Why is my old dog having seizures, white gums, and leaking urine?

I'm so sorry to hear that. Bloody urine can have a number of different causes. It can be due to a problem in the urinary tract-- such as a severe urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or a bladder tumor. Those things may also cause her to urinate frequently in small amounts and/or strain to urinate (but not necessarily). It could also be a problem higher up in her urinary tract--in her ureters (tube from kidney to bladder) or in her kidneys-- again an infection, stone or tumor. The other potential cause of seeing blood in the urine is if she isn't able to form a blood clot properly. If her blood platelets or clotting factors are low or are not working correctly, bleeding can occur within the bladder (or anywhere in the body--bruising under the skin, bleeding around the gums, blood in the stool, bloody nose, blood in the eyes). We can also sometimes see the urine look bloody when its actually a different thing causing the pigment (color). For instance, if she's destroying her red blood cells and the pigment (color) from the red blood cells which is the hemoglobin is ending up in her urine. Also myoglobin (which occurs with massive muscle damage) can result in dark reddish brown urine. Some types of toxic ingestions can also result in reddish brown urine. The seizure on Sunday makes me more concerned that something very serious is going on with her. If she's unable to clot her blood properly she could have a bleed in her brain. Or the seizures may be completely unrelated to the urine. I wish I could offer you a suggestion to treat her at home, but it sounds like you need to have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as you can.

Sorry to hear about Munnu. The lab report you have attached does not provide any insight into the cause of his seizure activity. Unfortunately, a 12 year old dog with no previous history of seizures is most likely the result of a brain tumor or tumor elsewhere in the nervous system (this is of course in the absence of a known traumatic event to the head or neck). Other less likely causes would include certain infectious or inflammatory conditions, or extremely late onset epilepsy. I would recommend getting Munnu onto anticonvulsive drugs right away, and having his stabilized at your veterinarian if the seizures continue with regularity.

It’s possible she had a seizure. If she does not steadily return to normal over the next few hours, it would be best to have her checked by your vet in the morning. Routine screeening bloodwork can help determine if a liver or kidney issue could be the cause of the seizure. Medical treatment for seizures is usually not started unless the pet has multiple seizures in one month, repeated seizures or a grand mal seizure lasting more than several minutes. Seizures generally have a pre-ictal phase where the pet is anxious and may vomit, the ictal phase during which paddling/convulsions are seen, and the post-ictal phase where the pet is disoriented and often wobbly. Best wishes for Nola to steadily return to normal and not have another episode!

I am so sorry that your pet is having weird episodes of what sounds like a possible seizure and now bloody urine. I am not sure if your vet tested her urine to confirm that she also has a UTI, but I assume that is the case since antibiotics were given. I would be concerned about any underlying imbalances that can lead to seizures such as a liver shunt, so bloodwork analysis would be the next best step for Winter. If she does have an underlying condition like a liver shunt, then this should be treated for in order to manage both her condition and also her seizures. Some pets have idiopathic (no underlying cause) for seizures, but due to her young age, I am highly suspicious of a congenital cause. I hope that you are able to get to the bottom of things soon! Best of luck and take care. : )

The most common symptoms of a full-blown seizure in older dogs include drooling, violent muscle spasms, running movements of his legs, loss of bladder and bowel control and possible vomiting. So the incontinence may be part of the seizure. But anyway in a situation like this you NEED to get your dog to your vet as quickly as you can, to stop seizure if persistent or any more seizures and start diagnosis of the underlying cause The leading causes of seizures in older dogs changes and while epilepsy is the leading cause of seizures in younger dogs (under 6 years old), in senior dogs the leading causes include brain tumors, liver or kidney disease, trauma, poisoning, under active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

It sounds like seizure activity to me. Not all seizures are grand mal where the dog falls over and starts paddling. I suggest you get him back to the vet for a follow-up and discuss putting him on some anti-seizure medication. Occasionally severe pain can cause these types of symptoms. It is possible that the gallstones may be causing him some random pain. Most often though, gallstones do not cause any problems in dogs like they do in people. Again, talk to your vet about your options.

Hello, sorry to hear about Buella. Seizure in older dogs are always concerning for some form of brain disease. Unfortunately, a brain tumor is something that is highly considered and one thing to rule out. Other potential causes include having inflammation of her brain or an infection. Less likely causes include severe liver disease or low glucose. All of these causes however would require that your vet obtains bloodwork and potentially an MRI to examine her brain and look for any tumors. If she continues to have these episodes, she should be seen by her veterinarian soon. Alternatively, you may be able to start anti-seizure medications and see if this helps control her episodes as long as she is otherwise eating, drinking, and acting like her normal self. Hope this helps and best of luck.