My dog has seizures and unprovoked aggression. Is it related? Help!

Yes, anxiety and aggression are very common in and around seizures. Ideally you would not move her, unless she is a position to fall and hurt herself. Placing soft bedding around her and turning lights and volume of tv etc down can also help. Frequent or prolonged seizures should be assessed for preventive treatment by your vet

In most cases, there is indeed a trigger for aggressive behavior like this - even if you aren't able to tell what it is. A skilled trainer or behaviorist could likely help you determine what is triggering it, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with someone who can evaluate Viktor in person - he/she can also put together a detailed training plan for you to work on the problem. In the rare cases that there truly is no discernable trigger, it is possible for aggressive behavior to be linked to a neurologic disease such as a brain tumor - but this is very uncommon in my experience. The vast majority of aggressive dogs have a behavioral reason for there aggression, even if it is subtle and not easy to identify at first. This is where a professional can be very helpful :)

Unprovoked aggression can have many causes. You don't specify whether or not your dog is neutered, but if he's not, I would consider it very likely that his aggressive tendencies are related to testosterone, and schedule surgery to get him neutered, as removing the source of testosterone (i.e. the testicles) will help tremendously in controlling his aggressive tendencies. If he is neutered, then it's likely that his aggression towards other dogs is rooted in fear. He will need some careful training to help to reverse these feelings, and it may be quite difficult, but is certainly possible. Talk to a trainer in your area about starting with a good general obedience class, which will improve not only your bond but also his confidence level (and thus reduce his fear). You'll have to work to reward him for good behavior by using a small delicious treat to gain his attention and keep him from trying to go after other dogs on walks. In the meantime, always keep him leashed when he's outside in order to protect him as well as other dogs.

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!

Sorry to hear about your dog's aggressive behavior. This breed, among others, has a tendency to be protective and territorial aggressive towards people. The causes can be related to the blood line or as a result of environment. Best bet here is to consult with your local veterinarian on a plan to help alleviate the problem through behavioral modification and medical management through neutering. There are also specific medicines available to help deal with certain behavior problems. You might ask your veterinarian for a referral to a veterinary behavioralist in your area, who specializes in these kinds of problems. Together, I hope they can lend you some solid answers to this difficult but serious problem with your dog. Please feel free to reach out for a consult with me if you have further questions. All the best, Steve Popish, DVM.

Hello, sorry to hear about Jackson. I am concerned this behavior could lead to more severe results. I would recommend not leaving them unsupervised in the same room to hopefully prevent this from happening. It is likely that your other dogs are being triggered by something Jackson is doing that they do not agree with. This could include moving too closely to the food bowl or water bowl, a special toy or area at home all of which could be a sign of territorial aggression. Here are some more tips on how to reduce the incidence of aggression between your dogs. Ultimately if this does not work, you may need to seek a professional behavior consultation to obtain further recommendations. ntroduction Aggression is a common problem faced by many dog owners. It is commonly misunderstood to be based in dominance. In actuality, there are various reasons that dogs can react aggressively. Most commonly these acts are based in fear or anxiety. This handout, will attempt to help you differentiate whether your dog’s aggression is based in dominance or another stimulus, like fear or possession. However it is not meant to replace visits and discussions with your veterinarian. Common types of aggression • Fear aggression: Many commonplace human behaviors are threatening gestures to dogs, but their reactions are often times very subtle and easily missed by most people. Anything that can cause your dog to feel distressed or uneasy can illicit an aggressive reaction. Such things include: sustained eye contact, pressure over the top of the head, lifting the dog, bending over the top of a dog, certain force-based training techniques, or trying to take something of high value away from the dog. • Territorial aggression: Dogs can react aggressively when a person comes into an area that it regards as its home. There is often a basis of anxiety in dogs that have territorial aggression. • Possessive aggression: When aggression is directed toward a person that the dog views is approaching something of high value (food, toys, family members). • Redirected aggression: When the dog is frustrated by the inability to reach an object or person that elicits its aggression and instead acts aggressively toward a person that is within reach. • Dominance aggression: True dominance aggression is very rare. Most often aggressive acts are based out of another type of motivation. Usually what is assumed to be dominance aggression is actually based out of fear or anxiety. What is your dog’s motivation for its aggression? It is important to watch the body posture of your dog during a time of aggression to determine the underlying emotional state of the dog causing the aggression. Here are some examples of what to look for: Fearful or submissive postures • Avoiding eye contact • Lowered head and tail • T ense body posture • Ears to the side, back or down • Horizontal lip retraction • Licking lips • Yawning • Crouched body posture • Moving slowly or freezing • Submissive urination Dominant postures • Sustained eye contact • Ears erect and forward • Vertical lip retraction • Forward-leaning body posture

Poor Bo. It is likely he is sensing the seizure and seeing it happen is causing him a lot of distress. Either because he doesn't quite understand what is going on (IE your other dog is acting oddly), or he is very concerned. If a seizure does happen, it is best to separate the dogs until the seizure is over and your dog has rested, to avoid any accidental injury. If you are not there to monitor them (IE away from the home), keeping them crated or in different rooms may help prevent an injury if a seizure occurs while you are away.