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A seizure is a startling sign of abnormal activity in the brain and while there are many different types of seizures, in this video, we're going to focus on generalized tonic-clonic or grand mal seizures. Now during a seizure, your pet will lose consciousness, then become stiff and this is the tonic phase and can last for about 15 to 30 seconds. He'll then develop jerking motions, repetitively and this can last for anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds. During this time, your pet may also urinate or defecate. And you may also notice a biting motion. That's actually very common in dogs and cats that seizure. After the seizure, after this tonic-clonic phase, your pet will experience what's known as the postictal phase. Now during this time your pet won't be completely normal although she will have regained consciousness. She may become glassy eyed or unsteady or uncoordinated. And this can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Caring for your pet during a seizure is about making sure neither you or your pet become injured. Never put your hand in or around your pet's mouth while they're having a seizure. And while you shouldn't try to restrain her, you do want to make sure that she doesn't injure herself by falling off of furniture or down stairs. Although it can be difficult to remain calm during a seizure, it's really important to take note of what happened. What happened before the event, how long did the seizure last, how long did that tonic-clonic activity lost and how long was that postictal phase. After the seizure, you also want to take your pet's vital signs and note that information before getting her to your veterinarian. Most seizures will stop on their own after about a minute or two but if your pet has a seizure lasting longer than five minutes or has more than one seizure in a 24 hour period, this indicates an emergency and immediate veterinary care should be sough. Now if your pet does have ongoing seizure activity, she could overheat and so you may need to provide cooling, either by bathing her with cool water and providing fans or air condition during transport. You want to try to make sure you keep her temperature below about 104 degrees Fahrenheit until you get her to the veterinary facility where they'll be able to help you take control of the seizures and keep her temperature under control.
In this lesson, we'll be covering cat and dog seizures – what they look like, the stages or phases of a seizure, and how your dog or cat will typically respond to a seizure.
A seizure is a startling sign of abnormal activity in the brain. While there are many different types of seizures, our focus will be on grand mal seizures — also known as generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
During the seizure, your pet will lose consciousness, then become stiff. This is the tonic phase of the seizure and can last anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. This is followed up with repetitive jerking movements that can last anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds.
During this jerking stage of a seizure, your pet may also urinate or defecate. You might also notice a repetitive biting motion. This is common in both dogs and cats during a seizure.
After the tonic-clonic phase, your pet will transition into what's known as the postictal phase. During this stage, your pet won't be completely back to normal, although she will have regained consciousness. She may also become glassy eyed and unsteady or uncoordinated. This phase can last a few minutes up to several hours.
Pro Tip: Safety First! When caring for your pet during a seizure, the most important thing to keep in mind is not letting your pet or yourself become injured. Never put your hand in or around your pet's mouth while she is having a seizure.
Also, while you should never try and restrain a pet that is having a seizure, you should make sure that your pet won't injure herself by falling off a piece of furniture or down the stairs during a seizure.
Although it will likely be difficult to remain calm during a seizure, it's really important to take note of what happened so you can inform your veterinarian. Specifically, try to note:
Also, after the seizure has ended, remember to get your pet's vital signs. This information will also be important for your vet.
Warning: Most seizures will stop on their own after a minute or two. If your pet has a seizure lasting longer than five minutes or has multiple seizures in a 24-hour period, this should be considered an emergency and should warrant an immediate trip to your veterinarian.
If your pet has ongoing seizure activity, she could overheat as a result, which means you'll need to help keep her cool. Consider bathing her with cool water after a seizure or have air conditioning or cool air blowing on her during transport to the vet.
It's also important to keep her temperature below 104°F. Once you get to the vet's office, they'll be able to help take control of her post seizure care and keep her temperature down as well.