About Seizures in Labradors

Labrador retrievers have seizures for a variety of reasons, including bad reactions to medications, ingesting poison or an illness. Seizures vary in frequency and intensity. Seizures can be very mild (a brief bout of staggering) to the truly frightening grand mal seizure (where the dog is lying down and going into spasms).

  1. Time Frame

    • Vet and writer T.J. Dunn, Jr. recommends that all seizures be timed. The average length of time for a seizure is 30 seconds. Any seizure over five minutes needs emergency veterinary treatment.

    Epilepsy

    • Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook says that Labradors only rarely get epilepsy. In epilepsy, the Labrador repeatedly has seizures for ten seconds to five minutes seconds at a time.

    Considerations

    • Because of a Labrador's insatiable appetite, the seizure may be due to eating something he shouldn't have. Poisoning not only brings on seizures, but also diarrhea, vomiting, trembling and loss of coordination.

    During Seizures

    • Labradors have the strength to knock furniture and people over when they are in seizures. Move everything and everyone away from them and dim the lights, if possible. The dog will not swallow its tongue.

    Aftermath

    • After a seizure, a Labrador may seem exhausted, confused and scared. Speak softly and try to keep as calm as possible while cleaning up any mess. Be aware that the Labrador may lose bladder control during the seizure.