What causes seizures in young female puppies and why are they dying?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry!! It is very hard when puppies are this young. The most common cause of illness and death in puppies are infections and congenital issues. Common infections that can affect the respiratory system and or the neurologic system are: Herpes, distemper, bordatella, influenza. Sadly I recommend doing special testing on the next puppy that dies to find out the cause. I would request PCR swabs to send off for a respiratory panel and biopsy any abnormal tissues on autopsy. Sometime we can not save them when we do not know what the disease is. If you can not get to the Vet in town go to a specialist or local Veterinary school. It is important to know what is going on. I hope this helps and I am very sorry this is happening. I suggest that the 3 currently ill puppies be seen at a more specialized hospital. I wish you the best!

I’m so sorry for your losses. The only way to determine what the babies have died from would be to have a necropsy or postmortem exam done. I understand with foster pets this might not be financially feasible, but it may give answers and potentially help the remaining kittens. If all from the same litter they could have a congenital Disorder causing the seizures and death, or they may have been exposed to a virus while in utero or shortly after birth. Some toxins, exposure to flea control products, or medications can cause seizure and death. Diagnostic testing can be difficult with kittens this little but it may be worth discussing running a Health screen or viral panel on the remaining kittens to assess their health. Otherwise, the best thing to do is make sure they are on a good plane of nutrition, use only Anti-parasite products recommended by your veterinarian, and vaccinate as they get old enough. Thank you for taking care of these kittens, best of luck with the rest of the litter. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of your dog Nancy! I see the blood work you attached. Her liver values (AST and ALT) and her kidney values were elevated (BUN and creat). I agree that a toxin is most likely the cause in a dog Nancy's age, even if she didn't contact the toxin the day the seizures started. Another possibility is something infectious, like Leptospirosis though they usually do not seizure. I have seen increased liver enzymes secondary to seizure activity (from the elevated body temperature and muscle activity). Again I am sorry for your loss!

I would be very concerned with Izzy having this many seizures in such a short period of time. Young, small breed dogs can suffer from a condition called a shunt. With this disease the liver is unable to filter out toxins like it normally would. When this happens and the levels of certain enzymes get too high they affect the brain and cause seizures. This happens more frequently after a meal. I would recommend having Izzy checked out by your vet. They will likely run a blood test to check her liver enzymes and a test called bile acids to see how well the liver is working. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this in your young pup! Hopefully you can get a diagnosis and start managing her seizures soon.

I’m sorry to hear about your pups! I recommend taking all of them to a vet right away. They could have gotten into something toxic while you were gone and might all need de-contamination therapy. That is usually meds to make them vomit and to soak up any medications left in the system. They may also needs medications to stop seizures and fluids to flush the toxins from their body. At their age, if they continue to vomit they will quickly dehydrate. I would go to an emergency vet right away. Good luck and kisses to the babies!

I suppose it's theoretically possible that paint fumes could cause seizures or other neurologic issues, but it would have to be an extremely severe exposure (i.e., trapped in a small space with very strong fumes for a long time). I have never seen a case of this, and in my experience it would be unlikely. If your puppy is having seizures, more likely causes of this would include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), an infectious disease like canine distemper, a liver shunt, or ingestion of something toxic. Regardless of the underlying cause, seizures in a puppy are a medical emergency, so I would recommend taking Sasha to the vet immediately for an exam and treatment.

Yes. I would recommend taking her to an emergency veterinarian immediately. She could be having seizures from hypoglycemia which is treatable, but can be fatal if not treated quickly. She could also have a liver shunt or developmental problem with her brain causing seizures. Trauma or ingestion of toxins can cause seizures as well. If she has had that many seizures in a short period there is potential for permanent brain damage. Head to a vet as soon as you can - I’ll be hoping for the best for Daisy!