Dachshund with seizures.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for your question. Seizures are so difficult to deal with because often we don't know what the cause is.

It certainly is possible to confuse seizures and back problems. As you are likely aware, dachshunds are very susceptible to back problems. What you described with wobbly back legs, and shaking really could be a back problem. But it would be unusual for the problem to only last for 40 seconds. I do have some patients who have occasional back spasms that do this. But I think you are right that these are most likely seizures.

For most causes of seizures there is no test that we can do to determine what is happening. Sometimes an animal with kidney or liver disease can have seizures because of the disease but if this were the case then we would be seeing changes in her blood work.

When an animal is having seizures and has normal blood work then two of the most common causes are epilepsy and yes, brain tumor. The only way to tell the difference between the two would be to have an MRI done but the cost of these is very expensive and there is no guarantee of getting a diagnosis. If I am seeing seizures in an older animal, then tumor is more likely. However the treatment would be the same in either case. You have listed Gina as being between eight and 11 years of age. That is not terribly old for her breed which means that either possibility could be true.

I think, given the fact that the seizures started so long ago, epilepsy is much more likely. In epilepsy seizures may get more and more violent and more and more often, but they don't always follow that pattern. Sometimes they can be very random.

If this were my case I likely wouldn't do anything at this point. We don't tend to treat seizures unless they are happening very frequently, or if the seizures are very severe. Seizures are not painful for a dog. But they are hard for us as owners to watch. If these episodes are becoming more frequent, then one thing I might try is putting Gina on an anti-inflammatory medication just to see if things improve. If they do, it could mean that these were actually back spasms after all.

If things don't improve, that would likely be prescribing her and antiseizure medication such as phenobarbital. This medication is very commonly prescribed and is safe to use.

I know that seizures are very frustrating to deal with. You feel so helpless when there is nothing you can do to help your dog who seems to be so uncomfortable. It does sound like your vet is doing the same things that I would do.

Please let me know if you have more questions, and I hope things don't get any worse.

Dr. Marie


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Dr. Marie replied:

Ah yes. I meant to mention that a heart problem could cause these symptoms too. But a few things don't fit. The vast majority of the time when an animal has her condition that would cause syncopal episodes the vet should very easily be able to hear a heart murmur or other issues with the heart.

I really do think that mild epilepsy is the cause here. But as mentioned before, unfortunately there is no test for that.