Seizures in dogs

[SCMRoman]

My dog has had 8 seizures within the last 6 hours, he has had one before but that was over a month ago and this is the first since then, they only last a few seconds and are happening about 20 minutes apart, based on some research they appear to be grand mal seizures. What are possible causes of this, any very expensive veterinary bills are not possible, I simply cannot afford it. What should I do.

My dog is a 3 year old Pitbull, Mastiff, Lab mix, he is usually very active and spends of his day outside and is very playful and vocal.

[bellasmom1234]

I have a 4 year old Aussie Shep that has had seizures since she was a baby. On average they were always once every three months or so. Recently her seizures (also grand mal) have began to cluster. Two weeks ago she had 3 within an hour and a half. We previously were not medicating her, but the risk associated with cluster seizures (like your dog) is high.

As Melanieparker stated there is a risk of "overheating". When we brought Bella in to the specialist we were advised that it's not the risk of the seizure itself, but rather when a dog convulses their body temp rises and the longer the seizure or the closer together they are, the greater the risk that the dog will essentially experience heat stroke. In extreme casses (long seizures or clusters with close proximity) organs can fail/be damaged and this is the danger.

In her case their was no "cause". Essentially they consider her to have primary epilepsy. If your dog otherwise has not other health concerns, usually they will treat with a medication called Phenobarbitol which is fairly affordable (I live in Canada and usually vet treatment is more here as well.). Bella is on a schedule of Kepra 3 times a day vs. the Pheno option as she has experienced difficulties metabolizing through the Liver in the past. This is considerably more expensive but the safest choice for her.

I'm not a vet, just passing on this information I received in my own experiences.

[minisheepdog]

You must get him to a vet.pay out the bill but seizures can be caused by many reasons .none good.If he's had that many seizures in.  Short period like that his brain could have already suffered damage.it's irresponsible to not take him.give him to the vet and let them find a home that can afford his care.

[Melanieparker]

Grand mal seizure is the most common kind of seizure in dogs. This could cause your dog to lose consciousness and convulse.

Here are the most common of seizure in dogs:

Eating poison
Liver disease
Low or high blood sugar
Kidney disease
Electrolyte problems
Anemia
Head injury
Encephalitis
Strokes
Brain cancer

These are what you should do when your dog is having seizure.

* Try to stay calm. Distance your dog from anything that could hurt him, do it gently.

* Don't get too close to his head and mouth; he might bite you. Dog's cannot choke on their own tongues so don't put anything in his mouth..

*If his seizure lasts for more than a couple of minutes. Turn a fan on  and put cold water on his paws to cool him down. He is at risk of overheating.

* Gently touch you dog to assure him that everything going to be okay.