Has your canine friend been acting foolish lately? Although silly behavior is typical for dogs, it might be an indicator of a severe medical condition, known as a seizure disorder.
This medical condition is triggered by the uncontrolled change of electrical activity in the brain, which might affect one or both cerebral hemispheres. Depending on the severity of electrical disturbance, dogs might suffer from various types of convulsions, thus exhibiting an extensive range of symptoms.
The following guide will introduce you to the main types, stages, and symptoms of seizures in canines.
Types of seizures
Canines are susceptible to suffering from multiple types of convulsions, whose severity is determined by the area of the cerebral cortex where electrical disturbance takes place. Most canine companions experience generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which pet parents have no trouble identifying. During such convulsions, change of electrical activity occurs in both cerebral hemispheres, thus resulting in temporary loss of consciousness. Visit the following link, https://pethempcompany.com/blogs/issues/seizures-in-dogs-overview-symptoms-prevention-and-treatment, to learn more about the various types of dog seizures.
Moreover, focal seizures refer to the electrical disturbance that occurs in a single cerebral hemisphere, manifested with symptoms that affect solely one side of the body. These convulsions are either simple motor seizures or complex partial convulsions.
The former type is less severe, as canines most commonly experience muscular limb jerking without losing their consciousness. Conversely, the latter is considered to be rather severe since dogs arenāt only subjected to involuntary jerking but behavioral changes as well.
Canines suffering from psychomotor seizures are prone to developing strange behavior, which includes hallucinations, unusual aggression, and running around the house for no good reason. This type of convulsions is most complicated to recognize, as canine owners arenāt exactly certain whether their companions behave foolishly or genuinely experience a medical problem.
Ultimately, idiopathic epilepsy refers to the convulsions whose cause isnāt determined yet. It occurs in pets between six months and six years of age, particularly the breeds that have a genetic predisposition to developing such a medical condition. German shepherds, Australian shepherds, Beagles, and Labrador Retrievers are believed to be the most genetically predisposed to suffering from idiopathic epilepsy. In case youāre a dog owner of such a breed, click here for some useful tips about coping with canine epilepsy.
Stages
Seizures tend to occur in three distinct stages, known as the pre-ictal, the ictal, and the post-ictal stage. The primary stage usually commences twenty-four hours before the convulsion, during which your companion is likely to exhibit restless behavior. In the course of the pre-ictal stage, dogs express their nervous behavior through trembling, whining, or following the owner. This phase might last solely a couple of seconds up to several hours.
The ictal stage represents the phase, during which the seizure occurs, lasting for a minimum of few seconds to a maximum of a few hours. Your canine companion might exhibit a wide range of symptoms in the course of the ictal stage, largely depending on the type of convulsion. However, dogs that experience convulsions longer than five minutes are believed to be subjected to prolonged seizures, otherwise known as status epilepticus.
The post-ictal stage refers to the period after the convulsion, which canines usually spend sleeping. This phase is characterized by abnormal behavior that differs across dogs, including confusion, appetite loss, increased appetite, disorientation, or temporary blindness.
Common symptoms
In terms of symptoms, canines suffering from convulsions tend to exhibit an extensive variety of signs, which are related to the type and stage of the condition. For instance, during the pre-ictal stage dogs are known to manifest anxious behavior, seek constant attention from their owners, whine, or hide around the house.
Furthermore, throughout the ictal phase, dogs experience sudden jerking movements, muscle trembling, foaming at the mouth, urinating, drooling, aimless staring, and temporary loss of consciousness.
Throughout the post-ictal phase, most dogs seem terribly confused and disoriented, walking into circles or bumping into objects. Additionally, your companion might experience temporary blindness, pacing, or salivation.
Bottom line
Dogs suffering from such a medical condition require proper treatment and plenty of patience on the part of the owner.
Donāt let your companion down!