Dog with seizures

Hi, My dog (male chihuahua 3 1/2 years old) has suddenly started to get something which appears as mild seizures. He can go from being normal, to suddenly lifting his right paws (back and front) while staring. When he tries to walk, he seems off balance and leans to the left. During these episodes he seems fully cautious and his eyes blinks when i do a sudden motion towards them. After the episodes he seems completely normal. This has been going on for the past two weeks. We went to the vet twice, where they did blood work and urine analysis. He has some crystals forming in the urine and after one week of antibiotics and Ursofalk/ursodeoxycholic acid the tests were normal. During that week he had one episode. Now it seems that it happens daily. The vets don’t know why this happens, but said we should come back if it suddenly gets bad. Im uploading a video taken during his most recent seizure. Hopefully someone here might have an idea what this is. 

Also, this usually lasts between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

I've been giving my dog CBD tincture for this reason and it has helped him immaculately. There are tons of brands for dogs to choose from. I go through CBDFX.

I live in Norway so CBD is considered a narcotic😕 But thanks for your suggestion!

Hello!  Technically, a neurological seizure is a very specific thing.  There are "big fits" and "small fits":  a so-called "Grand Mal" seizure usually involves loss of consciousness and collapse, sometimes with muscle fasiculations.  A "petit-mal" seizure will often involve repeated uncontrolled movements, typically of one body-part.  There are usually three stages to a fit:  a pre-ictal stage, where the pet's behaviour changes, and then the fit itself which involves loss of consciousness, and then a recovery (post ictal) stage.  It may be possible that something else might be going on here because you say that the patient remains conscious throughout.  It therefore sounds as though a good first step would be to take your dog and the video to the vets,  and to let them ask questions and perform an examination in order to put together as full as possible a clinical picture.  If epilepsy is not a fit, then possibilities may include pain, other within-brain neurological changes (such as low blood sugar or a lump or different lesion within the brain), a spinal cord abnormality, and so on.  Please do let us know what happens next with your little one.

Hello!  Technically, a neurological seizure is a very specific thing.  There are "big fits" and "small fits":  a so-called "Grand Mal" seizure usually involves loss of consciousness and collapse, sometimes with muscle fasiculations.  A "petit-mal" seizure will often involve repeated uncontrolled movements, typically of one body-part.  There are usually three stages to a fit:  a pre-ictal stage, where the pet's behaviour changes, and then the fit itself which involves loss of consciousness, and then a recovery (post ictal) stage.  It may be possible that something else might be going on here because you say that the patient remains conscious throughout.  It therefore sounds as though a good first step would be to take your dog and the video to the vets,  and to let them ask questions and perform an examination in order to put together as full as possible a clinical picture.  If epilepsy is not a fit, then possibilities may include pain, other within-brain neurological changes (such as low blood sugar or a lump or different lesion within the brain), a spinal cord abnormality, and so on.  Please do let us know what happens next with your little one.

I wonder whether your vet may have carried out a neurological examination and whether they have suggested an MRI, for example.

REWRITTEN FOR CLARITY   Hello!  I have rewritten this answer in order to make it easier to follow, as 'grand mal' and 'petit mal' are quite old terms now and if you should happen to Google them, as I just did, may prove very confusing!   So I have answered your question again without involving them.  'Fits' usually involve loss of consciousness with collapse and with or without muscle fasciculations, but can present as a repeated movement in one part of the body.  However, the latter description can also apply to several neurological presentations that aren't actually 'fits,' including hypoglycaemia, pain, muscle weakness and so on.  The events that you describe are progressive i.e. they seem to be getting worse, so it is very important that a veterinary surgeon assesses your pet very soon in order to get to the bottom of this.

Rereading your comment, the vets asked to resee you if it 'suddenly got bad.'  I would expect this to include an increase in frequency or severity of the symptoms;  you need to get in touch with them.

Thanks for answers and clarification, I will contact the veterinarian. They did perform a neurological examination which showed no abnormalities. I’ll comment here once we’re back from the vet.

Hello, sorry for the long response time. After a period of testing at vets and doing own research, we have found it highly likely that he has canine epileptoid cramping syndrome. Read this article for more information: Role of gluten in canine epileptoid cramping syndrome