# my dog almost died today!



## simpleman30 (Oct 11, 2009)

this afternoon i was lying on the couch, taking a nap and watching the nascar race.  normally my 2.5 year old yellow lab female, Bailey, would be in the chair across the living room from me, but she's in heat right now and has been banished to the backyard.  all of a sudden, something crashed on my porch and i saw Bailey quivering and rolling around.  the crash i heard was my patio chairs moving and turning over.  at first i thought she was choking so i reached in her throat but couldn't find anything.  i patted her on her back and then i would lay her on her back and press on her chest... i didn't know what to do!  after pushing and patting on her for a while, i reached back down her throat but still couldn't feel anything.  by this time she had quit shaking and trying to get up and was just lying in my lap very still with her eyes darting back and forth very rapidly.  finally i closed her mouth with both hands and blew in her nose/mouth as hard as i could.  after doing this 3 or 4 times, she went completely still and all 4 legs stiffened out like a deer will often do as it expires...  her legs went limp and then she let out a huge burp and looked up at me, as if to say, "dang, i thought i was never gonna get that thing out of there!"  

she was freaking out and i know she didn't breathe for at least 2 minutes.  i really hope she pukes up or passes whatever she may have swallowed b/c i'm not going to spend a lot of money to remove a foreign body from her bowels.  i love my dog, but i also know that she is still just an animal.  i am still not sure if she was choking or if she was having a seizure.  has anyone else had something like this happen before?  i've heard of a couple of labs having seizures lately but i don't know what to make of it.


----------



## K9SAR (Oct 11, 2009)

When she got up, how did she act? It sounds to me like your dog was having a seizure.  What the cause of the seizure was (if she hasn't had seizures before) may be an important piece of information to find out.


----------



## simpleman30 (Oct 12, 2009)

once she started breathing, she kept trying to sit up, but she seemed almost lethargic.  she didn't want to get up until she sat there for a few minutes.  she's never had anything like this happen before.


----------



## K9SAR (Oct 12, 2009)

Being disoriented, etc. is a usually the outcome of a dog that has had a seizure.  I would definitely have her at least checked out by the Vet.  The seizure could be related to something even more serious, and if they truly are seizures, the Vet can recommend what to do/what to give her (seizure medicine for dogs is fairly inexpensive.)


----------



## postal guy (Oct 12, 2009)

My dog started having epileptic seizures at around 2-21/2 years. My vet said that this is about the time this surfaces. I would take the dog to the vet.


----------



## simpleman30 (Oct 12, 2009)

thanks for the input.  i called my vet today and she agreed that it was a seizure.  she said that seizures can be caused by liver disease, various allergies, epilepsy, blood sugar problems, and other things.  she said that her bloodwork from her last visit looked good and she wasn't sure what may be causing it, but that i should monitor and record frequency and duration of any more episodes.  she also said that there's no telling how many times she may have had a seizure at night or while i was at work.

on another note, the only thing i have changed with my dog lately is her flea/tick meds.  i changed from the drops to a chewable tablet.  i wonder if she could be having an allergic reaction to it.


----------



## wildlands (Oct 12, 2009)

If she was going to have a reaction it would have been within a few hr to a day afterwards. If you had not given her a pill latley I would put that low on the list of possable causes. Never rule it out but the chances would be low.


----------



## SJGlenn (Oct 13, 2009)

*burp*

She burped because you blew air into her stomach. 
Sounds like a seizure. They usually give them phenobarbital for that, and its pretty cheap and works great!


----------



## Wood Smoke (Oct 13, 2009)

Since she is a Lab, you may also want to have her tested for EIC, exercise induced collapse. It's a blood test.   Don't be surprised if your vet looks at you funny and doens't know what you are talking about.    Push them to look it up, draw the blood, and send it to U.of MN VDL for testing.  Don't just assume its a general seizure.

In Labs, the defective gene that causes this has only been identified in the last few years. It is a real issue, and should not be ignored.  More info on EIC can be found on the net and also at  http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vdl/ourservices/canineneuromuscular/taylor2008/home.html.  This is the U. of MN Vet Diagnostic Lab where most of the EIC research has been done I think.  Its been specifically identified in Labs and they can be either "clear" of the defective gene, a "carrier"of the defective gene,  or "affected" and have episodes of collapse.


----------



## donblfihu (Oct 13, 2009)

Could she have eaten a muscadine, or grapes they'll cause seizures.


