Was this a seizure? Non-GSD

[msvette2u]

I'm sorry but I'm not sure where else to ask this -


1-2-12
We got home from Hermiston/Walla Walla (Home Depot shopping where Holly went in with us, and then quick trip to a restaurant then Walmart and then to Walla Walla) around 10:30pm. It was a busy evening all in all.

We got settled in then I made up Holly’s food with around 1/3 c. of kibble and a tsp. of canned mixed in. I put hot water on it to make a slight “mush” which she seems to like best. She started eating and when she was almost done, she suddenly collapsed. I don’t remember if she made a noise (vocally) but when she collapsed, it did make a sound and I looked down and she was spread eagled on the floor with her head beside the bowl or slightly on top of it.

I thought for a moment she’d gone to take a step and it caused her to trip sort of, and she landed like that, but when I tried to get her to stand up, she flopped onto her left side and whimpered. I couldn’t figure out why she was doing that, so I tried again to get her up on her feet, but her legs and head were like a ragdoll, just limp. But she managed to flail a little and flipped onto her right side, despite my hands trying to pick her up. Or maybe she went to stand up and couldn’t so fell slightly and went onto her right side. She then whimpered again, and I called to Jeff who was in the next room. He came in and saw her head limp in my hands, and I thought she was dying. I can feel her heart beating through her chest wall so I placed my fingers over her heart and felt, and it never sped up, slowed down or got weak.

She then regained muscle control and I helped her onto her stomach, and a few moments later, she started to stand up, with me still supporting her. Over the course of the next 10-15 seconds she was able to get back up and kind of…regained her composure or at least her balance. She did walk around for a few moments then, and I got her back and helped her eat the rest of the kibble in the bowl.
She seemed fine again then and I didn’t notice anything the rest of the night. Jeff said she didn’t eat her breakfast so maybe her blood sugar crashed and that was the cause of this incident which seemed somewhat like a seizure. Holly is a 6lb. senior mixed breed that looks maybe part Pomeranian.

[kiya]

It could have been. My girl always has full blown grand mal. Since she's a senior liver shunt comes to mind. Keep an eye on her, I wouldn't worry right now maybe it was a one shot deal (hopefully).

[msvette2u]

Thank you for taking the time to read and give me your insight. It helps a lot.

[bianca]

I'm so sorry, that must have been scary to see

I don't know about seizures in dogs but both my cats have them and like Kiya above, they have Grand Mal. So spasming, drooling, biting, pupils dilated, no control of their bodies. It is awful to watch and usually lasts between 3-4 minutes.

Any chance she had a small stroke perhaps?

[msvette2u]

Bianca, that was my thought too. Perhaps a TIA? Do dogs get them?
I know quite a bit about human health but when one of my dogs (or "close" fosters, she has been going everywhere with us!) has an issue I freak out!
I was sure she was dying the 2nd time she flopped over

[ladylaw203]

I have a lab that developed epilepsy at 14 months old. controlled with meds now. yes,that sounds like a seizure. My dog would just lay on his side,stiff until the seizure passed.Not a classic Grand Mal like folks think of. There is no test per se for epilepsy. Vet just rules out everything else and if all else is normal, they treat for epilepsy. might drop a urine sample off to the vet. If the numbers are out of wack,that can cause a seizure too

[arycrest]

So sorry about your dog ... it's really frightening for sure!!!

Slider had a seizure about 18 or 20 hours after he had a Comfortis pill. I talked to my vet and called the manufactured, spoke to their vet/rep for quite an extended time and she felt it was caused by their product. I now give it to the other three Hooligans and Slider gets Frontline Plus ... he hasn't had another one since (KNOCK ON WOOD)!!!

Too had Vestabular Syndrom and sub-aortic stenosis ... sometimes those symptoms mimicked a seizure/stroke.

Good luck and hope it will never happen again!!!

[msvette2u]

Ladylaw, she was limp, though, or I'd have sworn it was a seizure - I was looking for urine or feces from the moment she flopped onto the left side - it is so hard to describe.
Like...I picked her up from the spread-eagled position in an attempt to help her to her feet but instead of being able to get up, her head flopped over and took her body with it.
And then she whimpered/whined. Dear God. That was the worst, because she literally has whined ONE other time, when first put in a crate to sleep, and we toughed it out because of her wandering (she's all but blind) and didn't want her to get hurt.
Anyway - so that put her on her left side, and I thought, well, maybe it was just me and I made her fall over, so I tried again to get her up and her head kind of flopped to the other side and made her body go to the right.
It was then I knew something was really wrong, and felt her heart, and hollered to Jeff to come in. It was so unlike (yet like somehow??) an epileptic seizure, I was just sure she was about to die.

When she first went spread eagled flat down on her chest, food literally fell out of her mouth. Because I thought, you know, maybe she choked, but I don't think that was it. It was like she lost all muscle control almost.

[msvette2u]

I don't use flea meds.
The only thing I can figure is she did go a long time between meals. Maybe it was low blood sugar, but she was eating... :scratchy head icon

[LisaT]

Indy did something similar, while in the vet's office during an exam. We didn't understand it at the time. In hindsight, I think it was her heart.