My dog keeps having seizures. What does this mean?

Awe that is sad. Look around for dog hospitals that charge only what you can pay. There are a few around but you may have to drive far.
Bye any chance are you putting any kind of insect repellant on your dog? If so which one? Some are known to attack the nervous system. Especially on small dogs.

Awww…..he may be sick and needs medical attention quickly

@Pandora They put flea repellent on him a few months ago. Would it still affect him?

It could be blood sugar related. How often is the dog being fed?

I would contact your local humane society and ask about low-cost vets/assistance to get your dog to the vet. It may take some legwork, but there are many vets who offer sliding scales and/or have access to programs that can help your parents pay for the animal’s care.

No, not a few month ago. But some can build up in the system with long term use. Has he eaten anything bad like chocolate or onions or raisins? It could also be hereditary. Some breeds are prone to certain diseases as well. I hope he is getting his heart worm meds every month as well.

@gemiwing We keep a bowl out with some food from 7 am to 7pm, but he’s a picky eater.

@Draconess25… Maybe you could take him to the humane society, Maybe they could at least tell you something.

my dog has severe seizures…..they can die from them. Get meds. It’s very scary.

Another possiblility is, if he is a very active dog and it is hot where you live, he may have been having a heat stroke. A heat stroke can bring about seizure. I remember one time my dog was playing so much catch and wouldn’t stop for nothing. I finally told my friends to stop throwing the ball because he was too much of an idiot to know he was exhausted. When I picked him up I could bearly hold him because his body was burning up. I quickly gave him a lukewarm bath to quickly cool him down and water to drink.
However there can be so many reasons for a seizure. If none of these seem to be a possibilty than do try your best to get him medical attention. There are other reasons for seizures that can be life threatening.

I’m sorry. That must be hard.
Honestly, it could be any number of things. I’ll bet if you went door to door asking for donations they’d take him to the vet.

Take him to the vet now. He’s epileptic.

Check with syz on this, she can probably provide the best information and advice.

Perhaps the dog has epilepsy or is diabetic. It could be a number of things. What that dog needs is to be looked at by a veterinarian. I don’t mean to sound rude but people who can’t afford to take care of pets shouldn’t have them.

@AstroChuck I agree, I feel really sorry for the poor dog.

Epilepsy in canines is relatively common, but he definitely needs to be looked at. Seizures can be fatal. I would call your vet and ask about payment plans – some vets will allow you to pay in installments, instead of all at once. Some vets will also give free opinions over the phone, although I think this is a pretty clear-cut problem and he just needs to get looked at and prescribed the right medication.

I would also check out CareCredit. They will cover or at least subsidise veterinary treatments if you are approved. I’m not sure how long the process takes, though. Call them and find out.

Seizures can be caused by toxins (unlikely in your case since he’s had two episodes and seems to be normal in between), heat stroke (again, does not apply), hypoglycemia (unlikely in an adult animal that is not receiving insulin), major organ failure (again, he seems relatively normal), brain tumors (your dog seems young for this), epilepsy, or they can be ideopathic, which means that we don’t know what causes them.

The concern associated with seizures is that if they continue for too long, the animal’s body temperature can become dangerously high, causing organ failure and death. You should have your mother keep a log of when the seizures occur and how long they last. Most veterinarians will recommend that if your dog has occasional, brief seizures (3–4/year), that you log them and do very little else because of the side effects of anti-seizure medications.

Seizures that occur more often, seizures that last for more than 1–2 minutes, and cluster seizures should be controlled with medication. Anti-seizure medications must be carefully monitored with bloodwork and will have to be continued for life.

Part of being a responsible pet owner is accepting the financial burden of adequate medical care. Please urge your mother to talk to your veterinarian about this issue as soon as possible.

My Moms dog has Seizures. Once he gets over it, it is like it never happened. He has a hart problem.

It could any number of things. Does he go unconscious?

Our golden retriever has had about 3 seizures, less than one a year over the past 4 years. He is 6 years old now. He hasn’t had a seizure in a long time (fingers crossed) They lasted maybe a few minutes & when they stopped, he was a little weary at first, but then acted like nothing happened. We asked the vet & no answer was found. He said because they are quick & very sparse, no damage is being done to the brain. It still scares the hell out of us when he has one. All we can do is lay on the floor with him & hold him. We thought it may have been the flea/tick treatment, which was recently on the news, something about putting the treatment on dogs/cats at the same time (which we did) the dog could lick the cat & get the treatment on it’s tongue. But we never saw our dog do this, but we never know. Our Golden has been to the best vet in the state & he says nothing is wrong with him after a full checkup lasting 2 days. I want to tell you, it’s nothing to worry about, but even I don’t believe that when our vet says it to me. But if the dog is functioning normally after the seizure & doesn’t appear to be unbalanced or anything strange going on, then the dog is most likely fine. A sadder story… my aunt had a pomeranian, it had so many seizures, that it was on a seizure medication. Every day the dog had a least 2 seizures. The dog died because of old age, not because of seizures. So a dog can live with this condition, it’s just a living hell for the owners.

Within canine epilepsy alone there is a whole range of stages of epilepsy and types of seizures, each of which may be treated differently. Of course, seizures can be symptomatic of any number of things, and your dog may not even be epileptic – the seizures may be indicative of a separate underlying condition.

Once again, I highly, highly recommend a vet before things escalate.

Negotiate a payment plan. Offer to perform a service for your vet like cleaning kennels, restocking, etc. in exchange for subsidised treatment. Call vets in nearby small towns – vets in less expensive areas tend to charge lower fees.

Check if your local animal hospital is accredited with the American Animal Hospital Association. If it is, your vet can submit an assistance request to the AAHA’s “Helping Pets Fund.”

Check out local veterinary schools. Many run low-cost clinics for limited income clients. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s website and Veterinaryschools.com have lists of veterinary schools by state.

Care Credit (link in my last answer) provides financing to pet owners seeking financial assistance for vet care. You can call them and check if you are approved within minutes. Most vets will accept Care Credit.

The Humane Society has a list of organisations that provide vet assistance in each state.

Your dog needs to see a vet. If your family really wants to get him treated, but just doesn’t have the money, there are ways and means to do so.

@tragiclikebowie I don’t know. I haven’t seen it happen.
@AstroChuck I told them not to get him, so….

Life is hard at times. I hope your dog is doing better .. I know the feeling of not having enough money to care for my loved ones at times; including taking better care of myself. People fall on hard times and lose income and then something happens and you don’t have the resources to do anything about it. That’s when you need to ask for help… anywhere… including friends, the Veterinary clinics, humane society etc… To say people who can’t afford to take care of their pets (LOVED ONES- FAMILY) should not have them is like telling someone in THIS economy who has lost and can’t find a Good job or any job at all to get rid of their children and spouse if they get sick. I really didn’t like to ask for help but you have to do what you have to do for your life and the lives of your loved ones and if begging is the only answer in these times… so be it. God Bless and Good Luck to all Humane people and pets.

@Beetlman Welcome to Fluther! Great answer. :-)