Aa
Cooling a dog down with water during seizure
My dog was having a seizure - Lost control of muscles, body function, fell over, eyes rolled in head, she acted like was dying, etc. I held my dog, comforted her, and was not sure what to do. I massaged her heart and also rubbed her face down with a watered towel believing that the wetness would jolt her back to normalcy. My mother freaked out stating that putting water on my dog would do more harm than good. It seemed to work though. Was I wrong in doing so and was my mother right? I really need an answer as it's presently causing a lot of friction between my mother and I as we are now not speaking due to a heated argument over this situation. Thank You!!.............
I don't think the water will matter either way as long as he can breathe. My dog has had epilepsy since he was 3y old. I have heard of putting ice packs on their back and tried it once - it seemed to work but it is hard to tell because seizures usually don't last that long anyways. When my dog is about to have one he will find us and I really think it comforts him when we sit with him and pet him and talk him through it. In case you dog has epilepsy, I just want to mention that we tried phenobarb and he still had seizures so we changed to Potassium bromide. It works GREAT!!!! Our dog has not had a seizure in over a year. (On phenobarb it was still every 2 weeks or so). Best of luck!
I had never heard anything about water or damp rags being used on seizuring patients, this was the first place I ever read that. If I think about it, though, I don't know that it would help by cooling down the area, I would think that perhaps the benefit would come from the change in temperature acting as a stimulus to break the seizure. Think of being in a trance and then having someone put a cool rag on you. It would change the signals going to the brain, so maybe that's how it works? I really can't say. I DO know that talking to them, repeating their name and telling them they're OK helps to break the seizure because it's a familiar sound being picked up and registering in the brain, breaking the seizure by interrupting the messed up signal that caused it. As I said, perhaps the difference in temperature of the wet cloth does the same thing, and that's why it works, and not so much because of the fact that it cools the area down. I'll have to do a bit more research on this, just for future reference.
Ghilly
Ghilly
A dah. I read over what I had typed earlier. I don't know why I typed out pred. I meant to say phenobarb.
The only thing I really do question is the damp wash cloth to the forehead, underarms and back legs. I was told by two specialist to do this to relieve the extra pressure put on the brain and to cool them down. There temps can max during grand mals. Maybe times have changed or different practices differ. It's been a few years for me since working in the field but I was always told to check the temp and cool them down first. Like I said though it's been a few years.
The only thing I really do question is the damp wash cloth to the forehead, underarms and back legs. I was told by two specialist to do this to relieve the extra pressure put on the brain and to cool them down. There temps can max during grand mals. Maybe times have changed or different practices differ. It's been a few years for me since working in the field but I was always told to check the temp and cool them down first. Like I said though it's been a few years.
I'm so sorry! I got so caught up in my own typing I didn't really address your question. :-)
On the water issue, you're both wrong, so kiss and make up with your mum. Unless a seizure is brought on by heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke, water makes no difference. The dog will only wake up wondering why he's all wet!
On the water issue, you're both wrong, so kiss and make up with your mum. Unless a seizure is brought on by heat exhaustion or worse, heat stroke, water makes no difference. The dog will only wake up wondering why he's all wet!
Definitely keep your hands away from the mouth of a dog (or human) who is having a seizure. I'm so glad Ghilly brought up that old wives' tale, because too many people still believe it and have the injuries to prove it. A person or animal in seizure does NOT swallow his tongue. It may sound like that's what is happening, but it isn't.
The only thing you can do is to wait it out. Most seizures don't last long - except for the person viewing it. Then it seems to go on forever. Our neighbor's lab started having regular seizures when he was about 2 or 3. He has full-blown grand mal seizures about every 8 weeks - with phenobarbitol. The meds haven't changed his personality or energy level one bit, and have decreased the incidents from one or two a week to one every couple of months. In the beginning, he would lose bowel and bladder control, but never fell down. He's 120 pounds of solid muscle and the greatest danger is for him to ram into furniture or something that will phyisically harm him. He always moves in a clockwise circle during a seizure. We have a pool babysit King frequently, so he can't be out back unsupervised.
