Dog seizures and attacks

[Dessy]

Hello all, i couldn't find any information on google for this so i was hoping someone might have some answers. I have a germal shepard retriever mix who suffers from seizures. Vets didn't give us a reason for them, but he is currently being treated with phenobarbital. He isnt improving very much on the meds and when he does have seizures in close proximity to my dachshund, he seems to attack him. Just now i found him barking while on top of his legs. The last time he was biting at his feet. Can someone please help me understand this? They are both males and otherwise do not fight however the dachshund is aggresive towards him. Thanks in advance for help

 

[Yvonne G]

This might be a question for @Tom or @wellington .

As to the attacking, it's probably because while seizing the German Shepherd mix is vulnerable and the doxy is taking advantage of that vulnerability.

 

[ColleenT]

from my own experience- i had a male JRt that started attacking my other 2 dogs at age 13. no reason, he would just go after them. We discovered he was in renal failure and had to be put to sleep. please get your dog checked with the vet.

 

[dmmj]

my uncle has a dog who suffered some seizures. she is an older dog on medication but they suspect it might be diet-related.

 

[MPRC]

I have watched dozens of dogs come out of seizures and they are usually disoriented afterward. If there is a quiet place you can put him until he gets his wits back, or a place you can put the doxy it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep them apart during his episodes.

 

[ascott]

Hello all, i couldn't find any information on google for this so i was hoping someone might have some answers. I have a germal shepard retriever mix who suffers from seizures. Vets didn't give us a reason for them, but he is currently being treated with phenobarbital. He isnt improving very much on the meds and when he does have seizures in close proximity to my dachshund, he seems to attack him. Just now i found him barking while on top of his legs. The last time he was biting at his feet. Can someone please help me understand this? They are both males and otherwise do not fight however the dachshund is aggresive towards him. Thanks in advance for help

Dogs are big on hierarchy ....there is the top to the bottom in chain of command and that has to be established in order for peace in the group/pack...the ailing dog is disrupting that order....in the natural world, the weak would be ousted and dealt with ...just the way it is. I would not be surprised if this is part of what is going on...also, a sick animal would cause the entire pack to be put at harm...the ailing dog can not help the illness and the other dog also can not help what it is driven to do....

I would suggest that you really become In tune with your ailing dog...begin to pay attention to the moments before an episode comes on...this way you can intervene by removing the dog that is being driven to attack the illness/ailing dog....I do not believe that there is seriously much you can do to change the interaction in the new stages...and if the dog that pounces can not be taught to retreat when an episode comes on , then it may actually add physical injury to the already ailing dog....

Has the dog been checked for bacterial infection? Has the dog recently overheated? Has the dog had a significant bump to the head? All of these things can bring on seizures....along with any other neurological issues....

How old is the ailing dog?

 

[Dessy]

Lets see if i can answer all the questions okay
My dog is only about 5 years old and the attacks started last year. Vets told us something along the lines of it being just something that happens to that species of dog and that theres nothing we can do. We have tried herbal remedies, we make sure he doesnt stay outside too long to avoid over heating (hes really fluffy) no bumb to his his head that i know about. Sometimes no one is home to care for him during a seizure but when we are, we send him outside by himself. After he is not disoriented (take around 20-40 min) he comes back in and we feed him and give him water. We are told to give him diazapam afterwards. Its also hard to tell when hes about to seize. Ive noticed he will fall over and cry (not always) beforehand. However he is extemely clumsy and tends to slip and fall while walking even when hes fine. Thanks for the help everybody. I just dont want me poor dog to suffer anymore than he has to

 

[Dessy]

Here is a photo of my baby

 

[MPRC]

Beautiful pup. How long do his seizures last? I know that in some cases where seizures are especially long or violent vets can Rx a fast acting liquid compound that is given rectally of diazepam or lorazepam to stop seizures.

Are the gran (falling over, contorting, kicking, screaming, peeing violent seizures) or petite (shaky, stiff, twitchy, not much thrashing)?

 

[Meganolvt]

Dogs have epilepsy, like humans. The attacking is probably just a post-seizure disorientation thing. If he isn't well controlled on Phenobarb (has more than 1 seizure a month or has cluster seizures), you might want to talk to your vet about adding another medication. I have several seizure dog patients that are on Phenobarbitol, Keppra and Zonisamide, all at the same time and are doing well. Seizures can be from brain tumors, toxins, liver problems, lots of stuff, but usually it is just epilepsy. Yearly blood work is also important to monitor liver function.

 

[Pearly]

Here is a photo of my baby

What a gorgeous baby!!!!! I just want to hold and love on him!!!!

 

[Dessy]

Beautiful pup. How long do his seizures last? I know that in some cases where seizures are especially long or violent vets can Rx a fast acting liquid compound that is given rectally of diazepam or lorazepam to stop seizures.

Are the gran (falling over, contorting, kicking, screaming, peeing violent seizures) or petite (shaky, stiff, twitchy, not much thrashing)?

The seizure itself lasts about five minutes. They're usually violent theres always pee every where. Every now and then thrte is screaming which scares me. I heard that he does not feel pain but its scary seeing him like that

 

[Dessy]

Dogs have epilepsy, like humans. The attacking is probably just a post-seizure disorientation thing. If he isn't well controlled on Phenobarb (has more than 1 seizure a month or has cluster seizures), you might want to talk to your vet about adding another medication. I have several seizure dog patients that are on Phenobarbitol, Keppra and Zonisamide, all at the same time and are doing well. Seizures can be from brain tumors, toxins, liver problems, lots of stuff, but usually it is just epilepsy. Yearly blood work is also important to monitor liver function.

My dachshund is the one who attacks the other while he is having a seizure. And thanks i will mention those to my vet because he has them maybe five times a month or more and he gets blood work done every few months since his seizures started

 

[Dessy]

What a gorgeous baby!!!!! I just want to hold and love on him!!!!

Thanks hes such a big baby always trying to cuddle. He is the sweetest and most behaved dog i have

 

[Pearly]

The seizure itself lasts about five minutes. They're usually violent theres always pee every where. Every now and then thrte is screaming which scares me. I heard that he does not feel pain but its scary seeing him like that

5 min??!!!! Wow!!!! Those are VERY LONG SEIZURES! Why don't you try to time few of them and journal it. What happened right before, during (and how long?) and after. They may seem like 5 min but in reality may be much shorter. Journaling is crucial for your vet to get the accurate clinical picture. If the brain keeps in firing for 5 long minutes, even on Phenobarbital than I'd say the Ohenobarb is NOT working. Start documenting asap and armed with that info have the vet come up with appropriate pharmacological regimen. Also see if you can find sime info on line about canine nutrition to help with seizures. I'm sure there's a lot that can be done to help this gorgeous teddy bear

 

[Dessy]

5 min??!!!! Wow!!!! Those are VERY LONG SEIZURES! Why don't you try to time few of them and journal it. What happened right before, during (and how long?) and after. They may seem like 5 min but in reality may be much shorter. Journaling is crucial for your vet to get the accurate clinical picture. If the brain keeps in firing for 5 long minutes, even on Phenobarbital than I'd say the Ohenobarb is NOT working. Start documenting asap and armed with that info have the vet come up with appropriate pharmacological regimen. Also see if you can find sime info on line about canine nutrition to help with seizures. I'm sure there's a lot that can be done to help this gorgeous teddy bear

Thank you so much. I will start doing that since i have a lot of time on my hands now. I just hope this will help him

 

[MPRC]

Just remember, the seizures are usually more upseting for you than they are for him.

 

[wellington]

Sorry, I have been on vaca. From what I skimmed thru good advice given.