Re: Seizures

In Reply to: Seizures
Posted by:  Debbie Wade
Posted on:  July 29, 2001 at 16:52:12

: Are seizures common in Jack Russel Terriers? My four year old, females had two seizures yesterday for the first time (as far as I know). I do not beleive she came across any frogs to cause this. She is currently in a vets care while they do tests. Im wondering how common seizures are and what I can do as an owner to help prevent them?
: Thank you!

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Hi Debbie,

Sorry to hear about your girl. This can be a really scary thing to go through. I know, because one of my terriers suffers from grand mal cluster seizures. When he had his first one I wasn't hooked up to the internet so I had no clue what I was dealing with.

To answer your first question, Jack Russells are a breed that can have seizures however I wouldn't call it a prevelant disorder with the breed.

Usually dogs will present between the ages of 1-5 so her age is right in there for it. Some dogs will only experience one seizure and never have another.

Others like my guy will have them the rest of their lives. As you know your vet will do the blood work to rule out any known causes. Many times the blood work will come back completely normal. When this happens and any other testing also shows no cause this condition is then called idiopathic epilepsy.

Most seizures can be controlled with medication. The key to success in controlling them lies with the correct dosage for the dog and the owner's responsibility in administering the drugs on time and as indicated by your vet. My guy gets meds twice a day and has for the past 6 years.

Many people panic when their dogs have a seizure and are fearful that the medicine will leave their dogs like zombies. Nothing can be further from the truth. Once on the correct dosage it would be impossible to pick a medicated dog from one that was normal.

What you need to do is keep a log of her seizures if your vet has not already told you to do this. Note the date, time and approximate length of seizure. Indicate whether it was a severe one or not very severe. This will be a tool to help your vet in the case your dog needs to be medicated.

Some dogs that have seizures have them so seldom they are not even put on meds. If your dog ends up with frequent seizures it will have to be medicated.

It is extremely rare that seizures cannot be controlled by medication.

The most important thing to remember right now is this is not a death sentence for your dog. If she is diagnosed with epilepsy she can still lead a wonderful life.

Please visit the Medical link I am providing. Once you are there you will see several links about canine seizures. These are invaluable to read so you can understand what is going on. I only wish I had these things available to me when my little guy started seizuring, it would have saved me many sleepless nights.

Good luck and I sincerely wish the best for you and your terrier.