Sudden Seizure in 2yr old male tri

[Nancy Berry]

@DebraDownSouth I had a 4 lb. Yorkie (Bubba) that had seizures, not long ones, maybe 45 sec. to a minute, but long enough to scare the bajeebers out of me! Her Vet (now deceased) asked me if she was ever exposed to "flickering" such as a strobe light or anything close to that, such as some TV shows or commercials! I had to think but the answer was YES ~ she was! I knew that lights flickering could cause seizures in humans but never thought about it affecting my (or any dog/cat) Bubba! The Vet said that the flickering of any form of light for as little as 2 sec., can cause a seizure in dogs/cats. I had a light-bulb go out one night & it flickered several times & before I could shut off the light, my Bubba went into a seizure lasting about 45 sec. She didn't foam at the mouth or have twitching of any body parts. She got a set stare of the eyes, stiffening of her body & when coming out of the seizure, she would try to pull herself forwards using only her front feet! I'd talk softly to her, using her name & rub her from her head down across her back. She would be a bit confused at first but talking to her brought her on out of it. But for Tiki, inside a sleeping bag, I'm 99.999% sure that there were no flickering lights of any kind! I just wanted to share the "flicker effect" with you all because both of my Senji girls watched TV & I worried about seizures with them but I was fortunate with my girls & neither had seizures. I've learned a lot about doggie seizures from this thread that, I'd have never thought of in a million years!! This is a GREAT FORUM!! I wish precious Tiki the very best in getting the seizures under control so there will be no more ~ period!! Both of your Senjis look just gorgeous!! I'll be watching for more posts on Tiki & hopefully, no more seizures! Nancy B.

[DebraDownSouth]

Nancy I have Springer Spaniel owner friends who have also reported flickering lights/seizures connection. Glad you brought that up!

[Hana]

That is very interesting about the flickering! There are so many triggers I'm sure! :(

Tiki had another seizure....... at least just he seems to be at one a week. Still horrible for him - and to witness. Gut and heart wrenching.

A few notes I forgot to mention as 'tips' that I read about if this helps anyone:

1. IF the pre-phase is noticeable a tiny bit of honey MAY snap them out of a seizure continuing (Tiki's come on FAST..... too fast to react.)
2. during a seizure to put an ice pack only on their lower back/spine area - take off when the seizure is over. (some have felt the 'after recovery' is quicker with ice.)
3. After a seizure 1-2 Tbsp. non-preservative natural vanilla ice cream OR a 50/50 combo of honey and butter!
4. A few kibbles at a time as a post-seizure snack. (Someone said a seizure is like running a marathon..... they are often famished after.) But not so many so they don't choke.
5. One thing my vet said is that pets have 'styles' typically of seizures..... ie. the aftermath recovery - some are confused, run around the house, spin in circles, are disoriented..... while others get aggressive! That the tend to react the same way for each seizure, like a pattern.
6. The one curious observation we had - was that Tiki's always seem to happen late at night and during a heavy rest or sleeping period. He's usually on the sofa - in the zone - relaxing for hours, before one comes on. Or he'll be sleeping on our bed - and at 3am starts a seizure. I wonder if there's a REM component or something going on with 'rest'. Curious if anyone else has noticed that. Storms trigger some dogs....... thunder and lightning don't phase ours....

Thanks for being there - you guys are fantastic and appreciated.

:)

[Nancy Berry]

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[Nancy Berry]

@Hana , It would be interesting to know if REM somehow, could trigger a seizure ~ it would be the same as flickering lights but without light. And he has them about the same time for each one he has. When I was a kid, we had this little terrier & at the first sound of thunder, he went into a seizure. If he was standing up, he would just freeze & fall over! His legs would stay stiff, his eyes were fixed & glazed & had the foam in the mouth. Scared the living snot out of me the first time I saw it!! I thought he'd just died!! The Vet gave us Valium to give him at the start of a storm & it would keep him from having a seizure. One time, it started to thunder & my Mom had me give him a piece of the Valium so I did & Skippy got up on the sofa & laid down. The storm turned away from us & was gone. I doped up our dog for no good reason! He went into a deep sleep & I sat next to him, crying on him as I couldn't wake him up ~ I thought I'd killed him!! My brother laughed at me, Mom told me to stop being silly & when my Dad came in, he told me Skippy would be okay & took me out to get a Coke. I never gave Skippy another pill of any kind! But I got to reading some things on Canine seizures & here's the 2 links if you want to read them. I hope the Vet gets Tiki's seizures stopped. It is terrible to see your pet going thru that. Keep us posted & Tiki's head rubbed! Nancy B.
#1. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS539US539&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Find+out+about+canine+epilepsy
#2. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS539US539&ion=1&espv=2&i!!e=UTF-8#q=About+canine+seizures

[DebraDownSouth]

There are some great groups for seizuring dog owners. I haven't had one, so not sure which are good but I am sure some here can help.

[Hana]

@Nancy-Berry Thank you so much for sharing about sweet Skippy - and the links! :) Every bit of knowledge helps for sure. Have a great weekend! :)

[DebraDownSouth]

Nancy, on REM sleep... it triggers migraines, so wouldn't be surprised if seizures. However, most seizures during sleep for humans is in light sleep. (I worked for 2 yrs with the University of TN Neuropsychology and Brain Research Center with Dr. Joel Lubar. My primary work was with the epilepsy program.)
https://www.epilepsy.org.au/about-epilepsy/understanding-epilepsy/nocturnal-seizures-during-sleep

[Hana]

@DebraDownSouth This is very intriguing !! I started finding articles about melatonin helping those with "night time" seizures....... Your mention of light sleep not deep REM sleep makes sense. If melatonin helps relieve some night time seizures..... maybe it's because the subject is sleeping more soundly?

Most articles I found said that pure melatonin (check dosing charts of course by weight) 30 mins- 1 hour before 'bed time' can help a lot with dogs with seizures - and for those who panic with storms etc.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/melatonin.htm
http://www.petremedycharts.com/Learning Center/Nutrition/Nutrition/home_cure_for_canine_seizures.html
http://www.vetblog.net/2013/01/dog-melatonin-uses-dose-rate.html
http://dog.rescueme.org/seizures

One article I found said to not give melatonin for dogs who have seizures. (at bottom)

http://ultimatehomelife.com/melatonin-for-dogs-dosages-safety-and-everything-you-should-know/

Does anyone on this forum have experience with giving their B's melatonin? :)

[Nancy Berry]

@DebraDownSouth Awesome place to work & what you were working with!

[Nancy Berry]

@Hana Sheesh! I never thought of giving a dog melatonin!!

[DebraDownSouth]

I know they have found lower dosages work better for people, but not find much solid research on dosing for dogs for each disorder so I'd start low. However, I am impressed with the amt of vets endorsing it and studies.

http://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/more-melatonin-and-dog-cancer/
leading to this published on help with cancer survival: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10674014

Dr Dodman is a rock star: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/3_5/features/Supplements-For-Anxious-Dogs_5095-1.html

https://cvm.ncsu.edu/new-research-study-focuses-on-mysterious-eye-disease-in-dogs/

https://www.vetinfo.com/melatonin-supplements-for-dogs.html

http://vcs.vetmed.wsu.edu/research/clinical-studies/melatonin