[megerlach]

So we celebrated our golden retriever turning 5 months by allowing him to go to the park with his older brother and other dogs on a daily basis to have fun. This has been great for about 3 weeks; however, last Friday and every day this week, his dog walker has informed us that he has been having what appears to be "seizures". The best desricption we have is that he will be playing fine, then he will separate himself from the pack, and then it seems like something in him snaps and he starts running in circles, barking, yelping and losing control of his bowels. This lasts for a minute or two and then he spends the next 15-30 minutes trying to calm down and regain his composure (as best a 6 month old golden can).

We have had the vet run preliminary blood tests, but everything seemed normal. We are attempting to figure out what to do next.

Has anyone experienced similar behaviors and does anyone have any suggestions?

[cigwyllt]

How worrying for you. My dog had an episode like that once a couple of years ago but never on a regular basis. We were at the beach and she was just sooooo happy - running in and out of the sea, playing fetch then suddenly she ran a little way away from us and just seemed to lose control of everything, including her bowels and her bladder. It probably only lasted a minute at the very most then she shook herself as if to say "What was that all about!!!" and she was back to normal.

We didn't pursue it with the vet or anything and she has never done anything like it since but in your situation with a youngster I would definitely be getting her checked out by the vet.

[OrangeDog]

Saddly some lines of Goldens do suffer from epilepsy (mostly puppy mill and byb dogs). I am not sure what your dog is having is a seizure if he is running around while it is happening, etc. Have you had a nuroligist look at him yet?

[megerlach]

We have not had him looked at by a neurologist yet. As is our luck, our vet is on vacation this week, so we are struggling to work with a different vet. Hopefully they will be able to make some sugestions.

Thank you both for your responses.

[Todd]

Sounds to me like seizures as well. There are all different types of seizures. Most involve the dog falls over but your case is slightly different with him running all around. Here's a possible condition;

Complex Partial Seizures

Complex Partial Seizures involve the frequency of complex behavioral traits that are repeated with each seizure. This may involve sensory or visual sensations that will cause strange behavior in a dog. Biting of limbs, hysterical running, aggression and smacking of the lips are other common behaviors that are associated with Complex Partial Seizures.

It is also not uncommon for the dog to loose control of its bowels and bladder.

As OrangeDog suggested, this could be caused by epilepsy. Here's some more info on these specific types of seizures as well as their relation to epilepsy;

Seizures are normally associated with epilepsy which is a chronic condition of recurrent seizures. Epilepsy however, is not the only cause behind seizures. All seizures do not follow a set pattern of contractions and can range between contractions of skeletal muscles, loss of consciousness, facial twitching and vocalizations. There are different types of seizures and these have been classified according to phases, severity and the type of behavioral changes they bring forth.

Partial seizures are localized seizures that occur only on the part of the brain affected. The disturbance in the brain activity and conveyance of nerve impulses that causes a seizure is generally confined in a localized area. It may also expand and affect the whole brain over time. A focal seizure can affect any part of the body resulting in an abnormality in behaviors controlled by the affected portion of the brain. Abnormal behaviors may last for short periods or extend up to hours and a generalized seizure may follow.

In simple partial seizures, the area of the brain that is affected is the one that controls movement. In such cases it is the face that is affected the most. Symptoms like twitching and blinking appear and these are known to affect one side of the face. If the seizure continues, other parts of the body on the same side may be affected. In simple partial seizures the dog is usually alert and aware of its surroundings.

Complex partial seizures are also known as psychomotor or behavioral seizures that originate in that area of the brain that controls behaviors. In human beings, complex partial seizures are marked by a distinct change in behavior that may range from distortion of perception and emotions to the bizarre. In dogs, they are characterized by hysterical running, resonant vocal sounds, aggression, crouching or hiding, with or without loss of muscle control. Some of the other signs are vomiting, diarrhea, frothing mouth, temporary loss of vision, paddling or flank biting and abnormal thirst. There is a general lack of awareness about this disorder even though the dog engages in senseless repetitive behaviors. He may become aggressive without any provocation or appear to be biting at imaginary flies around the head.

As only a part of the brain is affected, complex partial seizures are normally associated with secondary feline and canine epilepsy. Convulsions and seizures are classified as a symptom of epilepsy when there is no underlying cause behind the condition. The underlying cause may be a noticeable head injury or a brain tumor or a metabolic disease.

Seizures are a major problem with domestic pets, both canine and feline. Seizures in pets are often seen by owners as catastrophic happenings that comes out of the blue without any warning. A seizure does not cause any pain to the dog despite the agony that appears in dog behavior. It should be handled with patient calmness instead of panic. The earlier they are reported to the veterinarian the better it is. Most of the times, seizures are due to idiopathic (without known reason) epilepsy and a specialist is the right person to determine if there is an underlying disease and provide relevant treatment.

(Does this sound like the problem with your dog?)

Now, here's a link to more info on canine epilepsy. This isn't necessarily the underlying issue though so make sure you get an official diagnosis from your vet first;

Canine Epilepsy

*I would def. take this up with a vet. It is a very important situation to take hold of because it could be dangerous. Here are some natural remedies you can try in the meantime while you're trying to figure things out and have a diagnosis made;

Naturally Treating Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders

Hopefully this helps. Good luck!

