Hi all,

I’m new to the forum and away from home. We have just moved from Australia to France. Our 3.5 yr old Labradoodle (medium 16-18kg), Chester, had a 30 sec seizure yesterday morning. It is the first unconscious seizure we have noticed (very unsettling), we raced him to a vet and his bloods/vitals are normal. The vet did not perform an ECG but did listen to his heart.

This is the first dog I have experienced a seizure with and we cannot think of anything obvious that could have caused the fit, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Chester woke up dry retching, after several coughs he loss consciousness falling on his side. His whole body contracted in a fit and he peed himself, after contracting his legs mimicked a bounding action while his head remained fitting (with his eyes rolling in his head), foaming at the mouth.

Coming out of the 30 sec fit (felt like minutes) he was groggy, unsteady on his feet, and it seemed he did not know where he was - as he regained his coordination he raced around the apartment like he was exploring it for the first time and excited we were with him. This included urinating (marking) in various spots and then defecating (very uncharacteristic behaviour).

If anyone could shed any light, provide any advice or avenues to explore, we will be in your debt.

Thanks in advance!

He is due to be dewormed so any recommendations considering this fit would be awesome.

I mentioned that this was the first fit we had witnessed where he loss consciousness because we have seen him foaming at the mouth and unsteady on his feet - around a year ago. I was worried he had eaten something poisonous but he recovered quickly - very similar to what we witnessed after this seizure.

Sadly that does sound like an epileptic seizure - the releasing his bladder and often bowels too is typical.   And at this age I'd go to epilepsy - later, into old age, and this could be caused by anything.  Of course, there could be a brain tumour - not to depress you overly!   Let the vets test and diagnose.  Be careful because when in a fit, dogs are 'out of it' and could bite.   Make sure he's not going to bang himself when moving around in the fit and keep an eye on him to make sure he comes out of it.   If not, you must, obviously, get him to your vet immediately (I suppose cover him with a blanket, re biting).    Can you take a phone vid. if this happens again - it might help the vet with his diagnosis.

Try not to panic - it's more upsetting for the owner, than for the dog.  If it is epilepsy, there is medication which works, once the correct dose is found.

Thanks for your reply. Just hoping he doesn’t suffer seizures more frenquently.

I've a dog that started about the same age last year. Prior to having a 'proper' fit he had a couple of episodes where he salivated and pawed at his mouth when he met some dogs. I thought he had just been licking where he shouldn't have! Anyway after he had his 2nd fit two months after his first he was given the works and no reason could be found. He was put on Epyphen which made him very spaced out for the first few weeks so much so I wanted to stop the meds but we persevered. Up side is he has not had a fit since January apart from a slight drool on meeting a bitch (we live remote and don't often see other dogs on walks) and he is back to normal and coping fine with the meds.

Welcome to the forum.

>We have just moved from Australia to France.

That is a big upheaval (for your all). I would not panic yet and wait to see if it happens again. Dehydration and stress can cause seizures, so hold fire with your diagnosis for the time being. You will find many past threads on this topic if you want to check (Search option at the top of the page).

I would also delay worming him for a week or two if you can. Hope he is ok.

> I would also delay worming him for a week or two if you can. Hope he is ok.

So would I (delay)

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice, Chester has been doing well until tonight when he had another grand mal seizure: dry-heaved, vomited, loss consciousness, fitted and urinated during seizure.

The seizure only lasted for 10 seconds (fitting). After the seizure his back legs were wobbly causing him to fall a couple of times, but this didn’t stop him trying to run around the apartment and mark his territory a couple of time (does not usually do this).

We have recorded what food he had during the day and have held off on Flea/deworming meds. But it seems the timing of the seizure is in line with other dogs suffering from epilepsy.

A neighbour did feed him a small piece of bread that did have raisins in it. So we were worried that the seizure could have been a symptom of the raisins (have previously mentioned to her how poisonous they are to dogs).

Just wanted to ask others with similar experiences when we could expect another seizure and if others have had similar experiences following the ingestion of raisins (would have been maximum of 2-3)?

Thanks in advance!

He's of the age age where epilepsy usually starts if it's going to (a good reason why dogs shouldn't be bred from too young!) and there's no way of predicting how frequently he'll have seizures. If they're less than once a month vets generally won't medicate, but if they're several times a week then medication should definitely be given. The few raisins are highly unlikely to be related, but as the saying goes "Never say never". Continue monitoring him, noting the time of day and duration of any seizures. (With idiopathic epilepsy, seizures are most common when the dog is drowsy or asleep.)

And definitely tell Chester's breeder; the mating that produced him should never be repeated.

Good luck! Epilepsy is disappointing and quite scary to live with, but seems to be worse for the owner than the dog.

I have no experience of seizures but I wouldn't flea or worm him.  Do a worm count to check if he actually needs the medication and use a natural treatment for fleas - anything that can lower the risk of a reaction to anything has got to be worth trying

>Chester has been doing well until tonight when he had another grand mal seizure: dry-heaved, vomited, loss consciousness, fitted and urinated during seizure.

We all had everything crossed that it might be a one off but it's not sounding hopeful now. If you use the search facility at the top of the page, you will find lots of posts about epilepsy and living with the condition. The one thing I can not stress enough though is that when your dog is in a seizure or for some time AFTER his seizure has ended, give him a lot of space. Don't be tempted to hug/comfort him and avoid handling him until you are sure he is 'back to normal'. This will vary in time and eventually you will learn to read the signs. Keep everything (including yourself) calm. Easier said than done I know, but if you are calm, then your dogs surroundings will also be 'calm'. I always talked quietly to my dog during and after a seizure and in many ways, this was more to keep me calm than him but, I always kept my distance (he tried to bite me during a seizure one time, so I learnt the hard way!). There are drugs that can help with this condition, so if it continues then seek Veterinary advice. Good luck.