Coping With Dog Seizures

One of the most heartbreaking experiences for any dog lover is watching their best friend suffer a seizure.  That seizure, successfully treated, might never be repeated, but the worry remains despite veterinary reassurance.  When another seizure happens, and another, and still more, that’s when dog owners become seriously worried about their pet, and sometimes little advice is available about what to do when their dog is having a seizure.

That’s because there’s a lot to know about dog seizures, not much of it available in one easily accessible location.  What information you do find is largely subjective, purely one person’s opinion, and opinions about dog seizures vary dramatically depending on whether you ask veterinarians or dog owners.  Contacting your vet is the very first thing to do once that first seizure passes.

I’m not a veterinary surgeon or a medical expert, but I am an expert of sorts on dog seizures, if only because I’ve been through the experience twice, first with a ten year old Boxer called Barnaby; then Gregory, also a Boxer, and aged just 18 months when his first seizure occurred.  Despite long and exhaustive checks, no reason was found for either dog’s condition.  In similar cases, dogs usually take lifelong medication with owners taught how to manage the problem until, if ever, a cure can be found.

Barnaby was old and growing frail and seizures were another part of the ageing process.  Daily medicines kept his fits under control and usually several months apart.   Whatever seizures did happen were usually light and quickly over.  Although deeply distressing for Barnaby and for me, his seizures were manageable until the last few days of his life when he took one that lasted several days and showed no signs of diminishing.  At that point we faced the hardest decision of all and let him go.  Like most people in similar circumstances we expected never to encounter dog seizures again.  We were very wrong. 

Gregory began taking seizures less than six months after Barnaby died but Gregory’s seizures were very different; they were regular, and violent, and extremely debilitating.  He’s almost five now and until recently very little had changed in those intervening years, although I have spent thousands of dollars looking for a cure, but until recently being very disappointed.

But I have learned a lot about seizures, mainly how to cope during a seizure and what factors might reduce both frequency and ferocity.  Some things I’ve learned will benefit other people whose dogs, like ours, also take seizures.  Hence the reason for this article and a book that will soon be available about coping with a fitting dog.  If you’d like a free copy of that book when available please leave your name and email address as provided above.

All information is provided in good faith and to the best of our ability.  Please note that nothing at this site is intended to compensate for veterinary advice.  Any problems with your dog or other animal must be reported to your veterinary surgeon at the earliest possible opportunity.  This site is purely the basis of personal experience and is intended to benefit other people whose dogs are suffering seizures of unknown origin.  We are not providing medical advice, purely personal experience.