[Lunareclipse]

One of our saints has epilepsy. She loses her bowels during these episodes. If your puppy is only 5 months old, then it might be genetic epilepsy and they might not find anything on those tests. But have the tests done just in case. Your puppy may have fallen and gotten a serious head infury or something before you got him. I hope he turns out ok. I was up all night last night with Luna because she was having seizures. If your dog is starting to have them on a regular basis, your vet might prescribe phenobarbitol for your dog. While this drug is inexpensive, the tests that determine how much your dog needs might be a little pricy depending on the vet. And if it's genetic epilepsy, then meds may not work 100% of the time. Luna still has seizures every couple of months despite her medication. But her meds prevent them from happening 3 or 4 times a week. Even though she has epilepsy, I still treat her like the other dogs. Just because she has an illness doesn't mean she can't do what she's told. So no feeling sorry for your doggy and letting it run the house just because he he might have epilepsy. My dog doesn't run around in circles while she has her seizure, but she does after she has them. I call it the zoomies. Or she'll put her nose in a corner and stand there for a while until she catches her breath. This is entirely normal.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Lunareclipse

One of our saints has epilepsy. She loses her bowels during these episodes. If your puppy is only 5 months old, then it might be genetic epilepsy and they might not find anything on those tests. But have the tests done just in case. Your puppy may have fallen and gotten a serious head infury or something before you got him. I hope he turns out ok. I was up all night last night with Luna because she was having seizures. If your dog is starting to have them on a regular basis, your vet might prescribe phenobarbitol for your dog. While this drug is inexpensive, the tests that determine how much your dog needs might be a little pricy depending on the vet. And if it's genetic epilepsy, then meds may not work 100% of the time. Luna still has seizures every couple of months despite her medication. But her meds prevent them from happening 3 or 4 times a week. Even though she has epilepsy, I still treat her like the other dogs. Just because she has an illness doesn't mean she can't do what she's told. So no feeling sorry for your doggy and letting it run the house just because he he might have epilepsy. My dog doesn't run around in circles while she has her seizure, but she does after she has them. I call it the zoomies. Or she'll put her nose in a corner and stand there for a while until she catches her breath. This is entirely normal.

Well, as I stated above their are all different types of seizures associated with epilepsy. Some involve the dog falling down and shaking uncontrollably or whatever while other involve the dog being half there and running all around like in this case.

[Yogi]

Being that seizures are the result of many medical conditions, it is best to wait til we get more information than assume anything.
Brian tumors, ingestion of toxins, Hypoglycemia especially in puppies and not necessarily small breeds are all causes of seizures of which many traits are the same. Head injuries that may not be visible etc.
Does this pup have problems when around the house or only when it is in full play?
Epilepsy can strike at any time with no pre-warning nor does the pup or dog need to necessarily be exerting itself for it to come on.
I have had epileptic dogs and hypoglycemic ones, as well as one who suffered from a brain tumor. What the sites do not tell you is that in all these types many of the shared traits can actually be found though they list certain ones that are more prone to one specific issue or type of seizure to help narrow down the cause. But I have see all three first hand in rescues and found much overlaps as far as what is diagnosed in Epileptic seizures being the same as in Hypoglycemic as well as brain tumors.
In young dogs, ie: puppies, they can easily go into hypoglycemic seizures when they over exert themselves especially on an empty stomach. This is not just small breed dogs either.
Far too many reason for seizures for anyone to offer any true information until your vet comes back with test results. Good luck.

[Todd]

Here's a thread Corky/Max just posted about massage therapy for dogs who suffer from seizures;

Massage for Dogs that have Seizures

[megerlach]

Thank you all for your advice/information/stories.

We took our little guy to the neurologist yesterday morning, as a follow up to the vet resulted only in a referral. After dropping him of, they proceeded to have a cardiologist examine his heart (via EKG), they performed an ultrasound on his liver and they have performed extensive blood work. Nothing has been identified that could cause what the neurologist referred to as "epileptic seizures". The next course of action is a spinal tap to determine if he has any infections in his brain, followed by a potential MRI.

The Doctor has stated he will most likely be on a type of seizure medicine for at least 12 months.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that he comes home tonight. Otherwise, there could be major issues on top of the seizures.

Thanks again.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by megerlach

Thank you all for your advice/information/stories.

We took our little guy to the neurologist yesterday morning, as a follow up to the vet resulted only in a referral. After dropping him of, they proceeded to have a cardiologist examine his heart (via EKG), they performed an ultrasound on his liver and they have performed extensive blood work. Nothing has been identified that could cause what the neurologist referred to as "epileptic seizures". The next course of action is a spinal tap to determine if he has any infections in his brain, followed by a potential MRI.

The Doctor has stated he will most likely be on a type of seizure medicine for at least 12 months.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that he comes home tonight. Otherwise, there could be major issues on top of the seizures.

Thanks again.

Good luck and I hope everything turns out alright. Seems like you have everything under control and are having everything done to determine the problem. Good on you! Good luck once again to both you and your pup and I'll keep my fingers crossed too!