Seizure Watch

Black lab came in because he had a seizure at home and the owners wanted him to be checked out and watched. 

Animals who have seizures at home will be placed on seizure watch when they are at the vet. A bell collar is placed around the animal's neck.  If the animal does have a seizure, the bells will ring and either a doctor or vet tech can help to control the seizure. 

Seizures can be extremely scary but always remain calm when you witness an animal having one.  Animals will begin to shake, their head and neck will strain upwards, they become rigid and eventually they lose consciousness.  Their jaws will clench, they begin to convulse, and more than likely they will begin to drool.

Ok, so its scary... but what is a seizure?  Seizures are the result of abnormal bursts of nerve signals to the brain.  Sometimes they can be symptoms of toxicity or a neurological problem.  Other times, like idiopathic seizures, the causes are unknown.

Age is a determinant factor in concluding on how serious the seizure or series of seizures are.  Young dogs usually get seizures because they have epilepsy.  Although that can be a scary diagnosis, epilepsy is manageable and treatable.  In older dogs, seizures can be a sign of a brain tumor or neurological problems, sometimes which are untreatable. 

When an animal has a seizure at the hospital, a nurse will inject the patient with Valium.  Valium, also known as Diazepam, is a fast acting anti-convulsive drug that can be effective when attempting to stop cluster seizures (a series of seizures).  Although Valium is good for sporadic use, dogs can build up a resistance to the drug, making it not as effective when needed the most.