Dog lovers advice please ....

by troubled mind 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  troubled mind

  Tonight something really scary happened with our dog .

  We took him out for a walk along the canal near our home .It has been hot and humid today but we went out in the evening out of direct sun. We walked a little over a mile and our dog had been panting quite a bit, but nothing real unusual . As we were heading back he all of the sudden starts pawing at his muzzle then puts his face down and is scraping it in the gravel then just totally spasms . Legs straight out shaking panting uncontrolably .My husband had to pick him up and carry him to the car and hold him as I drove us home . By the time we got home he was real unsteady and seemed disoriented . We got him to drink some water and then he went and hid under the table .( At first I thought something had stung him , but there is no evidence of that being so .)

  I called the vet and he said it sounded like a seizure to him and not heat exhuastion . He said to just make sure he has water available and to just leave him alone and let him sleep .

  Our dog is a Rat terrier about five yrs old . Healthy and active .

  Has anyone experienced anything like this with their pet ?
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  ohiocowboy

  Hi! I don't know what it would be, but just want to say that I hope your Dog feels better, and hope that it is nothing serious. The vet should be able to find out what is going on when you take him.

  Take care.
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  hillbilly

  Never saw a dog like that.... see the vet.

  Hope its all good

  Jeff
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  jaguarbass

  We have 4 cocker spaniels and 2 of them have seizures about once a year they are now about 7. It's pretty scary and upsetting to see. I think my wife gives them honey when it happens.

  The two that have seizures have been having them once a year for abut 5 years now. They walk like they are drunk, they walk sideways.

  A lot of people have seizures also. Epilepsy. A short in the brain. It seems to be more popular among pure bread dogs.

  I hear flax seed oil is good for preventing the seizure. Put it on his food.
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  nameless_one

  The part about his pawing at his mouth and scraping his muzzle on the ground sounds symptomatic of choking (obviously not the case here) or poisoning. Could he have picked up or injested something toxic during the walk? As others have said, seizures alone are not uncommon; many cats and dogs develop epilepsy or other neurological disorders that result in occasional seizures. It can be very frightening, especially the first time, but is certainly manageable once you know for sure what you're dealing with.
  
  The sudden and frantic scraping at his mouth seems alarming though. I also think it's kind of alarming that your vet just said let him sleep and don't worry about it? If this is the first time your dog has ever experienced something like this, I think he should be checked out as soon as possible. If it were me, I would take him in first thing tomorrow and keep a close eye on him in the meantime.
  
  Best wishes for you and your dog.
  
  Edited to add: If he doesn't get better during the night and you think it might be a case of exposure to some sort of poison or toxic substance, the ASPCA's online FAQ at http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc_faq might help you.
  
  I hope the whole incident was a harmless fluke and your dog will be fine and well come the morning
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  troubled mind

  Thank you for the replies . After we got home and he drank some water and rested the symptoms all went away . Later that night he wanted to play and seemed normal .

  This morning he is tired ,but acting okay . I am guessing it was a seizure because anything else would have had longer effects . My husband thought the pawing may have indicated a sudden pain in his head ...???

  I just hope it was a fluke and won't ever occur again . We do have a cat that has occasional seizures .He starts vocalizing by yowling then spasms and loses bowel control . This just seemed diferent than that .

  Has anyone seen their dog experience dehydration or heat stroke ? That is what I think happened .......
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  nelly136

  just wondering if its an open or closed face muzzle?

  http://www.nhm.org/exhibitions/dogs/formfunction/endurance.html if it was blocking his tongue function it could cause problems and make him overheat
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  DJK

  I don't think you would find evidence of a bee sting. It sounds like the sting from a ground digger wasp. They can cause convulsions in humans. My dog was stung in the rear quarter and she couldn't walk for three hours.
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  lancelink

  sounds like a seizure, but several years ago I was walking my dog and she ran across a neighbors yard who had a lawn treatment
  service spray earlier in the day.
  her face swelled up, had slight tremors, and was sleepy for several hours afterwards. The vet told me to give her some
  children's benadryl. It helped with the swelling, not the tremors or sleepiness.
  
  If it is a seizure it would be a good idea to get her checked out, there are drugs that really minimize the effects.
  Also if it happens again, make sure that your dog has a place to relax/recover afterwards that is quiet and relaxing.
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  digderidoo

  I have never seen that myself, however my aunt has a dog that suffers from seizures, it's not nice for the dog at one point his spasms made him leap over 6ft.

  Paul