Puppy having seizures?? Mystery illness! - Page 1

  I have a 5 mon. old puppy who is having mystery episodes. The first occurrence was 3 mon. ago. I had taken the pup to work with me and put him out in a run for a few minutes. I brought him back in and he seemed to stare into space, became weak, vomited and had a staggered gait and could not stand. Rushed him to the vet who tested for hypoglycemia,normal. He then ran a blood panel in the office to check liver values for the possibility of a shunt, they also came back normal. Left the vet with no answers, he slept for a few hours and returned to normal. All was fine until yesterday when I bathed him, he does not like a bath and was stressed from the experience, about an hour later the same thing occurred, I immediately called the vet who suggested we run bloodwork again to check liver values,  took him in first thing this am, again they were completely normal. We talked about the possibility of epilepsy and are doing a bile acids tomm. to completely rule out a shunt. He does not have any of the frequently seen symptoms of a shunt, he does not vomit after eating and this has been 3 mon. since the last. My heart is breaking over this and was hoping someone else may have had a similar problem. He has not gotten into any toxins or cleaners. Today he was still a bit wobbly and had back and forth eye movement , he is eating well and is alert. I have thought about  Addisons but the vet does not seem to think that, I understand that if they have an addisons"crash" they would not recover well without medical intervention. I am at a loss and would appreciate any help you could give.

I'm sorry but personally I would put the dog to sleep rather than see it suffering this way.   It obviously should never be bred even if it survives.   And if it survives what kind of life will it have?   

I'm getting hard in my old age .   And believe in survival of the fitest more than ever these days.

You have my sympathy.

Maybe someone else can give you a better responce.

I'd wait and see how he goes before making any decision to euthenase him.  If it is epilepsy and if he only fits occasionally, he can have a good quality of life as a pet, though obviously he is not a breeding prospect.  Sorry that I don't have any suggestions as to the cause, just hope you find a solution.

Margaret N-J

any temperature?

No temperature.

It's a pup I would think the potential to outgrow this problem is there.  I wouldn't let the vet continue to waste my money on looking for liver shunts, though.  If the symptoms are lacking and he was cleared before, time to look elsewhere.

Don't be too sure your pup is not coming in contact with something toxic.  If you are leaving him outside at work, perhaps a co-worker or neighboring business owner, doesn't like you or the dog?  Take no chances leaving this dog unattented when other people can have access to him. 

Thanks Sue Ann. He is never unattended in the yard, and is crated while at work. I have had several other people that I know tell me that they have seen these symptoms before in severe food allergies. Has anyone heard that?

mking,

You stated that he had not gotten into any toxins or cleaners.  How about Frontline or other insecticides?

Good luck with your boy,

Diane

The back and forth eye movement is called nystygamus, and indicates a problem with the brain. It's one of the things doctors use to diagnose a concussion in humans. I have known two epileptic dogs personally, and the ill effects of the seizure pass off fairly quickly. He should not be still wobbly the next day. I'd have the vet check for a possible brain tumor, or other neurological problem.

My mom's Springer is epileptic. He gets daily medication, and has not had a seizure in eight years. He is now 13 years old, and has had a long, happy life.

Geezus, absolutely brilliant advice, Two Moons.

Mking, there is a rare form of epilepsy that manifests itself in puppies. I know others who have  dogs like yours. They are doing well with anti-seizure meds, dietary changes and supplements. Some only have an occasional seizure, some have none. There is a lot more known today about seizures in dogs than there was 5 years ago.  The AKC canine health foundation is in the process of studying this disease. There are other studies that have been completed and some genes have been identified in dogs that are epileptic or that carry the disease. It is very common in the dog world. If you google canine epilepsy you will find a number of web sites and Yahoo support groups for people with dogs that have epilepsy.  It is not hopeless.  If you want, you can contact me via this board. I'll put you in touch with a few people I know who own dogs that seizure. Personally I would never vaccinate this dog again for anything. How many vacs has he had so far and were any given before he seizured?

Often seizures in dogs are diagnosed as idiopathic, no cause found. Sometimes puppies outgrown the tendency. You have already ruled out environmental contaminants, but every now and then I hear of a dog that seizured due to something we would consider innocuous like a certain odor or a visual stimulus. Many seizures are triggered by excitement or stress. This is why I think it is important for you to join a support group where you can learn from the experiences of other dog onwners. Vets don't always have all the answers. A liver shunt and a brain tumor must be ruled out.

At any rate, don't give up on your dog just yet. A friend's eplieptic dog will turn 14 in September. They have not abserved her seizuring for 5 years now. She has led a very happy life. Good luck, I feel for you.