Seizures: Guidelines For Monitoring

Dr. Tracy Graham

GUIDELINES FOR OWNER MONITORING WITH A PET WHO SEIZURES (FIRST TIME OCCURRENCE):

Seizures are due to abnormal electrical conduction within the brain, that results in a loss of consciousness (in most cases), and various physical signs that can be associated with the seizure. These physical signs can show up as any one of the following:

Falling over to one side

Legs "paddling" or generalized trembling/twitching

Jaw "chomping"

Salivation

Urination

Defecation

Eyes "rolled back"

Vocalizing

Most pets will seem anxious, seek out the owners prior to the actual seizure, when the above signs can be seen. The actual seizure usually lasts between 30 seconds to 2 to 3 minutes. Then the pet will seem often disoriented, and "drunk" in appearance, sometimes behaving blind, stumbling about, poorly responsive to his/her environment. This last phase of disorientation can last for as little as 10 minutes to several hours. When your pet has a seizure, be sure to place thick cushions, blanket, etc. between your pet's head and any hard furniture. Be very careful to avoid handling your pet's head directly, since this has often resulted in a biting injury to owner's hands. Your pet is unaware of his/her surroundings when seizuring, and may bite down very hard on your hand and not even realize it. Make sure to pay close attention to what you are witnessing, since we want you to keep a journal of the seizure events. Record in notebook the following:

Time the length of the seizure, and record

Time the length of the "disoriented" phase that follows the seizure, and record -document exactly what signs were seen (from above list) was it associated with any events eg: exercise, eating, drinking, etc ... date and time of seizure.

By keeping a journal, it helps you to know how often your pet is seizuring, and are these getting longer, or more violent? This helps us to counsel you on when is the appropriate time to start anticonvulsant medications, or see a neurologist. The first time your pet has a seizure, we would be recommending blood work and x-rays to be assessed for any systemic problem that may cause the seizure, as well as, examine your pet for any abnormal neurologic or cardiac signs.

YOU NEED TO SEEK IMMEDIATE VETERINARY CARE:

When your pet's seizure is going on to 5 minutes in duration. By definition, this is turning into "status epilepticus" which essentially means a constant state of seizure activity, and if the seizures are not stopped, this can lead to life threatening consequences. Status epilepticus, can result in a overheating of the body and essentially a "heat stroke".

This also can cause some temporary or permanent damage of the brain tissue. Once a seizure is climbing towards 5 minutes, get your pet immediately in the car and start driving to the closest veterinary clinic (even if this is not us). Once an anticonvulsant has been administered, the pet should be monitored for any more seizure activity for at least 24 hrs usually accomplished through an emergency / 24 hr center.

If your pet has more than one seizure in a 24- hour period, this is considered a "cluster" of seizure activity. You need to seek veterinary care once he or she has the second seizure, since this indicates a rapid succession of seizures, and may require anticonvulsants be started to control these. A "cluster" will often precede "status epilepticus", as indicated above.

FINAL NOTE:

Some pets have been known to have one seizure in their lives, while others develop serious repeated seizure activity. With a first time occurrence of seizure activity, we do not yet have a pattern of seizure activity established. Without a pattern, it is impossible to predict future seizure activity. Your pet may never seizure again, or may continue to have seizures. You play an important role in the diagnosis and proper treatment of your pet's seizures, by providing us with an accurate history, and seeking veterinary help when indicated.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
The Veterinarians Guide to Your Dog’s Symptoms: Your Pet Can’t Speak, but Its Symptoms Can

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