Seizures

Seizures and Your Pet

As a pet owner there’s nothing more frightening then witnessing your beloved pet have a seizure. Our first reaction is to panic and try to help our furry family member during the episode. These situations leave us feeling helpless and fearful of additional seizures. Our Tampa Bay veterinarian wants to help you through this traumatic time with a game plan if you are ever faced with a seizing pet.

• Remain calm: Although this may be easier said than done, your pet’s health and recovering depends on you keeping calm and focused. Keep in mind your pet is not in pain during the seizure and is in a state of unconsciousness.

• Watch the clock: Knowing how long a seizure will last or if multiple ones occur within a period is vital information for your veterinarian.

• Hands off: Keep your hands away from your pet’s mouth during and after an episode. Remember your pet does not know what is happening to them. They may lash out when awakening because they are confused about their surroundings. Also, be aware pets often bite down and become lock jaw during an episode. This may cause them to bite their tongue or lips. Do not try to adjust or relieve them, as you may cause severe injury to yourself. Wait for the episode to stop and handle secondary wounds once they are alert.

• Loss of body function: It is common for pets to urinate and/or have a bowel movement during an episode. Do not try to clean this up until after your companion is alert. Again, they are not sure where they are and may bite out of fear.

• Cool them off: Seizure activity often generates higher body temperatures. The best option is placing a fan near them to help cool the body.

• Seek medical attention: Once your pet has recovered from the seizure contact your veterinarian immediately. A comprehensive examination will be performed along with a full blood panel to fully evaluate your pet’s internal organ function. Additional test may be required to determine the cause of the seizure. However, if your pet does not come out of the seizure, seek urgent care and leave right away instead of waiting.

• Keep a journal: Your veterinarian will inform you to keep a journal to record each event with the date and duration. This will help them see a pattern and frequency of all activity to better determine the need for seizure controlling medications.

In conclusion, seizures are simply scary and stressful. Do not fear with the medical knowledge of your veterinarian and the extra care from you, your pet can continue to live a happy life with most seizure causing medical conditions. If you have additional questions regarding seizures or the causes of most seizure activity, please do not hesitate to call our hospital at 813-501-4985. One of our team members will be happy to assist you.