

Thanks for sharing your vet's story - this forum is extremely informative.  Hugs to all of your babies :)