Witnessing your pet have a seizure can be an incredibly scary experience. Understanding the causes, recognizing the symptoms, and knowing how to respond are crucial steps in providing the best care for your pet. Your veterinarian and veterinary neurologist are here to help guide you through this experience, and help keep your loved ones comfortable during this difficult time.
What is a Seizure?
A seizure occurs when there is abnormal electrical activity in the brain, leading to sudden, uncontrolled movements of the body. Seizures can vary significantly in severity; some may affect the entire body, while others might only involve a specific part. During a seizure, your pet may appear unresponsive or unconscious, and it’s not uncommon for them to lose control of their bowels or bladder.
Types of Seizures
There are several types of seizures that pets may experience and knowing the difference can help you better understand what’s happening during an episode. Seizures can be classified into two main categories:
Generalized Seizures: These affect the whole body and will cause your pet to lose consciousness. They will often demonstrate tonic, clonic, or tonic-clonic movements of their extremities. In humans, these are often referred to as grand-mal seizures.
Partial Seizures:
During a partial seizure, the patient does not lose consciousness. They may still have involuntary movements of the body, drool, or demonstrate other autonomic behaviors (i.e. vomit, urinate, defecate). During a complex partial seizure a patient may demonstrate abnormal behavior such as aggression, manic behavior, or other similar changes.
Common Causes of Seizures in Pets
There are many reasons why a pet may be having seizures, but they fall into three (3) main categories.
- Reactive Seizures:
Reactive seizures result due to a toxin exposure often resulting from ingestion of poisonous substances like pesticides or human medications. Once the toxin is metabolized from the body, the seizures should stop. - Metabolic and Electrolyte Associated Encephalopathies:
Metabolic encephalopathy means that toxins are building up in the body due to systemic disease such as a liver shunt, liver failure, renal failure, etc. Electrolyte associated encephalopathy occurs when the electrolytes are significantly outside of the normal reference range; examples are hypoglycemia (low glucose) and hypocalcemia (low calcium). Bloodwork usually shows evidence of these disorders. - Primary Epilepsy.
This is the most common reason for seizures in small animal veterinary medicine. Another name for primary epilepsy is idiopathic epilepsy. A structural cause for the seizures cannot be found via bloodwork, history, MRI, or CSF tap. Many of these patients might have genetic/inherited epilepsy, but it is difficult to prove this with our current knowledge. Most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy start having seizures between 6 months and 6 years. This is a lifelong disorder. - Secondary Epilepsy: Secondary epilepsy means that a structural cause can be found on MRI and/or CSF tap. Common causes include neoplasia (brain tumor/cancer), an infarct (stroke), meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain), congenital malformation (i.e. hydrocephalus), and others.
What to do When Your Pet Has a Seizure
Witnessing your loved one have a seizure is very distressing and can be scary, but if you follow these four steps you’ll be ready.
- Stay Calm: Your composure will help your pet feel more secure.
- Ensure Safety: Move objects away that could harm your pet. Avoid touching their mouth; they won’t swallow their tongue, but you might get bitten unintentionally.
- Time the Seizure: Note the duration. If it lasts more than 5 minutes, seek immediate veterinary assistance.
- Provide Comfort Post-Seizure: Pets are often disoriented afterward, so speak softly and offer a quiet space for recovery.
After the Seizure
A seizure episode is divided into three distinct periods: pre-ictal, ictal, and post-ictal.
- Post-ictal period occurs immediately following the seizure. Common behaviors demonstrated by the patient include blindness, ataxia (wobbly gait), lethargy, anxiousness, aggression, hyperactivity, etc. There is nothing you can do during this period but give them time. The post-ictal period is a normal part of a seizure, and usually within minutes to several hours they will return to normal. Anticonvulsants may help decrease the duration and severity of post-ictal behaviors.
When is a Seizure an Emergency?
There are certain situations that will require emergency veterinary intervention.
- Status epileptics is defined as a seizure (ictal period) lasting longer than 5 minutes, or a patient that is continuously going in and out of seizures without fully recovering in between for more than 15 minutes. If your pet is having an episode of status epilepticus, please present them to a veterinarian for immediate care.
- Cluster seizures are defined as more than one seizure in a 24 hour period. Many epileptics routinely have cluster seizures, and it isn’t necessary to take them to the ER each time. However, if the number of seizures seems excessive for their history, or it is the first time they have clustered, please contact your veterinarian for further recommendations.
While seizures in pets are alarming, understanding their nature and knowing how to respond can make a significant difference in your pet’s quality of life. Regular veterinary check-ups and prompt attention to seizure activity are vital in managing this condition effectively.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact Wisconsin Veterinary Neurology & Surgical Center.
