Can pet blood tests diagnose seizure causes or just rule out other issues?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear that Clunker has been having seizures. It is important to see exactly what is going on, to determine that he is having a true seizure, as opposed to a collapse or localized tremors for a different reason. A video would be very helpful and I would be happy to provide a consultation. If this is a true seizure, they are usually the result of abnormal brain activity. This can be due to a large number of diseases including brain cancer, infection, or epilepsy (the cause of which is not currently known in cats). With brain cancer or epilepsy, blood work can be normal, however, x-rays or a CT scan would determine if there is something else causing the seizures. It may be helpful to know that seizures themselves are not thought to be painful, and it is normal for animals to urinate/defecate while they are having a seizure. This frequency of seizures is definitely confusing and distressful for Clunker, and a veterinarian can prescribe an anti-seizure medication to keep him comfortable. It is important to have Clunker evaluated by a vet to ensure that there is nothing else that can be causing collapse or tremors, such as a hormonal issue or viral infection, and to have him treated appropriately.

Personally I would have done another blood test to see if things had changed in the time Tysin last saw her vet, but since your friend was watching her while you were out of town, it may be the vet didn't do it because the primary owner wasn't there to give permission. You could see if the neurologist will do blood work for her, but it may not show anything. The most common cause of seizures in dogs is idiopathic, meaning there is no known cause. That could be another reason why the vet didn't do bloodwork. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the picture! Unfortunately the way they have it printed out, it doesn't include what is normal for their lab machine, so I still can't fully interpret the results. From the lab that I use, the liver values that you have gotten would be considered normal, or very close to the normal range. Did the vet that ran the bloodwork give you any indication that they were abnormal? Seizures in a young dog could be caused by many things, including portosystemic or liver shunt (which may need ultrasound or bile acids testing to diagnose), epilepsy, hypoglycemia, kidney disease, intracranial disease, infection, among several others. I would recommend that you discuss these possibilities with your vet and see what other testing can be done to look at these other systems.

He could have this behavior from an ear infection, head injury, low blood sugar or epilepsy. If Sherlock is back to normal then it was a seizure, if he's still having these problems and the blood work was normal I'm concerned about a serious neurological problem. I would take him back for a recheck if he's not much by tomorrow. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sherlock.

I'm sorry to hear that Maci is having this problem! Idiopathic epilepsy, which refers to seizures without any underlying cause, is rare in cats but can occur. Other possible causes would include a brain tumor or neurologic disease of some kind, as there would not be any evidence of these issues on normal bloodwork. If you are concerned and want to try and get a definitive diagnosis, you can request referral to a veterinary neurologist for further testing, which would likely include an MRI or CT scan of the brain as well as a CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) tap. If going to see a specialist is not an option for you, your veterinarian should still be able to prescribe medication to control Maci's seizures even without knowing what the underlying cause might be - I would definitely recommend this at this point, if she is having seizures every other day.

All the conditions you mentioned except cancer are easily spotted on a full panel blood labwork, Cancer is the exception and is usually very difficult to diagnose when growing internally. a minority of cancers can be spotted on bloodwork, others can be spotted on xray, ultrasound, endoscopy and advanced imaging such as CT scan and MRI.

Elvis' signs of weight loss, vomiting and seizure activity are highly concerning. I'm glad that his blood testing was normal, but in an older cat that is experiencing seizures, a brain tumor is a major concern and will not typically cause any changes on blood testing. An MRI scan is needed for this diagnosis. Normal blood work rules out common causes of weight loss in an older cat, such as kidney disease and hyperthyroidism, but as I mentioned, there is not a specific test for all cancers. Elvis needs to see his vet immediately because his twitching and balance issues could be a result of focal seizures rather than the grand mal seizures to which you are likely accustomed to seeing. Your vet will be able to discuss any recommended diagnostics and treatment options.