What Can Cause An Animal To Have Seizures

Is there annihilation more agonizing than witnessing your dog having a seizure? The overwhelming sense of helplessness you experience may weigh heavily on your heart, but the best affair you tin can practise is proceed yourself calm and your pup safe while you wait for it to stop. Though it can seem like an eternity, virtually dog seizures will be over within 30 seconds to a minute.

Once it has stopped, your pet should be taken to your veterinarian or the nearest emergency facility for evaluation. That said, understanding a picayune more than about seizures in dogs tin help you be a little more prepared.

Causes of Seizures in Dogs

Dog seizures are unusually strong bursts of electrical action in the brain that result in loss of consciousness and convulsions of the body and limbs. Even so, in cases of partial or focal seizures, the dog will typically remain conscious and may have aberrant movements of but a unmarried body part, such as an ear or limb.

There are many reasons why dogs have seizures. Different types of canis familiaris seizures include:

Idiopathic (epilepsy with no identifiable cause, possibly genetic, is most mutual)
Symptomatic (resulting from structural changes within the brain such equally congenital malformations, inflammation, infection, stroke, or tumors)
Reactive (resulting from metabolic disorders or exposure to toxins affecting the brain)

While toxicity may not be the number one dog seizure trigger, the ASPCA reports over 200,000 cases of pet poisoning every year in the United States. Toxins that crusade canis familiaris seizures can range from smoke inhalation and common salt ingestion to sago palms and killer bees.

What Toxins Can Cause Domestic dog Seizures?

Alcohols

Some household alcohols considered toxins that crusade dogs to have seizures are:

Ethanol (alcoholic beverages, raw bread dough)
Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol)
Methanol (varnishes, shellacs, paints, windshield washer fluids, adhesives)
Ethylene Glycol (antifreeze)

Animal Compounds

Mutual brute compounds known as toxins that cause canis familiaris seizures are:

Bufo Toad
Killer Bees

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, due to smoke inhalation, is another toxin that can cause dogs to have seizures.

Foods

Some household foods known to be potential toxins that cause dog seizures include:

Methylxanthines (caffeine, nighttime chocolate)
Common salt Poisoning (excessive seawater, table salt or Play-Dough ingestion)
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)

Heavy Metals

Some toxic metals that take the possibility of causing dogs to have seizures are:

Lead (lead-based paint)
Zinc (pennies)

Illicit Drugs

Illicit drugs that can bring on toxic seizures in dogs include:

Amphetamines
Methamphetamines
Cocaine
Marijuana
Opiates

Medications

Common human medications that are potential toxins that crusade domestic dog seizures include:

Analgesics (Aspirin and Ibuprofen)
Antidepressants (SSRIs and TCAs)
Theophylline (asthma medication)
Chlorpheniramine (antihistamine)
5-Fluorouacil (cancer medication)
Beta-Blockers (cardiac medication)
Decongestants (Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine)
Muscle Relaxants (Baclofen, Carisoprodol, Methocarbamol, Tizanidine and Cyclobenzaprine)

Pesticides

Some everyday pesticide toxins that can cause seizures in dogs are:

Bromethalin (rodenticide)
Metaldehyde (snail bait)
Organophosphates and Carbamates (weed killers)
Pyrethrines and phyrethroids
Strychnine
Zinc Phosphate (mole bait)

Plants

Some other common grouping of toxins that can bring on seizures in dogs is plants, including:

Brunfelsia ("yesterday, today, tomorrow")
Mushrooms (panther cap, fly agaric, gemmed amanita, Smith's amanita, warted amanita)
Humulus Lupulus (Hops)
Sago Palm

Household toxins that cause dog seizures

Dog Seizure Symptoms

Signs your dog is having a seizure may actually start before the seizure occurs. Some dogs might seem broken-hearted, clingy, unsteady, or mazed and confused. Fifty-fifty afterwards, your domestic dog may be wobbly, disoriented, temporarily bullheaded, or trying to hide.

Merely these are the most frequent symptoms of a canis familiaris having a seizure:

Collapsing
Stiffening
Muscle twitching
Jerking body movements
Paddling motions with their legs
Drooling
Chomping or natural language chewing
Foaming at the oral cavity
Loss of consciousness
Involuntary defecating or urinating

Dog with a head tilt

What to Do if Your Dog Has a Toxic Seizure

Despite the frightening display of a dog having a seizure, domestic dog seizures are not painful. As difficult as it may be, avert touching or holding your pup during an episode. Information technology volition non help, and you lot run a loftier risk of beingness bitten accidentally.

Even so, here are some things you lot tin can do if your dog is having a seizure:

Prevent your dog from falling off piece of furniture or downwards stairs
Protect your dog from hurting itself on anything in the surface area
Fourth dimension the seizure
Record a video of the event if possible
Phone call your vet

If your dog has more 2 seizures in a 24-hour period or a seizure that lasts more than than iii minutes, it is considered an emergency. Accept your dog to a veterinarian immediately. If a seizure is sustained for more than 3 minutes, do NOT wait for it to end. The longer the seizure goes on, the higher the risk of serious and potentially fatal complications.

If you lot call up your dog is poisoned, this is likewise considered an emergency situation. Stay at-home, but act quickly:

Call your vet or a veterinary poison control service (beneath)
Scour the abode or property for potential exposure
Gather the remaining potential toxicant
If your dog has vomited, collect the sample

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Centre (APCC)
(888) 426-4435
24 hours a twenty-four hours, every day of the year
A consultation fee may utilise

Pet Poisonous substance Helpline
(855) 764-7661
24 hours a solar day, every day of the yr
$59 fee including follow-upward calls

See a Veterinary Neurologist if Your Dog Is Having Seizures

If yous have any questions or need whatsoever help, our veterinary neurologists at Southeast Veterinary Neurology are hither for you and your best friend, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have locations in Miami, Boynton Beach and Jupiter, FL, with teams of expert and compassionate professionals at each 1. Contact any of our locations to schedule a consultation for your pet.

Vet neurologists performing an exam