----------



## BirdNut (Oct 15, 2009)

Snake bit?  When I was a kid the neighbor lady found her bassett hound catatonic in the backyard.  She accused all of us kids for kicking/poisoning/beating or otherwise doing something to the dog.  The vet found the dog had been snake bit.  Nice lady.


----------



## davidf (Oct 15, 2009)

i have a lab and she didn't start having seizers until she was close to 3 years old. we had her checked and it turned out to be epilepsy the vet said it was fairly common in this breed. She gets 2 pills a day they run about $12 a month. we have to get blood work 1 time time a year to check for any side effects from the meds but nothing has shown up and its been close to 3 years now. good luck with your dog.


----------



## revrandyf (Oct 15, 2009)

Sounds like a seizure to me too.  My bulldog has them and takes phenobarbital.  The meds do a pretty good job though he does still have a seizure ever so often but not like before we got him on the pill.


----------



## simpleman30 (Oct 15, 2009)

my main concern now was the cost of any treatment or medication.  thanks for the help.


----------



## Cadcom (Oct 15, 2009)

If she has seizures you may see where she bit her lips. My lab used to bite holes in his - it was terrible to see. Phenobarbital took care of the seizures. he would only have one after he was medicated about twice a year. Usually about now when fall was moving in and in the spring. Vet said seasonal changes can trigger the seizures. The phenobarbital was very inexpensive.


----------



## boz614 (Oct 21, 2009)

Lotta good advice already discussed here in my opinion.  I also had a Rottie that had seizures.  Phenobarbital and another med (the name escapes me right now) worked well for us, and neither were that expensive.  We got them filled at a CVS or other "human" pharmacy (ask your vet to have it filled there) for even bigger savings.  Good luck to you.  I know it is stressful to watch.  God Bless.


----------



## K9SAR (Oct 21, 2009)

boz614 said:


> Lotta good advice already discussed here in my opinion.  I also had a Rottie that had seizures.  Phenobarbital and another med (the name escapes me right now) worked well for us, and neither were that expensive.  We got them filled at a CVS or other "human" pharmacy (ask your vet to have it filled there) for even bigger savings.  Good luck to you.  I know it is stressful to watch.  God Bless.



I had almost forgot about getting scripts filled at human pharmacies.  My sister-in-law has a cat on Prozac (yes, I laugh all the time, too) that has its own CVS card so that the cat's Prozac is covered under some form of insurance and is free - lol. (CVS even gave the cat its own prescription card - lol)


----------



## urdaddyjeep (Oct 23, 2009)

the only thing about phenobarbital is the sise effects like liver and kidney problems.. the guy that lives next to me his yellow lab female did the floppin chicken while he was 800miles away and had to take her to the vet there... come to find out while she was taking the meds her little side show come around more and more... took her off the meds and she hasnt had one since... but like all meds there is a chance for some side effects. 
If her belly gets really big and she eats all the time and seems moody... that isnt a side eccect that I know of but I know what side effect it is.... )


----------



## irishleprechaun (Nov 1, 2009)

eating chocolate can also lead to seizures, it is toxic to dogs.  Dog doesn't get into trash or kids dont feed it stuff do they?

sorry to hear about this...


----------



## ch035 (Nov 1, 2009)

i have a lab that has 3 seizures and she is 2.5. she will go stiff, start shaking, foam at the mouth and mess all over her self. She gets very disoriented and scared afterwards like she cant see. she gets over it in a few minutes and she always pukes before she does it. it is not fun.


----------



## BSC Libertarian (Nov 1, 2009)

how's she doing, simpleman?


----------



## coltday (Nov 1, 2009)

My friends lab always done it. Vet recommended getting her fixed. No seizures since! Was always a very scary thing to watch. stiffening of legs and foaming out mouth and all.


----------



## simpleman30 (Nov 6, 2009)

well, thanks again for all the help.  she was in heat a few weeks ago and i think she'll be getting fixed at her next vet visit.  i wanted her to have at least one litter, but it's more trouble than i want to mess with right now.


----------



## simpleman30 (Nov 6, 2009)

she's doing fine.  i have not taken her to the vet yet but i also have not seen her have any more seizures.  

as far as what she eats, she only eats the dog food i feed her.  other than that, she may get a deer leg to chew on every couple of weeks if anyone kills a deer at the club.


