10 days after my dog's Seizure

[madayanti]

Hi,

10 days ago, in the morning my Pomeranian (Jose) had his first seizure/stroke, it took almost 40 = 50 seconds, and 5=8 minutes after that one he had another one, this time he was on my lap so I observed everything perfectly

I'll never forget that, I was so scared!  He was sitting on the couch, smelling his breakfast, suddenly he started staring straight, shaking, first I couIdnt understand what was going on and called his name he tried to look at me, but since his neck was up and rigid, he managed to turn his head towards me (neck was still rigid), I saw his eyes, looked so scared, and then I realized that somethings wrong, I hold him, his body was like a stone.

I started to pack my bag to run to the vet, I was holding him, he started to have his second seizure, I sat down and observed (I wish I could record it) ; I am pretty sure he was on conscious during seizures, first his left side legs stretched out and then bend, after that his right side legs did the same thing! no pee, no saliva,,
We were at vet in 10 minutes, vet gave him cortisone shot (he said not a strong one, will stay at the system for 8 hours) he said that his reflex was off when I got there, his pupil was not reacting to the light!

I took him to another vet, the physical examination was fine, general blood test was Ok, Xray was OK (for spinal cord, disc),,, the vet said that there is a big dirt in his ear just on the ear drum, he cleaned it, but I can tell this was my mistake I should not have allowed that procedure, it was not the right moment for Jose, since he's been through a lot that day, the vet gave Tolfedine  mg for his ears as a pain killer??

his ears been checked up, and they are fine
The problem is now Jose's physiological condition,  
he doesn't eat enough,
drinks water,
he doesn't have energy, he walks slow,
sleeps all the time,  
no vomit
no fever
no trouble urinating,,,,,,,so What should be my next step? there must be underlying reason for his depressed mood, right?

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

Hi
I agree with Dr Sims remarks and wanted to add a couple other thoughts that may be helpful for your dogs seizures.

Consider your dogs diet.

What type of pet food do you feed and how often do you feed? What type of treats do you give him?

There are currently many pet food recalls, some of which have imbalances of minerals like selenium and zinc that can cause seizures. This is easily checked at the FDA's pet food recall site.

Generally in my experience as a veterinarian if a dog seizures at intervals of 30 days or less, we start them on an anti-seizure medication typically phenobarbital. Valium is also a very safe medication that is effective to have on hand just in case your dog should have a seizure.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact our veterinary office.

As a holistic veterinarian, I have found it quite helpful to spend some time discussing your dogs environment, lifestyle, diet, vitamin supplements, etc. These factors often offer many valuable insights into other elements that may be responsible for your dogs seizure.

If we can determined the specific issue that may be the culprit then we can address it naturally and avoid the need for prescription medications like phenobarbital.

For example many dogs enjoy nibbling on bird feces which are often found on the ground this time of the year in Ohio mixed with bird food. Many bird feces contain a type of fungal spore called Aspergillus that can also cause dog seizures.

I hope this information is helpful.

Thank you
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM

[Dan Sims, DVM]

The way I would treat Jose after a first time seizure is bloodwork,and vigilance.
If Jose has more than one seizure in the future then I would put him on phenobarbitol.
Pesticides should also be avoided  with Jose.
I would discontinue the pain medicine for now to see of this helps.
A dog with seizures and profound behavioral changes should have an MRI to rule out masses of the brain.