Answer

Hello and thanks for researching this very important question!

Dogs can have a variety of neurologic (brain) symptoms...one of the most common general category being the seizure. There are many kinds of ways that electrical problems in the brain affect the rest of the body.

Some seizure disorders have a cause, such as pre-existing illness (diabetes, kidney or liver failure, hypoglycemia), toxins, tumors or physical injury (like being hit by a car) that has damaged the brain.

Some seizure disorders are what we call Idiopathic (sickness without a known cause). This would include developmental defects, and many conditions we do not yet know how to identify using current medical technology.

Sometimes a dog will have one seizure, and never another...these seizures are very hard to blame on any one thing or another.

***Dogs that have regular seizures that are not linked with any other illnesses are said to be Epileptic. Most dogs with simple epilepsy can be well treated with drugs, and True Epilepsy usually starts around two years of age.*** Labradors are one breed that has familial (inherited) Epilepsy.

It is not uncommon for dogs with mild forms of Epilepsy to have one or two seizures in the Spring...while this phenomenon is not well understood scientifically, many people report seasonal changes in their pets neurologic function.

Seizures can be brief or prolonged. They can be mild in their appearance or physically violent. The more vigorous and the more prolonged a seizure is, the more dangerous it is to the brain. Dogs that do not loose consciousness, and even exhibit strange or out-of-character behaviors, fall into the class of Complex Partial Seizures...seizures confined to a very small part of the brain. Grand Mal seizures are the typical thrashing, drooling events that most people are familiar with through the media. There can be a whole range of variations in between.

An older pet experiencing a violent seizure, or repeated seizures, is more likely to be harboring a serious health problem, such as cancer, brain hemorrhage, or organ failure.

Diagnosis can be as simple as running some blood tests with the local veterinary office, or as complicated as undergoing an MRI to find a tumor or other brain-threatening condition. Deciding what tests to run, or whether to seek the opinion of a Veterinary Neurologist are very individual decisions that depend partly on your pet's ability to undergo the testing and partly on your family's finances. Seizures that occur more than monthly and/or last longer than 3-5 minutes should be investigated sooner rather than later.

If a root cause of the problem can be found, then addressing it can stop the seizures from repeating in the future, but some conditions that affect the brain can also leave permenant damage.

If no root cause of repeating seizures is found (like Lyme Disease, Toxoplasmosis, tumor, etc), then medications are started to prevent new ones from developing. Once a pet starts such a therapy, it should not be stopped without medical assistance...skipping doses can bring on worse seizure activity. Blood testing is periodically used to make sure that your pet is getting the proper amount of medication. Sometimes seizures "break through" medical therapy, and other drugs can be added to help control this as well.

Certain medicines are known to bring on seizures (by changing brain activity)...among these are antihistamines (like dyphenhyramine, hydroxyzine, chlorpeniramine, etc.), tranquillizers (acepromazine and its relatives), and anti-anxiety drugs (clomipramine for sure, and others). Never use medicines at home with this pet that have not been approved by a licensed veterinarian who is familiar with seizures!

Developing a relationship with a veterinarian who is very knowledgeable about a pet's medical problems is very important when managing this kind of health condition.

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