**WARNING**  This video may be disturbing to some viewers.

My dog Tucker started having seizures a while back, and I finally got one on video.

Tucker stays in the house on days when the weather is inclement, and one day when I got home there was a puddle on the floor (very unusual for Tucker).  I cleaned up the mess, and made a note to make certain that I allow her outside for a longer time the next time I need to leave her inside.

Within a week, I come home to find another puddle.  What was odd about both puddles is that they weren't intact: they had been somewhat smeared around the floor.

Fast-forward a week:  I was sleeping one night when my other two dogs bolted out of the room in a panic.  I sat up in bed, not knowing what spooked them, when I heard a commotion begin from under the bed (where Tucker beds down at night).  I hopped out of bed, and saw Tucker starting to thrash about, her legs moving quickly, her jaw opening and closing rapidly, and her eyes were glazed over.

Once I realized what was happening, I carefully pulled her from under the bed into an open area and ran to grab a towel.  I placed the folded towel under her backside (most dogs lose control of their bladder and/or bowels during a seizure) and then held her head slightly off of the floor (so that she wouldn't injure herself).

Most seizures in dogs last less than 2 minutes, and Tucker is no exception.  The seizure in this video lasted only a minute and a half, but the "recovery" time was more than 30 minutes.

Tucker's veterinarian, Tal Guidry, told me that there are different causes for seizures, as a seizure is only a symptom, not a condition.  Epilepsy causes seizures, as well as liver or kidney problems, poisons (toxins), head trauma and brain tumors.

He believes that Tucker has a brain tumor, judging by her age and other symptoms.

His advice to me when Tucker has another seizure is just what you see in this video:  try to protect the dog from hurting itself.  Gently move it away from furniture or items that might cause injury.  (If it's not too late) put a towel under the dog's backside to catch any urine that may escape.  If the dog's head is thrashing around enough to cause injury, carefully hold the head off of the floor while avoiding the mouth (the dog WILL bite involuntarily due to the muscle contractions of the seizure).  And, finally, speak to your dog in a calm, soothing voice (it will calm YOU down so you can keep a clear head to treat your dog after the seizure ends).

Once the seizure is finished, a dog will usually be disoriented for several minutes, but will try to walk almost immediately.  If you notice at :40 into the video, Tucker's seizure stops.  At :44, she starts trying to "walk", even though she is still laying on her side.

In Tucker's situation, it seems that she lost sight/hearing until a few minutes after the seizure ended.  Her senses slowly came back, and after about 5 minutes she tried to roll onto her belly to try to stand.  I had to help her stand by picking up her rear hips, and then, while supporting her, I allowed her to start walking.

After about 10 minutes, she didn't need as much guidance (when she first started walking she was very unstable, and did walk into walls, etc).  After about 20 minutes, she got around much better, but still stumbled some.

Soon, she started to drink.  And drink.  And drink some more.  She drank more after the seizure than I've ever seen her drink after a day of running and playing.  Remember, a seizure is like a 30-minute workout packed into less than 2 minutes; EVERY muscle in her body is contracting at a rapid pace, continuously, for almost 2 minutes: that would fatigue anyone!

After she drank and paced around (she paced for about 30 minutes after she got her footing back), she lied down and took a VERY long nap.

Dr. Guidry prescribed medication to help shrink any swelling around the tumor/brain, and it seems to be working, as I found evidence of 4 seizures in the week prior to visiting his office; since medication, she has only had one.

I hope that this video can serve as an educational tool for dog lovers, and help people understand not only what is happening, but how to react when a dog has a seizure.

 

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