# Blood work for seizures



## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Hi everyone. Happy New Year! It has been quite sometime since I have visited this forum.

Is there specific blood work that should be requested, if not standard protocol, when vetting for potential seizures? Thanks for any help!


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Has your V had a seizure? They normally just a run regular panel for it I believe but I'd have to check our receipts to be sure.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Pumpkin (2 1/2) has not had a grand mal seizure, but I am concerned she may have had a focal seizure. I did not think possible seizure 1.5 months ago, but a series of events/behaviors/oddities have led me to believe I should investigate further. Here is some of what I have noticed 1) Pumpkin has started retreating under our bed. Never before. I found her under my daughter's bed once, and I have never seen her go upstairs, ever, without one of us being up there too. I can not think of anything that has happened to make me think she is hiding in fear, but I have seen her back leg tremble, under the bed, as if she were cold or scared. 2) One time when P was under the bed, I reached under there, and she growled at me. Wow! I was shocked & immediately reacted. When a dog growls, right or wrong, I do not give it a pass while I ponder if they are sick or hurt. I grabbed her by the collar so fast, pulled her out from the bed, jerked her in the sit position as I gave a firm "no growling. She was scared then. I feel badly, but with 3 kids in the house, growling short of visible injury is unacceptable. We have not had any aggression issues or periods of growling in the past. 3) I was cooking dinner about 2 wks ago, and I hear a tap-tap-tap sound. I look at P, who was resting on her bed in the kitchen, and she was (for lack of better description) flea nibbling the air. It was her teeth tap-tap-tapping. It lasted about 30 seconds. At the time I thought "that's weird." 4) My husband took her on a woods walk the other day, and Pumpkin came and sat in the middle of our room. My husband and I (for about a minute) chuckled at how P looked like she was going to fall asleep standing up. I said "Punk you look like a tired girl." She didn't look in response to us talking to/about her. Almost as soon as I said that, we thought P was going to fall over. She started leaning to the right. At that moment, both my husband and I said her name in a tone to get her attention, clapped, and she fully opened her eyes, squared herself back up while continuing to sit there for another 2 minutes or so. She then went and got in her bed for a while. 5) Today I was late taking her for a walk, so I thought she would be on fire. She wasn't. She did not range out off leash or do as much running. She just seemed off. We have had plenty of periods where P seemed like the Pumpkin we have always known. We would have one odd moment but the periods of "normal" allowed me to think it was just a random, strange thing/behavior; however, now there have been enough "moments" that together make me worried. I will take her to the vet, but I just was not sure if there is a specific blood test for seizures. If she has had a focal seizure, I know the causes can be many, so I guess a standard blood panel is where vets start. Pumpkin is up to date on shots, checkups, & eating fine. Anyway, thanks SteelCityDozer for the reply! I have read quite a few of your posts re: seizures, and I'm glad your guy has adjusted so well. Best wishes.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Certainly rule out medical, but the fear sounds like something has frightened her. The rest sounds like a normal v. Mine falls asleep sitting up and almost topples quite often. Not always are speeds on walks the same pace and nibbling the air is also a noticed behaviour on occasions. 

I'd be trying to isolate the source of the fear as priority if the meds check out ok.


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## Shake (Dec 27, 2011)

Interesting post Kellygh. It reminded me of a time when my lil guy Zaius was about 2 months old, and I came home after being away for about 3 hours, and he was acting much the same way Pumpkin was--leaning, listless, and unsteady on his feet. It was really worrisome(sp). So I sat and thought for a few minutes, trying to figure out what might have changed to make him act so peculiar. Then I recalled I had set the furnace to come out while I was out, not thinking it would disturb the lil man. Sure enough, next time it cut in, he was cowering at the door, itching to get out. So we did go for a walk, and when I came back, and it cut in again, I distracted him with toys and treats. Very quickly, he realized that 'heat' was a good thing, and now lays on top of the register as soon as it kicks in. It's like Pavlov's dog. The moment the furnace clicks on, it doesn't matter what he's doing, he heads to the source of the heat for some relaxation. Very cute.

All the best in resolving your issue. Let us know how it's resolved, ok?


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## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

Any updates? Seizures in dogs are thought to be more common than reported due to someone thinking "that's just a crazy or peculiar dog" instead of something more. That being said you could be thinking its a seizure when it's really just a funny dog thing. If you're really concerned keep an extensive diary. What they did, where they went, EVERYTHING they ate, etc. marking all odd behaviors too. Then take it to the vet or specialist for review. Also, take videos of the behaviors for vets to view. But lastly, there would be no response to you during a seizure as far as I know.


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