Hello

Background on Barney: 1 year old cocker spaniel... no medical problems to date.

Had a frightening episode yday in the park. Taking my dog for usual park walk/run... I turned around to put something in the bin to find barney foaming at the mouth - head flopping to  his right side and generally floppy. Barney couldn't really move and was very scared himself. This has NEVER happened before. I was so shocked and upset. He then snapped out of it and continued as normal. My initial thoughts were - has he been stung? Bitten and this was the reaction?

We went straight to the vet - where his bloods were taken (all normal) - the vet suggested it may have been an epileptic fit - or some kind of seizure?????? She gave him valium to settle him ...

Please can anyone tell me if they have heard of this before and is it common?

Im just really worried about him right now and can't let him out of my sight..... I just keep imagining how would he cope with a seizure in those hours nobody is with him??

Thanks for any advice.

Ps today he is happy and as bouncy as ever!!!

Try not to be too alarmed ;-)  Epilepsy is often a broadly used term for seizures (fits) that don't have an obviously specific cause.  If fitting is regular or clustered (lots of them in quick succession) then generally the cause would be idiopathic epilepsy if something else had not shown up in tests - and as this has so far only happened once to your youngster that is a big assumption to make, so try to think happy thoughts!!! ;-)

Seizures can be caused by a variety of factors so just keep an eye on him and record any changes that you see in his behaviour, health etc so that you can give your vet a detailed report if necessary.

If you have contact details for your dog's breeder, phone him/her and describe what's happened.  There may be a mode of inheritance but they may also be able to set your mind at rest that there isn't :-)  :-)  :-)

For your own peace of mind, try and ensure that when he is being left alone he is in a small and restricted area - ideally a crate or play pen.  That way, should he have another *episode* he is unlikely to be able to harm himself.

Teri :-)

my boy had seizures and the 1st sign was as you said foaming at the mouth,it is the first part of the seizure that you witnessed,i was the same as you i thought he had been stung.the 2nd part is when they lose control but be careful when they are in a fit because they can snap at you(mentally not normal) and the last is when they are coming round and back to normal.the vets will class them as fits untill they have had more than 1.but as teri said they can come in clusters and go from 1 to another.the vet can give meds to help control them and reduce the risk which as far as i am aware has to be given at the same time every day or it can bring on a fit.some times the vet can not find the cause and will do an mri scan of the brain to see if any thing shows.if the dog is not coming out and back to normal WITHIN 10 MINS it could be life treating (brain damage due to lack of blood) this is an emergency appointment with the vet to get drugs etc.but let them know your on your way to be ready.
how old is your dog?
my lad was 11 year old boxer no medical problems all the tests clear,fine in the morning then started in afternoon,took to the vets he had the 1st one there all i saw was the build up to the fit/seizure.which can last hours or mins.
they kept him in he had 2 small ones and a big one later the same day all at the vets.he was given all the drugs possible but he was worse in the morning and couldn't stand.he was in a consent pre fit stage even when having the drugs (valium) via a drip.we have no explaination what happened and why and the vet couldn't tell us either.all they could say was inflammation of the brain.we had to pts to give him peace the next morning.
some time there can be an organ problem that brings them on but if the test are clear (bloods) this should have been ruled out.
i hope this post doesn't scare you it is just my own experience with my old boy. but i hope it helps both you and your dog.
let me know how you go.

if it happens when hes alone providing its not a long one he will come round himself,but you won't know he's had it.

I have a rescue Presa Canario that has idiopathic epilepsy.
We were told she had had one seizure before we took her on.
The first fit had been on the 21st jan this year. We took her on on Good Friday.
I contacted the vet that had treted her for the first fit and he said it was caused by a really heavy season and would probably never happen again as I had had her speyed.
After 2 months we thought we were in the clear.
Then she had one more seizure. No more for another 6 weeks.
She then had a cluster of seizures. She had 13 seizures in 36 hours.
The longest lasting 12 minutes and by the time we got her to the vet she had not fully recovered.
We honestly thought we were taking her to be PTS but the vet said that with meds she would be OK.
She was put on Phenobarbitone and she hasn't had a seizure since.
If your dog has only had the one fit then I wouldn't worry. If the seizures continue but only every month or so then he shouldn't need meds.
If the seizures were to become more frequent then your vet will probably put him on meds.
The Valium is to stop a fit not to prevent it. Phenobarbitone prevents further fits occurring.
It has to be given twice a day at 12 hour intervals.

Phoenix was given Diazapam rectubes to stop seizures but we've never had to use them since she's been on the Pheno'.

I think I read somewhere that Cockers are prone to epilepsy. I'm probably wrong but it's worth looking into.