[AmyB]

I'll try not to make this too long. This morning, Spencer had a seizure. I was up & about, but he had not been out of bed yet. I walked in the room & I noticed his head twitching & he had a look in his eyes like he wasn't there. I started petting & talking to him & within a minute, he was in a full seizure - convulsing, head back, tongue out, eyes rolling & he lost control of his bladder. Of course I'm about to lose it. Luckily my sister was next door at my Mom's & I had a phone handy so I called her to come over. The convulsing lasted not more than a couple minutes & then he was out of it for maybe 10 minutes. That time was almost scarier than the actual seizure. He seemed partially paralyzed and his eyes were HUGE & he just stared, obviously not aware of anything. We kept talking to him & petting him & all of a sudden he focused on me, started wagging his tail, got up & started running around the house like a maniac. I called the vet & they had me bring him in. They examined him & drew blood (results due Monday) & told me what I described was actually minor & very typical. They said the wild behavior after the seizure was normal & could last up to a couple hours. It was 4 hours before he calmed down. Since then, he seems ok. I expected him to be exhausted, but he hasn't been. He drank alot of water today & seemed hungrier than usual, which they told me to expect. They gave me all the possibilities of what it could be, but cautioned that it is often difficult to pinpoint the cause & until the bloodwork comes back, I should just watch him. They said if the blood work is normal, they would likely just "wait & see," because treatment is not usually undertaken unless the seizures become frequent or long in duration. I've done a lot of reading & everything they said is in line with what I've read, but now I feel like a first time mama with a brand new baby - I don't want to let him out of my sight. Any one have experience with this?

 

[AmyB]

Thanks finnn, muraysmom and 2 hounds for your comments and good wishes. I talked to Spencer's vet today, and she said his blood test looked good. The only thing out of whack was an enzyme that is secreted by the muscles, but she thought that was due to the seizure & the fact that the muscles were contracting violently. She said for now the recommendation was to just watch him & see if he has another seizure. Since Saturday, he has been doing ok. All day Saturday he was a little off, but seemed normal yesterday & today. The neighbor who lets him out daily came over twice today to make sure he was ok, and he got to spend a few hours outside since the weather was very mild. We had a walk this afternoon, some play time in the yard & he is now sleeping peacefully.

 

[AmyB]

The recent post to this thread brought back a flood of memories. Most of you know my Spencer has been at the Bridge for over a year now. And Kim, I had another Basset named Sadie, also at the Bridge. Anyway, after that first seizure, Spencer had another one about 7 months later. After those 2, he had no more. He was never diagnosed with anything & since he came out of both quickly, the vet was not too concerned. He was an old guy & had some other issues. I would definitely have a dog having daily seizures checked out & I wouldn't wait long.

Worm, yes that is Clifford in my avatar.

I didn't watch the videos posted. Seeing a seizure is horrible.