A miniature pinscher having a petit mal seizure

[Yaajmoob]

thank you for sharing this my dog just had one she was only 2 years old... i was soo scared

[spotteddawg1]

Thank you so much for posting this. My 6 yr old minpin just started having seizures. it was very scary & similar to how your dog looked. Our vet was pretty sure that it was seizures & after seeing this I'm convinced. We think this was the second time in 2 months & it takes some time for him to recover after an episode.

[reharden]

@spotteddawg1 You're very welcome. It's people like you who I was hoping to help. I hope your dog remains well and that he/she only has sporadic seizures which cause no harm.

[saloponion]

Thanks for this - this is really helpful. My German Shepherd had something like this last night. It was mild but scary. It lasted for about 2 minutes. Then it finished and she was up and out the door as if nothing had happened!

[JimmyMd301]

MY Color headed white sheltie is having a few a week. The Dr's i took her to Mind you 4 Dr's. Said to lay her down on her side and Massage the muscles. They said it kinda like have a Charlie horse but in all four legs. 

[ChrisinAtl1]

Thank you for posting this. I have a pug who has had seizures that look very similiar but my vet couldn't offer any help - I also took a video and he thought they were focal motor. She has them when she wakes up from a deep sleep....

[LadyeXo]

Thank you so much for posting this. My pit bull just displayed behaviors just like this. We live in the middle of no where, so we had to call a vet in the city. She (and a few other vets!) said not to worry about it. If something happens to him, there will be HELL to pay. I'm glad you posted this.

[Jessicanana89]

sadly, min pins are so terrible prone to seizures. :( Our just recently started taking medication for it. She wasn't having more than 1 every 4-5 months, but they were getting longer. Now she hasn't had a seizure since starting the meds, however the medication gives her an increased appetite. So she's been going through the trash when we're not home. Most recently, she went ripped open some of our Christmas presents looking for food. :(

[MsSinfull]

Thank you for recording that our mini pin has just been diagnosed with epilepsy. We woke up the other morning and he was acting weird like he couldn't move his back legs and he was looking around like he was scared to death. We thought he had ate some oleander leaves. I think he had the seizer in the night and we saw him after it was over it took a couple hours for him to start to act a little normal again. This video will help us to recognize when he is having one. Thank you

[mpidgeon12]

thank you for posting this. my min-pin had a seizure today for the first time (that i am aware of) Suffering from seizures myself, i thought it may be a seizure. What happened was that i had accidentally startled him awake from a deep sleep, which i read can initiate a seizure...apparently certain breeding lines of min-pin are prone to this. It was almost exactly as the video you posted, only he was lying down on a bed and therefore couldn't get up. it seemed to end after a couple minutes.

[reharden]

@mpidgeon12 Glad it helped!

[vsnagpal]

Did your vet confirm this was a petit mal seizure?

[reharden]

@vsnagpal Yes, it was my vet who confirmed it was petit mal seizure. I literally had NO idea what was wrong with her when I made the video. It was scary for me!

[mlbtardif]

Thanks for posting this. My dog had a seizure yesterday, but I didn't know it was a seizure because it wasn't what I thought seizures look like. I don't have video to show the vet to have it identified, and now I do. Good luck.

[reharden]

@mlbtardif Glad I could help out!

[Disneyprincess6]

why on earth r u recoring this and not soing anything to help the poor thig?!!

[reharden]

@Disneyprincess6 Did you literally not read anything on the description or the comments? By making the video, I helped her out in the biggest way possible: showing her vet. an example of the behavior.

[KatrinaDi]

@reharden Apparently, she can't read or write.

[maggiegonz]

@ reharden: My maltese Poodle has the same exact epidoses. I took to vet and mentioned that her seizures were the mild ones but he reccomended blood work , etc... to see what could be the cause. Since money is very tight right now I have delayed this blood work. Appx how much have the vet bills cost you to treat your pinscher? Did your dog suffer any falls or have any ear infections?

[reharden]

@maggiegonz My vet told me that based upon what he's seen in the video, it was either "just" epilepsy or a brain tumor. He said that the chance of it being caused by a brain tumor was extremely small, though. Because she very rarely has seizures, we decided not to put her on medication as it apparently destroys the liver. He didn't perform any blood work on her, so it was just a simple office visit. And to my knowledge, no falls and no ear infections.

[OnceAloneNeverSeen]

PICK YOUR DOG UP!!!!!!!!!! please you have a small dog so you have this as an advantage. think of it this way, he is scared and confused and wondering why his owner has a camera pointed at him instead of him being held and comforted. My dog is 11yrs old and i have been dealing with her seizures her whole life, she has them multiple times a day, every day. i put her in a towel and make sure that she is not to hot or cold, there not painfull but very scary for the dog

[reharden]

@OnceAloneNeverSeen I'm very aware of how scary it is for the dog. The reason this video exists was so her behavior could be recorded for her vet to properly diagnose her. What you're seeing is the video that the vet saw. I put it on YouTube in case there were other dog owners who were freaked out by their dog's behavior and couldn't get to a vet straight away. She is always comforted when she has seizures now. :)

[chiminox]

Could dog seizures be related to their diet ? Maybe they get food poisoning from the conservatives and chemicals added to Dog Food ?

