Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello! I cannot give advice about someone else's pet, nor about another vets' patient, but I can tell you some things about epilepsy in general. Fits in very young dogs may still be caused primary epilepsy, although most dogs develop epilepsy a little older than this (1-3 years being typical). Fits can be confused with other clinical conditions, such as hypoglycaemia or muscle twitching. The complete loss of consciousness, emptying bladder or bowels, a pre-fitting phase, fitting phase and post-fitting phase, suggest that a 'true' fit is happening. Not all 'true fits' are epilepsy; they can also happen secondary to other diseases e.g. liver disease in which any toxins are not removed from the blood in the normal way and therefore affect the brain, or secondary to issues within the brain, or with salt balance etc. Primary epilepsy is genetic in certain breeds.
When dogs are fitting, it is a good idea to significantly lower the lighting and give then pet plenty of space, away from furniture etc. they could hurt themselves on. We would also recommend calling the vet immediately, who will give you instructions from there. Fitting with muscle contractions etc lowers a pets' blood sugar so some dogs, especially pups are very hungry immediately afterwards. Depending on the cause, they may need medication or special fluids. Vets also like to find the reason for the fitting.
Best of luck and we hope that the fitting has stopped by now; fitting for an extended period can be very damaging. Hopefully your can get in touch with your vet in order that they can triage the case and offer help as they see fit. All the best to both of you at this distressing time.
Report