My senior dog had seizures. Could it be something other than a tumor?

In my opinion, it is a long shot to diagnose brain tumor based on one episode like that. First of all, it should be established if the episode was a seizure or not (it could have been a muscle spasm or a bout of neck pain, maybe ?). I assume that neurological examination at the time of your visit at your vet was all ok. If Sookie has another similar episode, ideally you should record a video of that and play it back to your vet. It will help to establish if this is a seizure or not. Even if the episode was an epileptic seizure it is not necessary because of brain tumor. Problems like blood clot in the brain vessel, bleeding from a brain vessel, inflammation of the brain, infection or even diseases distant from the brain (for example diabetes, heart diseases) can result in seizure-like episodes. So, the best approach for confirmed seizure is to run blood test first to rule out diabetes, drop in blood glucose level, liver/kidney function etc. If the results are negative AND your dog is experiencing similar, frequent epsidoes you can consider MRI of the brain. Lastly, brain tumors do not respond well to chemotherapy/radiotherapy therefore this mode of treatment is usually not recommended. However, some brain tumors can be surgically removed.

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 concern is often more linked to a tumour of the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. The tumour can be benign or malignant and what it does it is stimulating the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. If the pituitary tumour grows, it can cause neurological signs and therefore seizures too. The masses can be quite large , over 1 cm , and cause symptoms related to pressure to the brain structures nearby. If the seizures are not very frequent, it means the tumour rate of growth is not that fast, and this is a good sign in itself. However an MRI would be able to provide more information and allow monitoring, if possible.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Seizures can occur due to many reasons that go from a toxicity, metabolic diseases, inflammatory diseases and even tumors including brain tumors. I highly recommend that you have Casey evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. Diagnostics that will be recommended will include bloodwork and advanced imaging such as an MRI. They would also be able to start her on anti-seizure medications to try to avoid the onset of more seizures. Good luck and have a good day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Sorry to hear about Babygirl. Unfortunately, without advanced diagnostic imaging it will not be possible to tell you with certainly the cause of her seizure activity. An MRI would be the only way to accomplish this positively. Based on her age and no previous history of seizure activity, a brain tumor or tumor elsewhere in the central nervous system would be the most likely diagnosis. Much lower down on my list would be some sort of infectious or inflammatory process. Even lower would be extremely late onset epilepsy. Based on what you are telling me, it sounds like humane euthanasia is probably the best decision you can make for her. I know it's hard but I hope it gives you some solace knowing that you are bringing her to peace.

She really does need some investigation into what is going on. If toxins can be ruled out and there hasn't been a traumatic injury to the head it is most likely going to be a central nervous system lesion. Unfortunately this is normally a brain tumour or similar. Epilepsy is still a possibility but rarely occurs in older dogs. I would recommend seeing your vet as soon as possible so they can start with some blood tests and take their investigations from there. Fingers crossed for you.

I'm sorry Cody had a seizure and he possibly has a brain tumor. If he does have one, it is likely he may have more seizures, so I would discuss with your vet putting him on an anti seizure medication. There are drugs that can be used such as steroids to help reduce swelling in the brain or chemotherapy and radiation, but this depends on how much money you want to spend to treat him. Euthanasia is another option depending on the severity of his symptoms. To confirm he has a brain tumor, you can speak to his vet about having a CT or MRI done as well as x-rays to see if there is any cancer spread to places like his lungs. Having these tests done may guide your treatment choices for him. I hope this helps, again I'm sorry he possibly has a brain tumor.