In terms of emergency unwellness episodes, watching your pet have an unexpected seizure can be highly distressing.

In this article, we’ll discuss common causes of seizures, how to recognise them, and what to do if your pet experiences one.

What is a seizure?

A seizure is the abnormal activation of clusters of brain cells that causes uncontrollable physical symptoms in the patient. They can be “partial”, affecting only one region of the body, or generalised (also known as “grand mal”), usually causing unconsciousness, full-body muscle twitches, and a loss of toileting control.

Depending on their underlying cause, seizures may occur as a one-off event or can recur and potentially become more severe over time.

What causes a pet to have a seizure?

Causes of seizures in pets can be divided into two main categories:

• Primary epilepsy – this is when a pet spontaneously seizures due to a genetic brain issue (or an unknown cause)
• Acquired epilepsy – this is when a pet develops seizures secondary to an underlying problem in the body (e.g. low blood sugar or a toxin) or in the brain (e.g. brain trauma or a mass)

What should you do if your pet has a seizure?

If you witness your pet having a seizure, try to carefully move them away from any obvious physical hazards, provided it’s safe to do so. Then, stand back and time their seizure activity. Seizures usually last a few seconds to a few minutes, but severe episodes can last for hours or occur in clusters.

If your pet seizures for more than two minutes, you should seek emergency veterinary care for them, as episodes more than several minutes long can cause brain damage.

However, even if your pet’s seizure ceases within a couple of minutes, it’s still recommended to have them checked promptly by our team if:

• It was their first ever episode, or
• They have a history of seizures and have experienced more than one in the last week or an increasing seizure frequency overall

For more information on pet neurological health, consult our brainy vets.