At Parkway Animal Hospital in Grand Prairie, TX, you’ll find a veterinarian and staff whose love for animals motivates us to make animal care a part of our daily lives in our homes as well as at our office. We provide full-service care for pets and their loving parents in the Grand Prairie, TX area, from pet exams and routine preventative care to emergency care. A pet seizure can be very alarming to witness and causes stress on the animal as well as the parent. Parkway Animal Hospital will help put your mind at ease with attentive, focused, and sensitive treatment during an emergency visit should your furry family member suffer a pet seizure.
Why Pet Seizures Happen
A pet seizure comes from an overload of electrical impulses in the brain, possibly resulting from various diseases that may produce neurological effects. Epilepsy, brain tumors, stroke, and severe head injuries can all cause seizures.
What Pet Seizures Look Like
While root causes for seizures can vary, animals generally become unaware of their surroundings and fall down. Pets having a seizure may shake or behave as if they’re itching themselves in a spastic way, moving their legs quickly and uncontrollably. Occasionally, they may urinate or defecate. A pet seizure can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. In any case, an emergency pet exam with an experienced veterinarian should immediately follow.
How Your Veterinarian Treats Seizures
If left unchecked, seizures put stress on your pet’s body and can result in permanent damage. Allowing your veterinarian to examine and diagnose your pets is the best way to ease their suffering. Besides looking at neurological details like reflexes and function of the central nervous system, your veterinarian will consider factors in your pet’s personal history, such as past health issues and age. Effective treatment will depend on a thorough examination and accurate diagnosis. Your veterinarian can prescribe medication to try to prevent or at least reduce the occurrence of seizures, but it is essential to determine the underlying cause to provide ideal treatment.
Prevention
Bring your pet in for a pet exam regularly to try to catch any developing health problems as early as possible. Be proactive about vaccinating your pet from dangerous diseases spread among animals like rabies, which can cause neurological side effects like seizures. Watch your pet’s behavior, looking for deviations from their normal habits. If you witness your pet have a seizure, err on the side of caution and schedule an emergency appointment with your veterinarian.