Focal or Mini Seizures in Dogs

 

“Rena, look! He’s doing it again!” called Mom. I looked up from reading to see Hugo, our powderpuff Chinese crested, nodding his head shakily again and again for seemingly no reason. He then stopped and acted as if nothing peculiar had happened (in other words, he began begging for a treat.)

In the 13 months since we’ve had Hugo, he’d nod like this about once every other month. Fortunately, Hugo already had an appointment at the vet for his annual check up. I mentioned the head-nodding to my vet and he said it could be focal seizures – also called partial seizures or mini seizures. Since Hugo had so few episodes per year and was not showing any symptom of brain damage, the vet said that I should keep track of Hugo’s episodes, but nothing needed to be done right now.

What Do Focal Seizures Look Like?

Any uncontrollable twitching of the body may be a focal seizure. Hugo nods his head in a shaking fashion. Another dog may have one leg move rapidly for no known reason. Yet another dog may move her head from side to side – as if watching an invisible tennis match. This only lasts for a few seconds or minutes and the dog does not lose consciousness.

Dog Owner’s Veterinary Handbook (Howell Book House; 2007) points out that focal seizures usually start in just one part of the dog, but sometimes move to other body parts as the dog gets older. If this happens, the dog needs to go to the vet. If the dog has other symptoms with the focal seizure such as vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools or excessive drooling, contact a vet at once.

What Causes Focal Seizures?

Unfortunately, there are many reasons that a dog may experience partial seizures, according to veterinarian TJ Dunn, Jr., DVM. Diagnosing the exact cause may be difficult. Causes include:

• Brain injury or tumors
• Epilepsy
• Heat stroke
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Distemper
• Encephalitis
• Poisoning
• Side effect from a medication
• Sudden drop in blood sugar
• Sudden drop in calcium blood levels (seen especially in nursing mother dogs)

Most of these causes are one-time events or disappear when an illness is treated. But some causes like a brain tumor or idiopathic epilepsy (epilepsy with no known cause) never go away on their own.

In Conclusion

Focal seizures in dogs are not the end of the world. Almost any seizure disorder can be treated. Always contact a vet if a dog has more than one episode per week or if the seizure is accompanied by other alarming symptoms like bloody stools or loss of consciousness. Get to know your dog’s normal way of moving around in order to better identify a mini seizure from your dog’s normal way of getting about, sleeping or stretching.

References

Dog Owner’s Veterinary Handbook. Debra M. Eldredge, DVM, et al. Howell Book House; 2007

PetMD.com. “Epilepsy and Seizures in the Dog.” TJ Dunn, Jr., DVM. http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/neurological/c_dg_epilepsy_idiopathic_genetic

Hilltop Animal Hospital. “Seizures.” http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/seizure.htm

Author’s personal experience.