Health
He went over on his side, paddled his legs, drooled, then got up dazed. What to do next time, what to film and how you get to a diagnosis.
Caution. A seizure lasting over five minutes by the clock, two or more in the same day, or a dog who has not come round after half an hour: set off for the practice now and ring on the way. After a short seizure he has recovered from, see the vet the same day or the next, with the video on your phone.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
It was evening and your dog was asleep on the rug. All of a sudden he went rigid, fell onto his side and started paddling his legs as if he were running, his mouth full of saliva and his eyes open but not seeing you. It felt like forever. By the clock it was probably a minute and a half. Then he got up, staggering, walked into the table, drank half a bowl of water and looked at you like a stranger.
He is fine now. You are not. Below is what that was, what to do next time, what to write down and what the trip to your own vet looks like. Whether he needs treatment, and which, is the vet's call, made on the results of the tests.
A single seizure lasting a minute or two, with the dog back to himself within half an hour, does not mean a dash out at midnight. It means seeing the vet the same day or first thing next morning, with the video on your phone. The situations below are different. Set off for the practice now and ring from the car so they are ready when you arrive.
In the car, lay him on a blanket, on the floor or the back seat, with someone beside him and away from the doors. At the practice, tell them what time it started, how long it lasted, how many there were and what you saw.
The vet will almost never see a seizure. You do, and what you bring to the appointment is most of what the vet has to go on.
It feels wrong to reach for your phone at that moment, but it is the single most useful thing you can do. From 30 seconds of footage the vet can tell whether it was a generalised seizure (the whole body), a focal one (only part of the body) or something that just looks similar: a faint from the heart, a balance episode coming from the inner ear, a lively dream. Hold the phone sideways and get the whole dog in the frame.
Start the timer when he goes down and stop it when the thrashing ends. Separately, note how long it took before he was walking normally again.
Write down what he was doing beforehand: asleep, playing, just eaten or not eaten for a while, hot, wound up, someone at the door. Some dogs have a spell, minutes or hours ahead, when they are clingy, restless, hiding or looking for a corner. If you learn to spot it, you have time to get him somewhere safe.
Then the seizure itself. Maybe he fell on his side, went stiff, paddled, drooled, weed or pooed, chattered his teeth. Maybe it was only twitching in the face or one leg, or standing up snapping at the air. And this matters a lot, so note whether he was aware. Did he respond to his name, did he look at you?
Last, what he was like afterwards: disorientated, as if blind, bumping into furniture, drinking a lot, wolfing his food, sleeping for two hours, snappy for a few minutes. And how long it all lasted.
One line per seizure: date, time, length, what came before, what he did, how long recovery took, whether you filmed it. Some seizures come during sleep or on waking, others on stressful days or after a skipped meal. A pattern shows up after a few episodes and carries weight when the vet decides on treatment.
Add his breed (epilepsy is inherited in some breeds), his age, any older episodes you may have put down to dreaming, a knock to the head, a fever or a recent illness, any medication he takes and everything he could get at in the house and garden.
| Cause | When it usually shows | What makes the vet think of it |
|---|---|---|
| Idiopathic epilepsy (no lesion, often inherited) | First seizure between 6 months and 6 years | Normal between seizures, normal neurological exam, a predisposed breed |
| Low blood sugar | Small-breed puppies, diabetic dogs on insulin, dogs who ate sweetener | Seizure a few hours after a meal or after insulin, and it repeats |
| Toxins (slug or rodent bait, human medicines, some plants) | Any age, out of the blue | Continuous tremors before the seizure, drooling, vomiting, access to the substance |
| Liver disease (a shunt from birth or damage that came later) | Puppies who fail to grow; adults with abnormal bloods | Seizures after meals, dullness, weight loss, sometimes odd urine |
| Tumour or other process in the brain | Mostly over 6 to 7 years | Seizures starting in old age, behaviour changes between seizures, circling |
| Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) | Young and middle-aged dogs, some small breeds | Fever, neck pain, fast changes from one day to the next |
| Low calcium | A nursing bitch, in the first weeks | Trembling, fast breathing, then a seizure |
The first thing the vet looks at is his age at the first seizure. A three-year-old with a normal neurological exam between seizures most likely has idiopathic epilepsy. A nine-year-old having the first seizure of his life needs different tests.
Before you leave, ask three things: which sign means coming straight back, when the next check is, and whether you can have a written plan for a long seizure at home, in case one happens before then.
A quiet corner with a mattress on the floor, where you can take him if you catch the warning spell. During the seizure, dim lights and the TV off. Afterwards, the door shut so he cannot wander onto the stairs while he is still confused. Your phone has the practice number saved, plus an out-of-hours clinic nearby. The diary lives somewhere anyone in the house can find it.
Everyone who looks after the dog, older children included, knows the three rules: the clock, the phone, hands away from his mouth.
Most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy live for years with rare seizures and an almost normal life, training included, as long as your own vet knows what they are doing and when. Your share is the diary and the fixed times. If you do not have a practice yet, our related services page will help you choose one.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
Start a timer and your phone camera, and move away anything that could hurt him: chairs, stairs, radiators. If he has to be moved, pull the blanket under him. Keep your hands out of his mouth, do not hold him, do not shout. Dim lights, quiet. Afterwards, no food or water until he walks straight. Then ring your own vet and say how long it lasted.
Not necessarily. Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common cause in dogs between 6 months and 6 years old who are normal between seizures. A seizure can also come from low blood sugar, the liver, a poison, inflammation or, in older dogs, a growth in the brain. The diagnosis is reached by ruling things out: history, a neurological exam, blood tests, sometimes an MRI.
The seizure itself usually lasts between 30 seconds and two minutes, and full recovery can take anything from a few minutes to a few hours. It becomes an emergency past five minutes, when a second one starts before he has recovered from the first, or when he has two or more in a day. Then you head for the practice straight away and ring on the way.
Idiopathic epilepsy cannot be cured, but in most dogs it can be kept under control with daily, lifelong treatment, adjusted by the vet after regular blood tests. The aim is rare, mild seizures, often none, with no guarantees. Seizures with another cause (low blood sugar, poisoning, low calcium) can stop once that cause is treated.
Most of the time he is dreaming. A dreaming dog moves more loosely, wakes when you call him and is himself straight away, not dazed and not drooling heavily. In a seizure he does not respond to his name, his body is rigid, the movements are jerky, and afterwards he is disorientated for minutes. Film it; the vet will know within seconds.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
He shakes at fireworks, in the cold, with excitement before a walk. Or he shakes, drools, goes floppy and found the chocolate. A thirty-second video tells them apart.
He paces at night, stands with his nose in a corner, waits at the wrong side of the door, wees indoors. Some of it is age. Some of it can be treated.
Half a bar of dark chocolate missing, the grape stalk bare, the sock gone. Gather the wrapper, work out how much he ate and call. Do not make him sick yourself.
Panting with a wide tongue, looking for shade, wobbling, then lying down. Cool him first with cold water, travel second, and do not stop at "he seems better".
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.