Typical grand mal seizure in a 5- to 6-year-old German shepherd dog

Описание: Disclaimer: I am not a vet or a medically trained professional. Our dog recently started having seizures in August 2017, and we are following the advice of our veterinary care professionals. This is a typical generalized, grand mal seizure, recorded and uploaded to share with our vet and assist in diagnosis. We have kept the video up in the hope that it will help other pet owners in some way.

Cotton is a male white shepherd. He is approximately 5 years old and weighs about 70 pounds at the time of this recording. This is a little late for the onset of typical epilepsy in a GSD, but his initial symptoms indicate ideopathic seizures, rather than anything from a specific, known source.

For a few hours prior to the event, he had been acting a little tired and "clingy." Immediately prior to this video, as he was sitting next to me on the couch, he sat up and began looking at me as though he were intently watching something crawl across my chest, I recognized the onset of a seizure (the pre-ictal phase) and stood up, so that he could lay down. He collapsed onto his side and the ictal phase of the seizure began.

While seizing, he voided his bladder. In a previous seizure, he also defecated and emptied his anal glands. These seizures lasted for about 30 to 45 seconds. If a dog is known to have seizures, they can usually be allowed to recover at home and don't need a vet visit. However, if a seizure lasts more than 3 minutes, or if they have more than one in a 24-hour period, seek immediate medical attention. For example, in September 2020, Cotton had a cluster of seizures (5 in a 48-hour period), so we took him to the vet and increased the dosage of one of his medications.

The rest of the video is the beginning of the post-ictal phase, in which he was unsteady on his feet, confused, and panting heavily from the exertion of the full-body seizure.

Cotton is currently taking anti-seizure medication and is doing okay. He will have to take this medication for the rest of his life. He is otherwise a happy, healthy, and loving dog and an important member of our family.

You can find more information about seizures in dogs here: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pe...