My dog has seizures that stop when I talk to him. What is it?

Sounds like a focal motor seizure (partial seizure). I suggest you video her doing this with your phone and then show it to your vet so you can get more advice. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951440 )

So sorry about your dog. Besides it being caused by a seizure disorder, he could have something like laryngeal paralysis, collapsing trachea or be having a syncopal (fainting) episode from a heart problem. You could try to record one so your vet can see exactly what is happening. If the episodes continue and your vet is not able to control them, ask for a referral to a specialist for more testing. It might be a good idea to take a chest x-ray, have an ultrasound of his heart, and/or examination of his throat to look for laryngeal paralysis. Hope he gets better soon!

Poor Alfie! It can be very difficult in some cases to distinguish syncope from epilepsy based on how the dog looks during a collapsing episode, because both problems can look very similar. Syncope is caused by a heart problem - occasionally we can see it with congestive heart failure, but most often it's due to a cardiac arrhythmia. Sometimes we can hear an abnormality in the heart beat during the exam, but not always - sometimes it only occurs during a fainting episode, which can make it hard to diagnose. Some tests that may be helpful at this stage would include chest x-rays and an ECG. If these are normal and the diagnosis is still uncertain, a device called an event monitor can be used to actually record an ECG during an episode - this would give a definitive answer.

Some dogs will have focal seizures known as 'chewing gum' seizures where the mouth will tremble or they will make chewing motions. Usually dogs will act a little disoriented after a seizure like this, but some dogs don't. If you think he may be having seizures you should see a veterinarian right away. It might be helpful to video an episode to show your vet. Of course it's possible that this is just a behavioral tic too, but it's better to be safe and have a veterinarian examine Mega to make sure.

I'm so so sorry that Freddy is having these episodes. I am sure they are very scary. It is difficult to know whether he is having a fainting episode or a seizure. If you can, I would try to catch the episodes on video so that you can show your vet and maybe they can determine which one it was. Fainting can happen from heart disease, abnormal electrical activity of the heart, low blood pressure. Seizures can happen from epilepsy, brain tumor, infection around the brain or organ problems like liver disease, low blood sugar. Unfortunately it can take a lot of testing to figure out the cause so you can know how best to treat Freddy as there are very different treatments based on what the real problem is.

The two big rule outs here would be seizure activity or syncope (like a fainting spell) that could be due to an underlying heart condition. I suggest you get him to your vet for an exam as soon as possible.

This could be a form of seizure activity. I recommend getting your dog seen by your vet as soon as possible for an exam and lab work. If you can get a video of the episode, please do, so your vet will know what you're seeing. Sustained or repeated seizures can cause the body temperature to rise to dangerous levels and increases the risk of brain damage. When you have a chance, take a look around and see if you can find anything he might have gotten into, since poisoning is one of the causes of seizures. If he has a history of liver or kidney disease, this is also a potential cause. Sometimes we never know why a pet has a seizure. If he does have a series of seizures, your vet will want to do an exam and bloodwork to try and determine a cause and potentially put your pet on anti-seizure medication to lessen the chances of this happening again in the future.