My dog suddenly stops and stiffens on walks. Could it be seizures?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I recommend you observe him and see if the episode occurs again, and if it does, get a video of it. It could have been just Milo acting funny, or could have been a focal seizure, or something else. I also recommend having Milo checked for signs of heart disease, liver disease (shunts) and signs of congenital brain malformations. Best of luck with Milo!

I'm a little concerned that these symptoms you report may be mild seizure activity. Especially if she does not really respond to you during the event. Circling can also be a symptom of something going on with the head (seizure or otherwise). If this has occurred more than once I would recommend a visit to your vet for a baseline neurologic exam and some blood work to rule out anything wrong with her blood sugar, electrolytes, or organ function. If you can catch an episode on video this can be really helpful so that your vet can determine if this is neurologic in origin. If determined to be neurologic in origin, then there are many things that can cause this, and further testing and/or anti-seizure medication may be needed. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would be concerned about a seizure from this description. Try to get a video to show your vet. It's common for blood work to be normal after seizures. He could have epilepsy, or a congenital issue, or it could be something else entirely. There are many different seizure medications that can help, if your vet thinks it was a seizure after watch the video (and reviewing their exam and bloodwork results).

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is hard one... it is difficult to say exactly what is happening to Ace here without doing an exam first. This behavior you mentioned could be many things- it could be spinal pain, focal seizures, or another neurological condition. I would highly recommend Ace see his veterinarian for an exam soon. You may also want to capture a video of these episodes on your phone to show to your veterinarian as this may help aide in a diagnosis.

That is very odd. Certainly pets can have a seizure in response to a stimulus but it would be unusual for it to be something more subtle like paper crinkling. If he has a bad back or a neuropathy and he is trying to move too quickly, it could mimic a seizure type activity. If you can capture it on video to show the veterinarian, that may help a lot. If the doctor has not checked his proprioception and his back, have this done. If seizures are still suspicious, you may try the new Purina diet for seizures called NeuroCare. Omega 3 fatty acids for dogs can help with inflammation as well and this may be beneficial. Lastly, there are medications for seizures as well. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like a seizure. I would recommend video taping an episode and showing your Vet. Causes of seizures depend on age. In dogs 1-5 epilepsy is the most common cause. In puppies: toxins, infectious or congenital problems and older than 6 years of age we worry about organ failures and brain tumors. One to 2 episodes a month may warrant starting medications. I would recommend full blood work with urine, thyroid testing if older than 6 and tick testing. If all that is normal then consider starting medications. i wish Bella the best!

That sounds like it could be some kind of seizure activity. Get a video of it if you can and take her to the vet so they can see it and give her an exam. If it is happening only occasionally, they may opt to not do anything but monitor her condition since the medication to treat seizures can be more harmful than for her to have one every now and then. But if it is happening often medication may be the best option since the danger with seizures is your pet's body temperature can become dangerously high is she has a sustained seizure.