Among the worst case scenarios that pet owners would have to go through are dog seizures. You need to consider the fact that this is an uncontrollable case which would have your dog acting weird and even paralyzed at some point. It can also be life threatening for them so you have to fully understand how it happens.
There are actually three different stages that occur during dog seizures. Each of these is visibly marked by the symptoms and the behavior to be exhibited by your dog. It is important that you understand the progression of the stages because each of them has specific behaviors that must be observed accordingly.
The first phase is known to be the Pre-Ictal Phase. Sometimes this is even broken down into two more phases named the prodome and the aura phases respectively. During this initial phase, the dogs would already start to exhibit certain behavioral changes that are telling signs of an impending seizure.
The dog would try to whine out for no obvious reason. You might also see them pacing around without any particular direction. Your dog would certainly appear to be agitated and nervous about something. Then trembling can soon follow along with the dog trying to gnaw on his limbs and even snap at anything nearby.
The second phase is known as the Ictal Phase. This is known as the actual onset of the seizure. During this stage, several symptoms may be observed with thrashing of the limbs as the most usual. You can also see that they might end up having violent convulsions. During this time, the dog can also lose control of his bladder and glands thus ending up urinating and salivating in the process.
Dog seizures often last for just a few seconds. But in case it exceeds five minutes that would already be identified as “status epilepticus.” At this point the muscles of the dog would be seen as visibly contracting and spastic motions may also happen. During this phase, you need to be on close standby.
The third phase is known to be the Post-Ictal Phase. This is the stage wherein the entire seizure has ended but it wouldn’t be a guarantee that your dog is already okay. Though the violent spasms and shaking has already ended, your dog would still exhibit some abnormal behavior in the process.
At this point, the dog would either appear too dazed to move or frantically pacing around. Some dogs would even have temporarily blindness. In the field of excesses, salivating may ensue and increase in appetite and thirst might also happen.
I have more information about canine epilepsy at corysstory.com.