Some dogs may develop occasional seizures as they age, and depending on what is happening in the brain, they may have one or two and never have another. Record keeping is essential to discover seizures, so make a note of everything that happened including time of day, diet changes, activity, even things like lights and odd sounds. Our vet tells us he has a dog who had terrible seizures for months until his owners figured out it happened every time their doorbell rang. Yes, the doorbell was disconnected. :-)
Mostly you want to say out of the way and protect your dog from heavy objects until the seizure passes. The above members are correct that these episodes are extremely physically demanding - think running a marathon in a few seconds - and the body needs some serious rest from a physical standpoint.
Try not to be fearful of seizures. They look terribly scary, but they can be treated. King is a classic case of epilepsy in dogs. If it's going to show up, it's usually around age 2 and isn't going to go away. Epilepsy later in life can be a one-time thing or caused by something terminal like a brain tumor or stroke. The best thing you can do for your dog in the recovery stage is to be calm and matter-of-fact. If you send out scared and upset vibes, the dog picks up on it and doesn't understand why you're upset. So take some deep, cleansing breaths, and above all, stay calm and collected. :-)
The only thing you can do is to wait it out. Most seizures don't last long - except for the person viewing it. Then it seems to go on forever. Our neighbor's lab started having regular seizures when he was about 2 or 3. He has full-blown grand mal seizures about every 8 weeks - with phenobarbitol. The meds haven't changed his personality or energy level one bit, and have decreased the incidents from one or two a week to one every couple of months. In the beginning, he would lose bowel and bladder control, but never fell down. He's 120 pounds of solid muscle and the greatest danger is for him to ram into furniture or something that will phyisically harm him. He always moves in a clockwise circle during a seizure. We have a pool babysit King frequently, so he can't be out back unsupervised.
Some dogs may develop occasional seizures as they age, and depending on what is happening in the brain, they may have one or two and never have another. Record keeping is essential to discover seizures, so make a note of everything that happened including time of day, diet changes, activity, even things like lights and odd sounds. Our vet tells us he has a dog who had terrible seizures for months until his owners figured out it happened every time their doorbell rang. Yes, the doorbell was disconnected. :-)
Mostly you want to say out of the way and protect your dog from heavy objects until the seizure passes. The above members are correct that these episodes are extremely physically demanding - think running a marathon in a few seconds - and the body needs some serious rest from a physical standpoint.
Try not to be fearful of seizures. They look terribly scary, but they can be treated. King is a classic case of epilepsy in dogs. If it's going to show up, it's usually around age 2 and isn't going to go away. Epilepsy later in life can be a one-time thing or caused by something terminal like a brain tumor or stroke. The best thing you can do for your dog in the recovery stage is to be calm and matter-of-fact. If you send out scared and upset vibes, the dog picks up on it and doesn't understand why you're upset. So take some deep, cleansing breaths, and above all, stay calm and collected. :-)
Hi. Dogs whenever they have seizures it is important to protect yourself and them by moving furnisher out of the way and possibly putting a towel under their head if they are on a hard surface to prevent their self's from injury. You don't want to hold them due to the fact that restraining them can cause muscle damage, just leave them where they are and get beside them (but watch the jaws). They cannot muscle control their actions, (including jaws) but they can hear you.
Water wiped on their head lightly IS the correct thing to do and speak to them calmly. If they have alot of saliva around their mouth (after they have totally came to) allow them to drink a small amount of ginger ale after stirring some of the bubbles out. This will help to break it down for them and restore them a little afterwards. Later a nice quiet room with low lights are a good idea for her. Car lights or flickering lights (TV) can sometimes trigger another one.
As always with any concern you should have her checked out thoroughly by a vet and have blood work done to rule out anything that could be causing them. Normally they have to rule out everything else before they call it epilepsy. Once they start having 3 or more a day for a week or so then drugs are usually given. My dog was having 5-8/ day for a week or so before they started him on prednisone.
On a lighter note some animals may only have one every month or even year or in a life time even. Better to be safe than sorry though.
Best of wishes to you.
Water wiped on their head lightly IS the correct thing to do and speak to them calmly. If they have alot of saliva around their mouth (after they have totally came to) allow them to drink a small amount of ginger ale after stirring some of the bubbles out. This will help to break it down for them and restore them a little afterwards. Later a nice quiet room with low lights are a good idea for her. Car lights or flickering lights (TV) can sometimes trigger another one.
