# seizures



## morningsidegdn (Mar 30, 2013)

My maltese is 12 years old in May. she started having seizures about 2-3 month ago when she gets too excited."Like when we come home from work". we will take her outside to use the bathroom and she goes, and then she will start wandering around almost as if she is drunk,and then fall over and have a seizure. We have taken her to the vet and had blood work and other things done but they say shes old and it happens, but it seem like it just started all of a sudden. Does anybody have any help or ideas as to why this is happening, and what we can do to help her.


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

I would ask for a referral to a specialist or just go without a referral if allowed. My definition of "old" has changed. Cisco is 16 years old. Your fluff could have several years left. A specialist will look for the cause of the seizures and give you options for treatment. Good luck. There are many people on this forum that have experience with seizures and will be able to give you more detailed advice.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

I agree with Deb. A specialist will look further into what is causing the seizures and offer treatment. She isn't really old at 12. Good luck and keep us posted!


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Please have your pup seen by a vet. There are many causes to seizures, everything from liver problems to GME/NME. In many cases, medication can relieve the symptoms and help you pup have a better quality of life for several years.


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## Yogi's Mom (Jan 6, 2013)

*Praying for you**
*Yogi's Mommy!*


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

I agree that if the vet is just saying she's "old," then I would take her to a specialist since there very well could be a specific cause that could be treatable. A lot of members here have experience with seizures in their malts, unfortunately. So I'm sure they will be able to give you some very valuable advice.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You said this happens when you come home---does that mean she hasn't eaten for some hours? What does she weigh? Sometimes hypoglycemia causes seizures.


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

I wonder, too, if it could be a heart issue. Some of my old dogs developed bad heart valves (and murmurs) in their older years, and when they got too active--such as when I came home or when they tried to chase something--their heart could not pump enough blood and they would pass out. Sometimes they would vocalize on the way down, sometimes not. Some heart problems can be helped with medicine. 

So I would agree with seeing another vet! 

:grouphug:

Edited to add: If you can video one of these episodes, it could help a vet distinguish what is happening.


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## Super3*k (Feb 26, 2013)

I am so sorry for you..sending you positive thoughts. Your little girl is lucky to have you. And you are lucky for her...


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I agree that you should see a specialist. True epilepsy usually starts when a dog is (1-5 years) so I would suspect that her seizures are *symptom* of an underlying disease.

Did you vet do a thyroid panel? Dogs should get them done regularly as part of the geriatric/senior blood work. A thyroid imbalance can cause seizures.

A specialist will hopefully figure out what is causing her seizures.


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

You've already gotten great advise... have a specialist get to the root of the problem.


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## Missyboo (Mar 20, 2013)

edelweiss said:


> You said this happens when you come home---does that mean she hasn't eaten for some hours? What does she weigh? Sometimes hypoglycemia causes seizures.


I agree with hypoglycemia they walk around like they are drunk. Also have a dazed look.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Hypoglycemia would be very unusual in a 12 year old dog. Also, her bloodwork was normal. Abnormal blood glucose values would have shown up on the lab results.

It's trickier in an old dog to figure out what is going on. Please take her to a internal medicine vet.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Ladysmom said:


> I agree that you should see a specialist. True epilepsy usually starts when a dog is (1-5 years) so I would suspect that her seizures are *symptom* of an underlying disease.
> 
> Did you vet do a thyroid panel? Dogs should get them done regularly as part of the geriatric/senior blood work. A thyroid imbalance can cause seizures.
> 
> A specialist will hopefully figure out what is causing her seizures.


This is true. Epilepsy as a condition usually presents at a younger age. I was told this about my girl who started having seizures when she was around 6 years old. The vet said that if she were epileptic normally that would have shown up before then, but seizures later in life are usually a symptom of another condition. He thought it was very unusual that she started at that age, because she was not in the geriatric phase when they come in to play with other conditions. He said that many conditions of old age do present with an onset of seizure activity. So it is very important to get to the bottom of what condition might have led to this onset.


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## ckanen2n (Jan 2, 2012)

I think a person can develop epilepsy at any age. It happens in humans all the time! I agree that you should take him to a specialist. If there is an underlying cause, you need to find out!


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

ckanen2n said:


> I think a person can develop epilepsy at any age. It happens in humans all the time! I agree that you should take him to a specialist. If there is an underlying cause, you need to find out!


Not so for dogs, though. Epilepsy usually starts between 1-5 years old.

* Idiopathic Epilepsy, also called primary epilepsy, means that there is no identifiable brain abnormality other than seizures. * *Most dogs with idiopathic epilepsy suffer their first seizure between the ages of one and five years of age.*


*BETWEEN 1 - 5 YEARS OF AGE

Primary: Idiopathic Epilepsy ("idiopathic" = cause unknown or undetermined)

*Canine epilepsy and diseases that cause seizures in dogs


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

My Bitzi had collapsing trachea at this age & it presented as a seizure---she was not getting enough oxygen to her brain. Please ask the vet to check this also.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

edelweiss said:


> My Bitzi had collapsing trachea at this age & it presented as a seizure---she was not getting enough oxygen to her brain. Please ask the vet to check this also.


The same thing happened with my sister's Jack Russell at that age.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Common causes for seizures in elderly dogs include liver disease and primary brain issues like tumors and infectious diseases. Luckily there are lots and lots of new options for treating seizures in dogs. If your regular vet is not comfortable doing so and your pet has normal bloodwork, then seeing a veterinary neurologist would be the next step.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

I don't agree when some of you say that a dog is not old at age 12. Yes a dog is old at that age. A dog is considered to be senior at age 7. If a dog has a seizure at age 12, there is another underlying condition for this to happen. So if your vet is not able or willing to find that underlying condition I would go to a different vet. My daughter had a shi tzu who was never sick for all of her life (and believe it or not she came from a pet store). At 12 years old she started peeing in the bed at night and we thought she was maybe dreaming and having a nightmare (us not wanting to see reality in the face). But she had seizures. When this happened during the day, my daughter took her to the vet and she was put on anti-seizure medication. Vet said there is a good chance she has a tumor in her head. To make sure she would have to get an MRI. So what do you do ? Spend the money on an MRI knowing that if it's a tumor you cannot do anything anyway ? So they tried medication for a while and it did not work. At the end my daughter choose to euthanize. So if your dog gets older than 12, just think about it as a bonus, a lot of dogs don't get older than 12.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

ckanen2n said:


> I think a person can develop epilepsy at any age. It happens in humans all the time! I agree that you should take him to a specialist. If there is an underlying cause, you need to find out!


Yes a person can develop epilepsy at any age. Happened to my brother in law. It was caused by two tumors (cancerous) in his head. He died last year at the age of 75.


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