Seizures in Dogs: What to Do and What It Might Mean

Watching a dog have a seizure is frightening, and the instinct to intervene physically is strong. Almost everything that instinct suggests is wrong.

Here is what actually helps.

What a seizure looks like

Generalised (grand mal): the dog falls, becomes stiff, then paddles or jerks the limbs rhythmically. Often with jaw chomping, drooling, vocalising, and urination or defecation. The dog is unconscious and unaware. Usually lasts 30 seconds to two minutes.

Focal: affects part of the body — facial twitching, one limb, repetitive blinking, or odd behaviours such as fly-biting at nothing. The dog may remain conscious. Focal seizures can progress to generalised ones.

Phases:

• Pre-ictal (aura): minutes to hours before. Restlessness, clinginess, hiding, whining, pacing. Many owners learn to recognise it
• Ictal: the seizure itself
• Post-ictal: minutes to hours afterwards. Disorientation, pacing, temporary blindness, hunger or thirst, exhaustion. This phase is often longer than the seizure and can be more distressing to watch

What to do during a seizure

1. Note the time. This matters more than anything else you will do
2. Do not touch the mouth or try to hold the tongue. Dogs cannot swallow their tongue, and you will be bitten — not from aggression, but because the jaw is convulsing
3. Do not restrain the dog. Let the seizure run its course
4. Move furniture away and put cushions between the dog and hard edges. If they are near stairs, block the way
5. Dim the lights, turn off the television, keep the room quiet
6. Film it. This is genuinely the most useful thing you can do. Your vet almost certainly will not see a seizure, and a video distinguishes a seizure from syncope, a vestibular episode, or a movement disorder
7. Keep other pets away
8. Stay calm and speak quietly. The dog is not aware, but the post-ictal phase is calmer in a calm room

When it is an emergency

Go to a vet immediately if:

• A seizure lasts more than five minutes — status epilepticus, which causes dangerous hyperthermia and brain injury
• Two or more seizures occur within 24 hours — cluster seizures
• The dog does not fully recover between seizures
• It is the first seizure, particularly in a dog under six months or over six years
• The dog is very hot afterwards
• There is any suspicion of poisoning or head injury
• The dog is diabetic, where low blood sugar is a possible cause

Otherwise, a single brief seizure in a dog who recovers should be reported to your vet promptly, even if not as an emergency.

What causes seizures

Idiopathic epilepsy — the most common cause in dogs aged roughly six months to six years. No identifiable structural cause; the diagnosis is made by excluding others. There is a hereditary component in several breeds, including Border Collies, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, Belgian Shepherds and Dachshunds.

Structural brain disease — tumours, inflammation, malformations, past injury. More likely in dogs whose first seizure occurs over six years old, or under six months.

Metabolic causes — low blood sugar, liver disease including portosystemic shunts, kidney failure, electrolyte disturbances, low calcium.

Toxins — a long list, including permethrin (especially cat products used on dogs, and dogs exposed to treated cats), certain rodenticides, xylitol, chocolate at high doses, some mushrooms, and antifreeze.

Infections — less common but important in some regions.

What to record

A seizure diary makes a real difference to how well epilepsy is managed:

• Date and time
• Duration of the seizure itself
• What the dog was doing beforehand
• A description, or a video
• How long recovery took
• Anything unusual that day — a new food, a treatment, a stressful event, a change in routine
• Any medication given and when

Patterns emerge from records that never emerge from memory.

Investigation

Expect a neurological examination and blood tests first, to look for metabolic causes and toxin exposure.

For dogs whose age or examination raises concern about structural disease — first seizure under six months or over six years, abnormal neurological findings between seizures, focal seizures, or poor response to treatment — advanced imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid analysis may be recommended.

A young adult dog with normal bloods, a normal examination between episodes, and typical generalised seizures is often diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy without imaging, at least initially.

Treatment

Medication is usually started when:

• Seizures occur more often than roughly every four to six weeks
• Clusters occur
• Any seizure exceeds five minutes
• The post-ictal phase is severe or prolonged
• There is an identified structural cause

Several anti-epileptic drugs are used in dogs, alone or in combination. Key points:

• Never stop medication suddenly. Abrupt withdrawal can precipitate status epilepticus
• Give it at the same times every day. Consistency of blood levels matters
• Regular blood monitoring is part of the treatment, not an optional extra
• The goal is control, not cure. A realistic target is fewer, shorter, less severe seizures — not always zero

Your vet may also provide an emergency medication to give at home during a cluster or a prolonged seizure.

Living with an epileptic dog

• Keep a diary and bring it to every appointment
• Keep to a routine — sleep disruption and stress are common triggers
• Avoid situations where a seizure would be dangerous: swimming unsupervised, stairs without a gate, heights
• Tell anyone who cares for your dog what to do
• Consider an ID tag noting the condition
• Look after yourself. Living with an epileptic dog is genuinely stressful, and owner anxiety is well documented in the veterinary literature

Most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy, well managed, live a normal lifespan with a good quality of life. The frightening part is almost always worse for the person watching than for the dog, who is unaware throughout and remembers nothing.