Dog Siezures and My Boxer's death

by Steve Tracy
(Hubert, NC)

My boxer died this morning at 6 years old. No history of any problems until 3 weeks ago. She weighed 62 pounds and 100% wide open. On the evening of Jan 22 my boxer became disoriented, with her eyes rolled up and eyelids fluttering. She was drooling a lot more then normal. She was very wobbly and had a hard time walking in a straight line.


We took her to the Vet the next morning and she stayed in the hospital for 3 days and then we brought her home. The vet could not find any reason why she had gotten sick. A full physical exam, blood work, and all plus an x-ray. We gave her her meds and she seemed to recover nicely.

She was very much back to normal by the beginning of this week. She never lost her appetite and we continued with her daily walk even when she was still sick because she wanted to go. No vomiting or any other problems with her bowel movements. Appetite was fine and everything looked normal. Last night she was fine and went to bed as always. We played a little and we took the daily walk.

This morning she was up before us and went to the bathroom in the house, which she never does. My wife put her out as normal and when I let her back in she was wobbley and was drooling a lot again. She was very lethargic and then she laid down. I called the vet to let her know and when I went to check her she was gone. I was wondering if it could have been a stroke or such.

Her father died when he was 6 or 7 also. It is one of the hardest things I have had to do in a long time. She was a beautiful dog with a fantastic personality. I don't believe she thought she was a dog. Her and my wife had become a pair going on their walks together. She was my wife's first pet at
47 years old.

Editor Comment:

Dear Steve,

Seizures in dogs happen to be relatively uncommon. Only 4% of all dog populations are thought to be affected by them. Although seizures are less common, they may occur for several reasons, including neurological disorders such as epilepsy or due to toxicity/poisoning.

Dog seizures are treated in various ways, but remember there isn’t any satisfactory treatment available for reaching a complete cure. Dogs with such problems are usually kept on certain drugs, selected to keep them calm and in control. These drugs are sedative in nature.

Along with the use of drugs, management and extra care is needed. An owner of the affected dog should keep an eye on the dog's behavior and never let the pet exercise, walk or run for longer distances. The dog should be kept busy in some indoor but safer activities, which should not include excessive jumping, running or stress.

Treatment for canine seizures is accomplished with several approaches, i.e. some veterinarians prefer to wait and see if this happens again or what are the exact symptoms, so that an exact form of seizure can be identified.

There are different stages of seizures which can help with identifying a treatment method. Other veterinarians may not prefer to wait and therefore start therapy right away. Remember, the approach toward treatment depends upon the status of the pet and an available diagnosis.

In this case, though, we are not aware of the clinical history, exact symptoms and therapeutics that were preferred, but it seems that it was some kind of congenital neurological disorder. Death is unusual in normal dog seizure cases, but if it happens it surely due to shock and coma.

If you own any other dog from this family, take good care of it and it is recommended that you take the dog for a screening. It is probable that it happened due to some type of neurological weakness.

Sorry to hear about this problem, but we are sure your note will help others that are struggling with a dog seizure problem.

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Jul 10, 2011
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MY BOO
by: lee douglas

My name is lee douglas. I lost my female boxer on july 2 2011. She would've been 10 in september. That morning she was fine eating wagging. Her little tail. Her name is BOO. A very smart dog. But later that afternoon i heard a yelping sound opened. My bedroom door there she was beside the couch face down i thought maybe she was stuck. I grabed her she began. Panting heavily and very weak not long after after that she took her last breath. I tried what i could but nothing seemed to work. I feel that she was calling out to me as she was letting me know it was time for her to go. And wanted me there with her. I did not let her down i was there for her. I had her for A good 10 years. But this came all to quick for me. I miss her so much it's. Only been a week and I am still sad as the day it happened. I am getting her cremated. And will be getting her back monday. I am not sure if i want another dog. Boo also didn't think she was a dog. Sed eat when i ate. She never let me out of her sight. She never barked. And if she wanted outside she get right in front of me and sit there as to get my attention. I have an emptiness now her bed was the corner of my sectional its hard for me to lay ont couch without her there under her blankets. Will this get better for me? I sure hope so

Sep 25, 2010
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Incontinence after Dog Seizure
by: Anonymous

Editor Comment - Canine Incontinence after Dog Seizure

Seizures in dogs go through different stages, which is Pre–seizure where a dog may appear restless, paced, seeks shelter, affection and hides minutes before actual seizures, and Ictus in which the dog becomes excited and vomits, salivates, runs in a circle, collapses and has severe uncoordinated muscular activity (lasts up to 5 min). The last is the Post–Ictal Seizure: This is the recovery stage, in which a dog may become blind (temporarily) and appears disoriented and uncoordinated (can last minutes, days, weeks).

In the second stage, or true seizure it has been noted that uncoordinated and uncontrolled muscular activity is a major symptom, which can affect almost all muscles of the body, including the anal muscles. In this stage, it should be remembered that the patient has no control and awareness of its whereabouts and in-voluntary bodily actions. Therefore, the patient may not respond to any command and any past training efforts.

But, incontinence shows that the severity of the condition has been elevated over time, therefore you should consult a nearby veterinarian for a detailed examination and treatment with specific drugs.

Since, the dogs history along with other clinical and laboratory procedures are very important for reaching a diagnosis; you should have all related information about the condition with you, including the appearance of the dog during each canine seizure, duration of seizure, unilateral or bilateral seizures, exposure to any toxins, chemicals etc, recent medication and vaccination, diet, pattern of seizures (like time, place, activity etc), unusual signs before and after seizures. This information helps the veterinarian in making an early decision about the nature of the seizures.

While your dog is being diagnosed, we recommend you use some supportive supplements and natural remedies, which will help in providing comfort to your dog. Remember, there is no specific treatment for seizures, these can only be managed with therapeutics acting on the nervous system. In terms of supplements we suggest the natural remedy Muscle and Joint Support. A helpful supplement for dogs that experience seizures is 21st Century Pet-Eze.

The only way to keep your pet comfortable is to reduce the frequency, duration and severity of the canine seizures. These supplements/remedies along with specific drugs (more likely barbiturates) prescribed by the veterinarian will help to manage the condition.

Best of luck with this dog seizure problem.

Aug 11, 2010
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Aftermath of Dog Seizure
by: mzenor

My dog is a 6 year old Cairn Terrier. He had a severe seizure 3 weeks ago that lasted several minutes. We adopted this dog at 6 months old and this seizure was the first we witnessed. It was distressing and shocking to say the least, however after a few minutes the dog's behavior returned to normal. Several days later we noticed that the dog happened to drop poop nuggets on the floor unknowingly, although in the 2-3 days right after the event he evacuated normally. The dog has always been well trained prior to the seizure. Is it possible that this seizure may be responsible for this incontinence?


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