My senior dog started having seizures and head pressing. Is it serious?

I'm sorry to hear about your sister!s dog. The biggest concern here is the age at which the pet started having seizures. When an older animal starts having seizure activity, there is usually an underlying problem, it's not usually just a diagnosis of epilepsy. The other big concern is the "head pressing" behavior that she is exhibiting. This is usually a very classic presentation for an animal with a brain tumor. Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure if the pet has a brain tumor is to have an MRI done to look at the brain and surrounding structures that are inside the skull. This, unfortunately, does not look good at this point for Miso. It is very important that she share the new information about the head pressing with her veterinarian so they can decide what to do next. Best of luck to everyone. I hope they can find some answers.

Poor Jackie! Unfortunately in an older dog who has no history of epilepsy, seizures usually mean something serious is going on. They can be caused by a primary brain lesion such as a tumour or they can be caused by the effects of toxin build up from organ failure, most often liver. They can be caused by other reasons such as high temperature or poisoning but the previous reasons are more likely. You need to get Jackie to a vet as seizures can damge the brain badly. The vet can examine her for clues as to a cause. Bloods can be useful to ascertain if it is organ failure. With a brain tumour clinical signs such as neurological signs can point to it, but mri tends to be the only full proof way to diagnose it. The vet will be able to administer meds to stop the seizuring then can decide the best treatment for her depending on the underlying cause. I will warn you that it is not going to be a case of curing her, but tryong to make her comfortable and manage symptoms. It is possible that her condition will be beyonf help and you may have to make the decision to put her to sleep. Good luck and give Jackie a cuddle from me.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The falling/lethargy episode you described may have been a seizure. This may be due to toxin ingestion or epilepsy, which does occur occasionally in older dogs. Head shaking may be related or unrelated as an ear infection. I recommend having Sami seen by her vet who can perform bloodwork and x-rays and prescribe anticonvulsant medications if the seizures continue. I recommend bringing a video of the episode if you are able to, as his will be really helpful in determining if the episode was truly a seizure. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

An 11 year old dog suddenly having seizures activity is very concerning. Especially if they are clustering like you describe. There are several possible causes such as low blood glucose from xylitol ingestion, a tumor on the pancreas releasing too much insulin, or something even more concerning such as a brain tumor. I would highly encourage you have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. It was unclear to if you were previously at the emergency clinic due to this issue or something else. However, if it was due to this then I would call the veterinarian and ask if you can have some diazepam to give this evening to see if you can keep her seizure free until tomorrow. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Initially it will be important to make sure they were seizures and not heart related (syncope/arrhythmia) as these can appear similar. Try to catch an event on video for your neurologist and document what happens before, during, and after the event. You are right the most common sign of a brain tumor is new onset seizures. But we do also always rule out any other causes like systemic issues, heart issues, and any other cancer elsewhere in the body. There are also other problems that can occur in the brain like inflammation. Ultimately what your neurologist will recommend will be based on the exam and information you provide but is likely to include chest xrays, an abdominal ultrasound, and MRI +/- CSF tap. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am concerned that there is something more going on with Bob. Especially with his age if he has never had seizures before he could have gotten into a toxin or it could be a brain lesion. If Bob is not on any medication for seizures I would talk to your veterinarian about starting some. Twelve seizures in three days is a lot. The only way to give you a definitive answer is an MRI but seizure medication will hopefully help. Regarding Bob's skin I would have your vet take a look to see if it's an infection or not. If the seizures do not stop regardless of medication we always have to evaluate how Bob's quality of life is at home. I hope Bob feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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).