How To Treat Canine Seizures

Canine seizures are a brain malfunction which causes a dog's body to convulse uncontrollably. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness, excessive salivation, and loss of bowel and bladder control. Whether your dog is having his first seizure, or his twenty-first seizure, the actions you take can make a difference.

1. Stay calm. Staying calm is very important even though it may be difficult. Remember, your dog depends on you, and you have to stay calm to keep him calm, just as you would a small child.

2. Time the seizure. Timing the seizure is important. The first time your pet seizures, he should receive a physical examination and blood work as soon after the seizure as possible. But after an initial examination has been performed, your dog doesn't neeed to return to the vet each time he seizures unless he has a cluster of seizures or an individual seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes.
3. Clear out the area around the dog. Make sure there is nothing the dog can hurt himself on while he is having the seizure.
4. Put a towel under the dog's head. Putting a rolled up towel under the dog's head will help keep him from banging his head while having convulsions.
5. Do no allow the dog to inhale anything. If the dog were to inhale anything, he could choke and cause more damage. Note that dogs do not swallow their tongues.

After the seizure has ended, recovery begins. There are important actions you should take during this time as well.

1. Give your dog a blood sugar boost. Low blood sugar levels can be the cause or the result of a seizure. When your dog regains consciousness, feed it Breyers All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. Small dogs get 1 teaspoon, medium dogs get 1 tablespoon and large dogs get 2 tablespoons. This little bite of ice cream will restore the dog's blood sugar levels to normal. After feeding the dog the ice cream, feed him a couple of handfuls of his usual dog food, pasta or rice with butter, to keep the blood sugar levels stable. Do not let the dog eat this food fast.

2. Stay with the dog for a while. You remaining with the dog will make him feel safe and secure, which he may need after having a seizure. A little reassurance will go a long way for a dog.
3. Make a log of the event. Write down date, time and any observations you made concerning this seizure. These effects may range from confusion to blindness. These details will help the veterinarian with his diagnosis.
4. Make a trip to the vet. Not every seizure warrants a trip to the vet. The ones that do are:
   • If the dog is a healthy adult and this is his first seizure.
   • If the dog has more than one seizure per day.
   • If the dog's seizure continues longer than 5 minutes.
5. Follow through on treatment. Depending on his diagnosis, the veterinarian will make recommendations which could include administering anticonvulsants. In general in treating seizures, the goal is to keep seizures to a minimum, while avoiding serious side effects. Follow your veterinarian's advice on how best to treat your dog's seizures.