Numerous conditions can cause seizures in pets, and these episodes can be upsetting and frightening, especially if you don’t know how to respond. Read our Stanton Pet Hospital team’s informative blog to learn about seizures in pets and how you should react to provide the care your four-legged friend needs during an episode.

Pet seizure basics

A seizure is caused by excessive electrical activity in the brain’s cerebral cortex. During the kindling process, the electrical activity is triggered in one area (i.e., the seizure focus) and spreads to other brain areas. Seizures are classified as follows:

  • Generalized — Generalized (i.e., grand mal) seizures affect the entire brain, resulting in signs such as falling down, consciousness loss, limb paddling, urinating, defecating, and vocalization.
  • Focal — Focal seizures only affect part of the brain, resulting in signs such as running in circles, limb chewing, abnormal jaw movements, and eye or ear twitching.
  • Psychomotor — Psychomotor seizures are focal seizures that result in abnormal behaviors such as uncharacteristic aggression, staring into space, and fly biting. 

Pet seizure causes

Numerous conditions can lead to a pet seizure. Episodes are classified based on a seizure’s cause:

  • Reactive seizures — Reactive seizures result from a metabolic problem or toxicity. Examples include liver disease, kidney dysfunction, electrolyte abnormalities, and exposure to toxins such as lead, chocolate, xylitol, and ethylene glycol.
  • Secondary seizures — An identifiable brain abnormality causes a secondary seizure. Examples include brain trauma, tumors, encephalitis, and strokes.
  • Primary seizures — If a seizure’s cause is unidentifiable, the episode is classified as a primary seizure.

Pet seizure stages

Seizures progress in three stages:

  • Pre-ictal (i.e., aura phase) — Pets in this stage exhibit altered behavior such as hiding, appearing anxious or restless, vocalizing, or salivating. This phase can last a few seconds or several hours. Veterinarians speculate that the pet senses something abnormal is about to happen.
  • Ictal phase — The ictal phase is when seizure activity occurs and can range from mild disorientation to complete consciousness loss and, depending on the seizure type, full-body tonic clonic activity. This phase can last for a few seconds to several minutes. If the seizure continues for more than five minutes, the pet is in status epilepticus, a dangerous condition that can result in irreversible brain damage or death.
  • Post-ictal — After the seizure activity has stopped, pets often exhibit signs such as confusion, hypersalivation, restlessness, pacing, and in some cases, temporary blindness. This phase is extremely variable in duration. 

Pet seizure diagnosis

To determine your pet’s seizure cause, our Stanton Pet Hospital team will perform one or more of the following diagnostics:

  • History — We take a detailed history to determine if your pet experienced head trauma or could have experienced toxin exposure.
  • Blood work — Blood work, including a complete blood count and biochemistry profile, helps our team rule out issues such as kidney dysfunction, liver failure, and electrolyte abnormalities.
  • Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample — In some cases, we may sample your pet’s CSF to look for abnormalities that may facilitate the diagnosis.
  • Imaging — If we suspect brain damage or a brain tumor, we may refer your pet for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan.

Pet seizure treatment

Not every pet who has a seizure requires treatment. If our team finds an underlying condition that resulted in your pet’s seizure, we will devise an appropriate treatment strategy to address the problem. For pets who experience primary seizures, we initiate anticonvulsant treatment in the following circumstances:

  • The pet has more than one seizure per month.
  • The pet experiences seizure clusters in which one seizure immediately follows another.
  • The pet has a prolonged or severe generalized seizure.

The treatment goal for pets with primary seizures is to reduce episodes’ severity and frequency, and in some cases, determining the best dose for your pet may take time. Anticonvulsant treatment is often a lifelong necessity for affected pets.

Pet seizure first aid

When a pet experiences a seizure, their owner has a lot to take in, but you need to provide appropriate care to help ensure your pet and you stay safe. If your pet has a seizure, follow these first aid tips:

  • Remaining calm — If you panic, you won’t be able to provide the care your pet needs. 
  • Timing the seizure — Make note of the time so you know the seizure’s duration. This information is helpful for our team. If your pet’s seizure lasts longer than five minutes, take them to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital as soon as possible.
  • Videoing the seizure — If possible, have a friend or family member video your pet’s seizure, so our team can witness exactly what happened.
  • Moving your pet — If your pet is near stairs or sharp-edged furniture, carefully move them to a safe location so they won’t injure themselves.
  • Sitting near your pet — Stay near your pet during their seizure and speak in comforting tones. However, be careful about petting your dog or cat because they can inadvertently bite you.
  • Taking your pet’s temperature — Once your pet recovers from the seizure, take their temperature, using a rectal thermometer. A seizure can lead to hyperthermia, which is a potentially life-threatening situation. If your pet’s temperature is higher than 103 degrees, pour lukewarm water over their body to help bring down their temperature.
  • Contacting our office — If this is the first time your pet has had a seizure, or if the seizure lasted longer than usual, contact our Stanton Pet Hospital team for advice about how to care for your pet.
  • Keeping a journal — Keep a seizure journal for your pet, and be sure to include the date, duration, and signs your pet exhibited. 

If your pet experiences a seizure, contact our Stanton Pet Hospital team, so we can advise you on how best to proceed to ensure your four-legged friend gets the care they need.