During seizures pets often fail control, fall over, chomp their teeth, salivate or drool, whine, paddle with their feet, and commence to urinate or defecate on themselves.
What causes seizures? Epilepsy is one cause. Certain dog breeds are more susceptible to epilepsy. Veterinarians are not sure what causes this "hereditary" epilepsy.
In dogs there are frequent causes of seizures besides hereditary epilepsy. Allergies to food and the chemicals, preservatives, and artificial flavors put into the foods can cause seizures. Other causes include liver and kidney disease, tumors, poisonings, and low blood sugars.
In cats hereditary epilepsy is exceptional. Vets can normally find the cause of seizures. These include chemical toxins, brain tumors, feline leukemia, feline infections, peritonitis, feline AIDS, head trauma, and difficulties with the liver and kidneys.
What can you do while your pet is having a seizure?
-Try to rest calm. This is hard to do, but using a calm, reassuring quiet voice will comfort your dog or cat.
-Move any furniture or other objects on which your pet could hurt itself. If you're unable to move the object, place pillows or wrap blankets between the pet and the object.
-Slide something soft under your pet's head, but be sure to keep your hands and face
away from his head so that you don't risk a possible bite.
-Dim the lights, and keep the environment as quiet as possible by turning off the TV and loud music.
-If possible take notes about the seizure so that you can give details to your vet.
-Jot down the time of day it occurred, the length of each seizure, and the time in between each seizure if they are recurrent
After the seizure, pets usually appear lost or drugged. Since seizures are exhausting for your pet, he will probably want to sleep afterwards. It is best to allow him to sleep, but check in on him occasionally without disturbing his rest. If this is your pet's first seizure, call your vet as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is epilepsy, pets have an excellent chance to live a normal life as long as proper medical care and follow-up are provided.
If you detect the cause of the seizure, you may be able to annul future seizures by eliminating the seizure's source. For more information visit http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/seizuresinpets_2.htm