As always with any concern you should have her checked out thoroughly by a vet and have blood work done to rule out anything that could be causing them. Normally they have to rule out everything else before they call it epilepsy. Once they start having 3 or more a day for a week or so then drugs are usually given. My dog was having 5-8/ day for a week or so before they started him on prednisone.
On a lighter note some animals may only have one every month or even year or in a life time even. Better to be safe than sorry though.
Best of wishes to you.
During an epileptic seizure, the most important thing to do is to make sure the dog (or person) doesn't hurt themselves. It is completely an old wive's tale that they can swallow their tongue, so don't worry about that.
Rather than putting water on her, what you CAN do is stroke her and talk to her soothingly, but in a firm voice. Say her name and keep telling her that she is OK. Even though she is seizuring, the sound of your voice DOES get through, and it helps to bring them out of the seizure sooner. For a day or so after the seizure, keep her fairly quiet. You don't have to baby her, but if, for instance, she has a seizure on a Friday, don't take her on a five mile hike on Saturday. Seizuring takes a toll on the body. Muscles tense up, and in humans, the post-seizure day usually involves a headache and feeling lousy in general, so figure there's a good chance your dog feels kind of the same way. Talk to your vet about it. If the seizures begin to come more frequently, you might want to consider putting her on an anti-seizure medication so that her life isn't totally interrupted by frequent seizures. If she only has them three or four times a year, however, try to maintain her without medication, since anti-seizure medication is rough on the body in its own way. It takes some getting used to, and she will sleep a lot and not be herself until she adjusts to the meds if she has to go on them.
Something that you can do to try to reduce the incidence of seizures is to keep a journal of everything she eats and does, and try to draw parallels between foods and/or activities and the occurrence of the seizures. It has been proven that certain food dyes can trigger seizures, so try to either provide home cooking for your dog or feed a natural food that doesn't have dyes in it. Human epileptics are instructed to drink clear sodas (7-Up or Sprite) and not colas or other colorful drinks because the dyes in them can trigger seizure episodes. Instead of buying cookies and treats at the store, make homemade treats for your dog. There are a million and one recipes on the Internet for homemade dog cookies and they'll be a lot healthier for her than all the commercial treats with food dyes in them.
Ghilly
Rather than putting water on her, what you CAN do is stroke her and talk to her soothingly, but in a firm voice. Say her name and keep telling her that she is OK. Even though she is seizuring, the sound of your voice DOES get through, and it helps to bring them out of the seizure sooner. For a day or so after the seizure, keep her fairly quiet. You don't have to baby her, but if, for instance, she has a seizure on a Friday, don't take her on a five mile hike on Saturday. Seizuring takes a toll on the body. Muscles tense up, and in humans, the post-seizure day usually involves a headache and feeling lousy in general, so figure there's a good chance your dog feels kind of the same way. Talk to your vet about it. If the seizures begin to come more frequently, you might want to consider putting her on an anti-seizure medication so that her life isn't totally interrupted by frequent seizures. If she only has them three or four times a year, however, try to maintain her without medication, since anti-seizure medication is rough on the body in its own way. It takes some getting used to, and she will sleep a lot and not be herself until she adjusts to the meds if she has to go on them.
Something that you can do to try to reduce the incidence of seizures is to keep a journal of everything she eats and does, and try to draw parallels between foods and/or activities and the occurrence of the seizures. It has been proven that certain food dyes can trigger seizures, so try to either provide home cooking for your dog or feed a natural food that doesn't have dyes in it. Human epileptics are instructed to drink clear sodas (7-Up or Sprite) and not colas or other colorful drinks because the dyes in them can trigger seizure episodes. Instead of buying cookies and treats at the store, make homemade treats for your dog. There are a million and one recipes on the Internet for homemade dog cookies and they'll be a lot healthier for her than all the commercial treats with food dyes in them.
Ghilly
Since the dog is unconscious during a seizure, it is not likely that she noticed the water on her face or that it had any effect on her (however, you should stay away from the face/mouth during a seizure in case the dog snaps her jaw - you do not want your fingers there!). If you are looking for something to do to try and tame the seizure as it is happening, several scientific studies have proven that applying an ice pack to the back during a seizure can lower the duration and severity of the seizure. Try that next time :)
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/icepack.htm
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/icepack.htm
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