My dog had a seizure. What can I give her to help or prevent them?

Unfortunately, there are no over-the-counter medications that are effective for seizures. There may be some nutraceuticals that claim efficacy, but these are not proven to be effective. Seizures can be due to a few different causes, so treatment depends on the cause. It can be due to certain diseases, organ failure, or imbalances in the blood. It can also be due to diseases, or tumors that primarily affect the brain. In order to find the cause of this problem and get the most appropriate treatment, Charlie will need to see a vet. Without knowing the details of his condition, it's difficult to tell how severe this is, but if Charlie is otherwise acting normal, then this would be a sign that he is not experiencing a severe disease. There are other conditions that may look similar to seizures, so it's possible that something else is causing the episodes that you are noticing. The most helpful thing to do is take a video of him when he is doing it and take that to the vet. I hope that helps and Charlie gets better soon.

Generally dogs that have seizures more frequently than once monthly I recommend giving anti seizure medication to prevent the seizures. If they didn't find a specific reason for the seizures they may be due to epilepsy. I would get a video of one of the seizures and keep a calendar of the frequency to share with your veterinarian. You can discuss starting medication with your veterinarian now regardless of the frequency or feel free to ask for a referral to a veterinary neurologist. The specialist can do advanced testing to see if they can find the cause of the seizures and get Mika on medication if they feel it is needed. You are correct to be concerned so keep tract of them and discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Mika.

I'm so sorry about your dog. I know this is a very scary time. There are multiple causes of seizures. I'm not sure how old your dog is, but in dogs under 5 years old who are completely normal in between seizure episodes, epilepsy is the primary cause of seizures. In older dogs it could be inflammation, a brain tumor, and infection or problems with the organs (particularly the liver). I always recommend blood work first to look for any problems there. If the blood work is normal, the next step is to evaluate the brain by doing an MRI. If blood work has not been done, I would highly recommend it. If problems are found in the blood work, then you should treat that. If everything is normal in the blood work, I would recommend starting seizure medication. Some dogs will have seizures very infrequently like your dog started out. Those dogs don't usually need medication. But when they become more frequent and are clustering (multiple in a 24 hours period) then I would definitely recommend medication at this point. There are multiple different seizure medications to choose from, so talk to your veterinarian about that. Many times the seizures will be manageable with medications, but it takes consistent medication multiple times per day and blood rechecks for the drug levels. Honestly, some dogs will be very difficult or impossible to control and will continue to have seizures despite being on multiple medications. So to answer your question, yes, there is something you can do to help your pet and based on the number of seizures he is now having, he needs to be put on medication. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are no herbs or supplements that are known to be helpful for seizures unfortunately. Also, it is not recommended generally to combined supplements with the regular anti-seizure medications as some of these can interact with the medications. Good news is that usually dogs become more and more tolerant of the anti-seizure medications and become less and less groggy on them as the time goes on. Good luck and have a great day!

The signs you are describing sound like Coco may have had a seizure. She may have been confused afterwards, which is known as the post ictal period, and can consist of her seeming a little "off". Seizures can be caused by epilepsy, brain inflammation or tumors. I recommend keeping a close eye on Coco, and try to film any future episodes to show your vet. If these continue, Coco should be seen right away, as she may need anti seizure medication. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! First, you are no bother at all-that's what's we are here for. Secondly, yes, you have a cause for concern. Any time a known epileptic starts seizing again, especially with any frequency, it's time for a vet visit asap. Likely they will do bloodwork to make sure nothing has changed since you were prescribed medications last. You did not mention any phenobarbital or potassium bromide for long term relief from seizures? Is your dog on any any antiseizure medications or just the Valium as needed? If he is not on medications currently they may very well start him on something for long term relief. If he already is-they will likely adjust the dosages. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Seizures can occur due to many reasons that go from a toxicity, metabolic diseases, inflammatory diseases and even tumors. I highly recommend that you have Ice evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. You could consider an emergency veterinarian that is open at this time. If there are no emergency veterinarians open in your area, make sure to take him as soon as they are. This is not something that can really be managed at home. Diagnostics that will be recommended will include bloodwork and advanced imaging such as an MRI. They would also be able to start him on anti-seizure medications to try to avoid the onset of more seizures. Good luck and have a good night! Hoping for a speedy recovery!