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During an active seizure, the animal will fall over, twitch, urinate, defecate, and drool. She may fall over and be stiff and rigid (grand mal seizure). Some seizures may look like a dog is just staring into space or biting at invisible things (chewing gum seizure).
Central nervous system (brain) causes include:
Noncentral nervous system causes include:
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After a seizure, the animal may be disoriented, walk into walls, or appear to be blind.
Make sure your dog is in a safe place.
Keep your hands away from the dog’s mouth, and do not disturb the dog.
Call your vet if this is the first seizure, it lasts longer than 3-4 minutes, repeated seizures, or if your dog is not recovering from a seizure.
No, you should not put your hands near your dog's mouth. Your dog will not swallow her tongue.
Anti-seizure medication does not cure the cause of seizures; it helps to reduce the number or severity of episodes. Your dog will most likely have future episodes and require future trips to the vet.
Always keep a log of your dog's seizures. Include the date, time of day, time after a meal, and how long the active phase lasts.
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Pet First Aid information provided by Dr. Debbie Mandell, Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; American Red Cross National Pet Care Advisor for the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. Visit redcross.org/take-a-class/scientific-advisory-council to see how we work, members, sub councils, scientific reviews, and recent research.
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