my 11 year old weimaraner bitch had a seizure Monday night, went on for about a minute, went from being fast asleep to lurching up contorting and foaming at mouth then violently contorting on floor, spaced out, anxious and uncorridinated afterwards . then fine.
we thought it might be temperature, it was very hot so next night with fans etc managed to get temperature down and during massive thunderstorm in night she had another one and although never previously was afraid of lightening she is now - sat up with her all night.
today weather extremely hot, got house cool and quiet- was fine all day aside from easily over excited and panting despite house being cool- then again she has had seizure about hour after going to sleep at night. so will be spending night on sofa with her as scared to leave her alone in case hurts herself if has another one,

She is terrified of vets, tomorrow we are down for 32C and i think if I walk her there in that heat to a place she is hysterical she will die there and then in fear in a place she hates.
physically she is in good health, no excess peeing or weight loss- just old lumpy bumpy old dog thats a bit stiff if does too much or too little.

am I right in thinking this is probably a brain tumor and nothing can be done if is?  I do not want to drag her to vet once weather cools if there is no treatment aside from take home and love till time to pts. she is very very scared at vets.  she has gone very clingy and anxious even at home,

anyone else with an older dog who started this? please was progression fast? was there any vet treatment available to relieve it?

This really does need a vets input
Would your vet do a home visit ? Or can u take her just to the carpark and the vet come out to see her rather than having to go in

Late onset fitting (age) could be caused by anything, sadly including a brain tumour, but don't go there first.   And keep off the internet as you'll probably only worry yourself unduly.   I'm afraid this is one for the vet, as as suggested why not keep her in the car although the vet may need to have her in, for testing.   Ditto with a home visit really.

Whatever, I'm afraid this does need her to be examined by your vet.   You might go pick up some mild sedation to give her before you take her there?

I have had many dogs who have had seizures at different ages. Often they have had one or two seizures and no more in their lifetime.
I feel it may be part of the ageing process of a dog’s brain that we don’t yet understand.
However we have also had dogs who clearly had some sort of brain lesions.
The thing is, what tends to happen ultimately is that the dog will go into a seizure and not come out and this is a very distressing thing to witness  and ends up being a veterinary emergency.
I would try to time the seizures accurately if you can as it always seems longer than it is.
Only you can decide whether to involve your vet but a home visit does sound like a good idea

thank you.  all  very helpful. have just spoken  to vet and they have told me she is not suffering during these seizures which takes pressure off a little.  we have decided to see how she does over next few days as weather cools.
I have now got the number for a vet who will come out and do emergency at home euthanasia 24/4 so that angle covered

It’s certainly a horrible situation to be in and I wish you all best

I would not jump to any conclusions yet. The heat has been extreme. Dehydration causes seizures, so make sure she is getting plenty of water in her (don't worry to much about food). Keep a log of the time the fit happens, it's duration and anything else you spot. If you can film it on your phone, that may help with diagnosis if it does continues. But most important of all - keep your distance and if you have other dogs, keep them well away. Don't take any risks and don't be tempted to cuddle her or touch her during or after a seizure until you are sure that she is past it. Keep safe and we've everything crossed for you and her.

I'm inclined to wonder if it's heat related.  Had an older bitch suffer in the heat and she hadn't been walked or let out in the sun.  But she had a seizure which the vet put down to dehydration.  I agree that she shouldn't be touched during a seizure.  I despair of hearing about folk that cuddle their pet during one.  All they do is make things worse.

My old girl has had 2 seizures since that episode.  But far enough apart that the vet won't consider medication.  I just turned TV off and lights out until she was back to normal.  She's 14 now and I love her to bits.  I agree that I would want to have a vet look at your girl.

thank you.  she is eating and drinking well, sleeping a lot but looks happy enough as long as right next to me .   We will not be making any hasty decisions now reassured by vet and friend who is vet nurse that she is not in pain during fits.    have set downstairs of house up so it is cool- multiple fans going and waiting for weather to break.  I am clinging to hope she will be improved once weather cooler.

during the fits we have been dimming lights, standing well back and just softly telling her shes a good girl. I am very aware of potential of getting bitten as she is not herself for a little while after.   also have one of those cooling clothes which draped on her last night as she pants terribly in the aftermath.

Brain tumours are fairly common causes of seizures in older dogs, but I wouldn’t worry just yet since the heat really can hit some of them hard. I hope that once it’s cooler things improve for you all. Unfortunately I have a bit of experience with brain tumours so you’re welcome to message if you want to ask anything. But hopefully won’t be needed!

And yes the aim during a seizure is to minimise all stimuli; remove other dogs, turn lights off, turn tv/radio off, close curtains, move things out of her way- don’t try to move her, don’t put your hands anywhere near her head especially her mouth. It sounds like you’re handling them just fine. Hope it’s not much longer before she stops.

a good night. she did not fit overnight!   looks a lot more with it today- as do I. and weather supposed to be a lot cooler today so hoping that will help

> But most important of all - keep your distance and if you have other dogs, keep them well away. Don't take any risks and don't be tempted to cuddle her or touch her during or after a seizure

This is very important because when in a fit, the dog is 'out of it' and could bite.   You do have to make sure they are not likely to injure themselves if thrashing arouned but that's all.

And if you can, take a phone vid. of what's going on, to help the vet diagnose is a good idea.

a cool day, and this afternoon she fitted again.
its not the weather causing this.

as cooler we could gently walk the short distance to vet without straining her and the vet confirmed she thinks Nell has a brain tumour.   she has started anti seizure drugs tonight, obviously this will not cure her but we hope it will give her a decent quality of life for the short time we have left,   she is a happy dog still at present and both we and vet feel it was not time for her yet but obviously we will be watching her closely and we are preparing to let go when needed.    she is being spoilt rotten.

So sorry. Thinking of you and your lovely girl. X

Thank you for the update and sorry to hear that it is not such good news.

I really feel for you.  I'm so very sorry, love her while you can.

our lovely girl is gone.
the anti seizure drugs worked well for a week, and then they did not. we were fortunate to find a vet who specialises in at home euthanasia who was kindness personified. Nelly had a very bad night Sunday, thankfully yesterday Monday had rallied and was happy again but the brain tumour had progressed, she would soon have got a lot worse so we gave her a lovely Monday morning , a good meal, treats, a short walk, a play in sun in garden and then this vet came out and spent over an hour here,Nelly loved her,  she fed her nice things and checked her over to make sure there was nothing else could be done, reassured us that we were not being too soon . she was so gentle and subtle Nelly did not even notice the sedative and went to sleep across my lap holding her favourite toy in her mouth.
then today I phoned our regular vet to let them know she would not be needing her next appointment - and found the end care vet had been kind enough to have already informed them . so thoughtful.
anyone in Birmingham who has dogs and cats this end care vet is well worth knowing about- the practise is called Dignipet.  I feel completely broken at our loss but at least her passing was happy and peaceful. and she had a week of good days of everything we could think of that she enjoyed.

Im so very sorry.  Sounds as though you gave her a lovely last day.  My thoughts are with you.

so sorry to hear this sad news...thinking of you xxxx

So sorry to read this sad news.

Sorry for your loss. Run free lovely girl.

I'm crying myself here.  I can only imagine your pain.  You couldn't have done more for your girl, so allow yourself to grieve. 

I'm so very, very sorry.