Mild Seizures in Dogs

While seizures are very disconcerting for a dog owner to watch their dog experience, they are not necessarily a condition that can hinder the dog's quality of life. Knowing what to look for and how to handle the situation can make the condition easier for both the owner and the dog.

  1. Symptoms

    • Most dogs display some type of aura before the onset of the mild seizure. This can include salivating, pacing, urinating, bowel movements and hiding. Some dogs will become listless and others will try to find their owners. The actual actions of a mild seizures may include staring off, mild shaking or localized shaking. This is typically followed by an inability to stand or walk for a short period of time. The dog may also want to sleep following a seizure. Loss of consciousness is not common in a mild seizure.

    Causes

    • Epilepsy is the number one cause for mild seizures. While there is no single test to verify epilepsy, it is typically diagnosed after ruling out other causes for the seizure. These other causes can include brain tumors, cancers, low blood sugar or toxins. While brain tumors can be difficult to diagnosis, cancer, low blood sugar and toxins can be determined by blood tests.

    Safety Procedure

    • If your dog is having a seizure, do not attempt to put your hand in the dog's mouth to prevent the dog from "swallowing" his tongue. This does not happen, especially with mild seizures because the dog is conscious. Stay away from the dog's mouth as he may not be able to control his movements and may bite. Do make sure that the dog is in a safe position and not on a bed or near the stairs. A dog with even mild seizures may fall and injure himself. If you must move the dog, do it from the rear of the dog to prevent injury to your person. It may be easier to move the objects around the dog to prevent injury than to move the dog.

    Treatment

    • If the mild seizures are due to cancer or toxins, treating the conditions can eliminate the seizures. For cancer, there are some drugs available to ease the growth and potentially shrink the cancer. This can also be done with brain tumors once they are diagnosed. Low blood sugar can be caused by a few conditions and finding the condition causing the seizure and treating it. Epilepsy is treated with anti-seizure medication.

    Prognosis

    • Depending upon the cause of the mild seizure, it can be easily controlled with medication or by treating the cause of the seizure. Mild seizures caused by epilepsy can be controlled to help a dog live a good and healthy life. Overall, a dog with seizures for no other underlying reason can go on to live a very good life, with no serious side effects. If the seizures are caused by an underlying condition other than epilepsy, than the prognosis depends upon the condition and the actions done to correct them.