----------



## simpleman30 (Dec 14, 2009)

well guys, bailey had another seizure this morning about 4:00.  she was on my bed at the time and i was able to get her outside before it got too bad.  i left her in the yard to let it run its course b/c i really don't care to see my dog in that condition.  i went back outside 10 minutes later and she was lying in the flower bed panting and exhausted, again extremely lethargic like last time.  this is only the 2nd time i've seen her have one of these but i'm going to print out this thread and take it to my vet.  thanks for all your help and hopefully i can get to the bottom of this, without it costing me too much.


----------



## CedarSwampRetrievers (Dec 14, 2009)

If she's having them, do get her fixed...it can be hereditary. If she were only having one or two a year, I would not put her on the phenobarbital due to the side effects. I would even be hesitant to put her on it with just the two. She could go a year without another one or have one tomorrow. Either way, a vet visit is in order for a consultation if nothing else. I had one that had them once or twice a year for the most part. When things got stressful at home, they became more frequent, put her on the phenobarbital after she had a couple in a week's time. Got rid of the stress (husband) and they became infrequent again, weaned her off the phenobarbital and she would only have them once or twice a year after being off of it, same as before. The meds will not completely stop them, only lengthen the time between them if they are frequent.


----------



## simpleman30 (Feb 5, 2010)

just an update.  i spoke with the guy i bought her from and he said he's never had any of his labs in this line have seizures.  she had another one the other day that lasted almost 10 minutes.  they're getting more frequent and last longer each time.  my vet said that since there's so many things that can cause her to have them, if they diagnose it wrong and give her the wrong medicine, it can actually make them worse.  thinking about getting a second opinion.  i just realized too that every seizure she's had has been while she was sleeping.  i've never seen her have one out of the blue while she was active.  all but one have happened in the evening.  the other one happened at 4:00 in the morning while she was in my bed.  the vet said that the flea preventative pill she's on has been known to cause seizures in some dogs, but she's had a few seizures since i've quit giving it to her.


----------



## pine nut (Feb 6, 2010)

Get the blood work done! TBF, Bile acids, and a T4.  Low thyroid can cause it,  as can liver problems.  Fairly common in Labs. Medication will usually help.  Left untreated  will likely get more frequent and more severe.  Successful treatment is less seizures and less severe seizures not necessarily no seizures!  If they are lsating 10 mins or more you need to seek help.  Patient can over heat and die or die from seizure  too.  Medication is not expensive but may well be for life.  If put on medication and you just decide to quit the meds you will precipitate seizures.  One must taper off if you try to come off of it.  Your vet can  help.  If phenobarbital doesn't help try potassium bromide.  Phenobarb takes a cocuple of weeks to take effect.  The KBr potassium bromide takes about 3 months to stabilize the condition.   I have seen  phenobarb work very well and quickly. If these don't work could be a boo-boo in the brain tumor or shuch---very expensive to dianose and to treat.  Many times seizures can happen regularly on a 28 to 32 day cycle.  Keep a record of when, lenght or duration and what circumstances are surrounding the seizure.  During sleep is very common.  when we dream we're all c;ose to a seizure.  Fast the dog and take it to your vet.  Necessary for the bile acids test.  You will need to leave it for several hours for that test.   Again your vet can help!  BTW nice redbellies and bluegills!!


----------



## simpleman30 (Feb 8, 2010)

thanks for the input.  

and those fish were caught on Fort Stewart in the Canoochee River.


----------



## ch035 (Feb 12, 2010)

pine nut is right about the overheating thing. If the seizures are last that long you may need to take the dog to UGA as they are one of the best around. I know how horrible it is to watch. Mine normally has them while she sleeps aswell. It seems like they are normally on the weekends and 2 have been on sunday mornings and one saturday afternoon. If the seizures happen more than once every few months you need to fix her and put her on meds


----------



## simpleman30 (Feb 14, 2010)

when she had her first seizure, it was a few weeks after her last vet appt. and the vet said her bloodwork did not indicate anything that would cause her to have a seizure.  she's due for shots and i need to get her to the vet anyways.  i'll have her checked out this week.  as much as i want to get her help, i'm not one to spend more than a few hundred bucks on any animal i own.  she's my sweetheart and probably the best dog i'll ever own, but when she had her first seizure, i didn't know what was going on and i was very close to putting her down on my own.  i just didn't know what to do, and as hard-*** as it sounds, i was more willing to go through the pain of putting her down myself than watching her suffer.  hope to have a more positive update this week after i take her to the vet.


----------