[tagger812]

Petit mal seizures don't involve shaking for long periods of time like that, that is Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal) or Complex Partial.

Petit Mal appears only as a simple (and fast - 10 to 12 seconds) loss of awareness.

Also, my yorkshire had Tonic Clonic seizures and the vet was able to give us a prescription for phenobarbital. It helps, you should ask your vet. :)

[reharden]

@tagger812 The dog's vet called it petit mal, so that's what I'll call it for now, too.

[maggiegonz]

@reharden:My maltese Poodle has the same exact epidoses. I took to vet and mentioned that her seizures were the mild ones but he reccomended blood work , etc... to see what could be the cause. Since money is very tight right now I have delayed this blood work. Appx how much have the vet bills cost you to treat your pinscher? Did your dog suffer any falls or have any ear infections?

[Fiona465]

My Min Pin does the same thing. I found that the only time it happens is if she has had a very stressful day. The the 4th of July is the worst b/c of all the fireworks. I do not give her any meds for her seizures, the best thing that you can do is comfort and keep them calm.

[MIZZANNGEE]

I have a 9yr old mini pin & he has the same seizures & I was in form to just let them work it out , as he has by past every pill trick in the book inscluding peanut butter. I persoanlly just wrap him in a towel, turn the lights low, tv off & blow air on him.

He's seem to be triggers by perfume, cleaning products, fabric softner.... My problem is figuring out how muchis too much. They last 3-5 minutes

[tiedyefrog12321]

my golden retriever just had a seizure, I was the only one home (im 13) its was really scary. the vet said she might have epilepsy. i watched some videos and read about it and it didnt seem the same. but this is the exact same thing! she was arching her back really high and sorta prancing and jumping like the ground was really hot, i picked her up and rushed her inside, i laid her down and she was shaking real bad, and looked sorta distant. I hope Shelby is doing well!

[aqueminilove]

oh my... my mini pinscher is having the same thing, except she is smaller and hers looks more severe... i did research and found that this is apparently common in the breed, is this true? i read putting the paws in cold water helps them come out of it, it has seemed to work... she hadnt had any seizures in a while, but started again yesterday, and has had 3 seizures since the morning... im completely torn by this, she is my best friend, the best dog ive ever owned...

[reharden]

I have no idea if it runs in the breed. I'm just a dog owner, not an expert by ANY means. You should take your dog to the vet because there is a small chance it could be something else besides a seizure. Let me know how it goes.

[supaachibi]

my minpin did the exact same thing just now! i'm so worried about her ;-;

[reharden]

Take her to a vet to make sure she's ok.

[danjreed]

Ugh, this hurts me to see.. she looks just like our Min Pin. :(

I hope she's ok!

[reharden]

She's fine. Just looks funny every once in a while. :)

[danjreed]

Thats good to hear!!!

[littlemisscowgirl08]

i have petit mal seizures (sun triggered)

[alikayarnell]

Thanks for sharing this video. We have a 4-yr-old Boston Terrier who just had a similar incident last night. His back legs seemed more affected than his front ones, but his whole body was shaking a lot. After 2 minutes or so we got him to lie down and relax and then he was back to normal, accepted a biscuit, and resumed his playful self. He's never had a seizure before and has always been a healthy dog. Was your vet able to help Shelby? Any advice for us? It was the scariest thing we've seen!

[reharden]

The vet told me it wouldn't shorten her life and the drugs to control them cause more liver damage than and should only be used in severe cases. Since my dog has only had three seizures and since they aren't grand mal seizues, treatment is just dimming the lights and comforting her. Please take your dog to the vet, though, as my vet said there is a 3% chance it could be a brain tumor. Hope this helps and let me know what happens.

~Rachel

[alikayarnell]

I really appreciate your comment. Our vet said our dog might have idiopathic epilepsy but to just watch him closely to see if he has any more seizures (so far, just the one). If it happens a lot more, then they might want to do blood work to rule out liver or kidney disease or other possibilities. There's also the option to put him on meds, but I agree with you, they might cause more harm than good, at least right now when he seems pretty normal and happy otherwise. Good luck with your pooch!

[reharden]

So sorry. I didn't realize there was a comment pending. I would suggest taking your Terrier to the vet as I am simply a lay pet owner. My vet told me that since Shelby wasn't having seizures that are damaging to her immediate health (e.g., hitting her head, etc) that the best treatment was no treatment. Apparently the medication given to dogs for seizures can really hard their livers. Let me know how the vet visit turns out.