# Seizures in V's?



## turfguy (Jan 20, 2010)

Hey everyone,

We just took Cooper to the vet this weekend (first time to this particular vet) to get his shots updated. One of the questions we had for the vet tech was what might cause Coop to get up in the middle of the night and scratch his head, either with his back feet or along the carpet? The vet tech questioned if he ever urinates in the house when he is doing this and that has never happened. He said that V's can be susceptible to seizures but I have not seen anyone post on here about them. Is this something that we should be concerned about? Is it common for V's to develop seizures? This same vet tech told us that Cooper was the nicest V he had ever seen as most were very vicious and not easy to work with which I find hard to believe. Maybe this is not the right place for us to be taking Coop.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Turfguy


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## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Did they confuse, "crazy, wild, energetic, hyper, and affectionate" with "very vicious"? I can't imagine a vicious V. However I think Kobi is quite a shock to people who aren't used to Vizslas. On Saturday the Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door and I think Kobi made her think she saw the devil! I was holding him the whole time but she did NOT stick around long.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

You stated the "Vet Tech". Is this the Vet's assistant? If so I'd so don't be concerned and deal directly with the Vet. If it is the actual Veterinarian, then I'd say find a new experienced Vet.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

I've never read or heard of Vs being prone to seizures. In fact, I have read Vs are generally quite healthy as a breed. I have never known or heard of a vicious V either, but maybe your vet is special in that he/she gets to met the only ones ??? ? Only you can decide if you should choose a different doc; however, if I were questioning the fit with my vet, that would be enough to tell me I need to move along. I think everyone should feel 100% comfortable & confident in their choice of a vet. Good luck


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

I couldn't find what I would consider a highly reliable source, but certainly found plenty of web sites that alluded to epilepsy being one of the less common (but rarely, potential) genetic problems in vizslas. The following site is an example: http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/vizslas.html 

I wonder if the "vicious" comment refers to the fact that these dogs can be anxious, and some may not be keen on being handled by veterinary staff if they are scared? Was the vet tech foreign by any chance? The word "vicious" made me wonder if this wasn't a native english speaker or just someone who didn't really understand the severity of behavior implied by this word. I don't know, Rosie did snap at a vet tech once when they tried to put an id collar on her before her spay operation; as soon as the vet tech used a sweet voice, though, Rosie was fine with it.

Regardless, if it were me, I think I'd give the vet and staff more of a chance before deciding it's the wrong fit. Even if some of the staff aren't experts on vizslas temperaments, the vet and staff may still be quite expert in health issues.


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

It doesn't sound like Cooper is having a seizure. It's just his own quirk from the way you've described it. 
As for the belief that V's are vicious:
As long as their care of Cooper is professional, and he's not being handled improperly, let them believe as they will. In time maybe you can change his fundamental belief.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I don't think Cooper is having seizures, either. At least, it doesn't sound like it to me. Maybe he just needs to have his ears cleaned. My Vizsla, Willie, has a tendency to have very moist inner ears, and I need to clean them at least every two to three weeks, or else they get itchy.

I did read somewhere that Vizslas are prone to epilepsy, but only if they suffer a blow to the head. Just a good reason to be careful to avoid accidental blows to the head, like from tossing a heavy toy, etc.


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