Fit

Suffering from a bee sting, runny tummy, cut into the nail quick or had a little mishap around the house, then you can find some friendly advice here on how to deal with life's little accidents and help your dog recover quickly or calm them down, so you can get them to the vet. If in any doubt about an illness or injury, please contact your vet as soon as possible.
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All the information provided in the First Aid section is gathered from the collective experience of our members and is provided for information purposes only. The advice contained within this section is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice, care, diagnosis or treatment. Each dog is different and may react differently to the recommended first aid advice. If you suspect your pet has a medical condition, you should consult your vet as soon as possible. You use this First Aid advice entirely at your own risk. If in doubt, speak to your Vet.
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trishyk56
Puppy
Posts: 5
Joined: 28 Mar 2014, 07:13
First Name: Tricia
Dog #1: Harry
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 11 Oct 2013
Location: Marden,Kent

Fit

Post by trishyk56 »

Yesterday my mini schnauzer Harry aged 5 had what seems to have been a fit.He was lying on his back and foaming from the mouth.My partner found him and put him back on his paws, but he was very wobbly and hot.I was away last week and Harry was with my dog minder. Apparently he wasn’t eating his usual food whilst there and she gave him tripe with his kibble. He came home yesterday looking a bit fatter and windy. My daughter took him to the vet and they seem to think he did have a fit,but are schnauzers prone to fits or could the tripe have caused this? :(
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zeta1454
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is a: P/S Mini Bitch
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Re: Fit

Post by zeta1454 »

Hi Tricia, so sorry to hear about Harry and hope that he is OK now.

It is very unlikely that the tripe would have triggered a fit unless it was contaminated with some toxins but presumably this would have affected any other dog which your dog minder had fed with it. Tripe is a very gentle and safe food for dogs and we have fed it to ours for over a decade with no issues.

The tripe or the mix of tripe with kibble might cause a tummy upset or wind and it sounds as though Harry may have been getting too much food / treats if he looks fatter than usual especially after only a week but should not cause a fit.

There are unfortunately a wide range of things that may trigger a fit in dogs and, unless you know where Harry has been, exactly what he has eaten (including scavenging), it is hard to work out what it is in this case. Agricultural and garden sprays including use by councils of weed killers can include chemicals that are toxic to dogs; sheep and horse worming treatments are high strength and potentially fatal to dogs who eat the poo of recently wormed animals; certain plants are also toxic as are a range of food items that might be offered to a dog as a treat such as peanut butter if it contains xylitol; slug pellets are another seriously dangerous toxin for dogs. Any of these could trigger a fit in an affected dog as can certain spot on flea and worm treatments.

I have no experience of seizures in mini schnauzers we have had over the past 20 years (7 minis) although there are some Forum members who have dogs with epilepsy. It was not listed high as a condition in a survey of miniature schnauzer health conducted by the Kennel Club - affecting just over 2% of the dogs surveyed):

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/ ... nauzer.pdf

There is a link here regarding seizures in dogs generally:

https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-seizure-disorders#1

Try not to worry if Harry seems to have recovered now but watch for any signs that he is not well and go back to the vet. If it was a one-off exposure to something in the environment or something he scavenged to eat, it may never happen again but, if there is more to it, the vets are the best ones to diagnose what it may be.
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Oscar 12345
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Joined: 02 May 2017, 11:28
First Name: Julie
Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Dec 2002
Dog #2: Otto
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Fit

Post by Oscar 12345 »

So sorry to hear about Harry. My last schnauzer had 2 fits in his life. Once when after he had licked some steroid cream that had been prescribed by the vet for his paw... never again will I use cream where they can lick it. The second time was a brief fit and then he fainted. I have absolutely no idea why but it didn't happen again. I recently chatted with a woman for had a 5 year old female schnauzer that had had a few fits and seemed to be when she had over heated but otherwise was fit and well. Other than that I don't know anyone else who has experienced this with their schnauzer. It is very frightening to see though. Hope that one is it for Harry.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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Pumpkin
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Joined: 25 Sep 2012, 12:37
First Name: Tracey
Dog #1: Charlie
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 02 Jul 2012
Dog #2: Lily
is a: Black Mini Dog
Born: 14 Jun 2013
Location: Hornchurch, Essex

Re: Fit

Post by Pumpkin »

Hi Tricia. Sorry to hear about Harry's fit - scary and awful to watch.

Charlie has had fits regularly since the age of about 18mth (I always put down to using Advocate but just my opinion), he is 7 now and started having them every two months so we now use natural remedies to treat him and he has been fit free for 4mth (touching every piece of wood I can find).
It is usually something chemically that triggers them or they can sometimes come on with illness but if he has been checked over by the vet probably more likely the chemical / toxic route, I would doubt tripe.
Something to keep and eye on and if he has them regularly from now think about some sort of treatment - if you ever need any pointers then just message me, always happy to pass on what I have learned about epilepsy and fits over the past 5 years!
Basics of caring for a fitting dog are to keep you hands well away from their mouths and just be with them for when they come round and make sure they cannot hit their head on anything with the jerking. Charlie is groggy for a good half an hour...and then ravenous!!

Hopefully this is a one off incident :ympray: but shout if you ever need any help
Tracey
trishyk56
Puppy
Posts: 5
Joined: 28 Mar 2014, 07:13
First Name: Tricia
Dog #1: Harry
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 11 Oct 2013
Location: Marden,Kent

Re: Fit

Post by trishyk56 »

Hi everyone
Thank you for replying to my query about Harry’s suspected fit in May.I am so sorry not to have replied earlier, but I get a bit confused on this website and do not always find my way around correctly. Just to say that I took Harry to the vet who was unsure if he had had a seizure or not but carried out blood tests and other checks, which revealed nothing wrong. All was good for 2 months, but today Harry certainly did have a fit, twisting his head, rushing around and then falling off the bed onto his back with his feet paddling in the air. I held him carefully and he gradually returned to normal although generally confused and looking round the house as though he didn’t know where he was. He’s now eaten a bit of chicken, done a large wee and is asleep on the spare bed. I have to say though that he has been really uncomfortable this last week, panting heavily and although I didn’t take him out in the heat, it has been so muggy that his breathing has been really heavy.Perhaps this could have triggered today’s events? I think all that I can do is watch him over the next couple of months and if it recurs, take him to the vet again for medication.Thanks to you all for your kind replies and keep your fingers crossed for Harry.
trishyk56
Puppy
Posts: 5
Joined: 28 Mar 2014, 07:13
First Name: Tricia
Dog #1: Harry
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 11 Oct 2013
Location: Marden,Kent

Re: Fit

Post by trishyk56 »

Harry had another fit yesterday and doesn’t seem to be himself today although I took him to the vet again last night. He has lost his sparkle and I’m so worried about him. I will probably have to take him for an MRI scan to check out some sort of epilepsy, but it’s all happened so quickly. I just feel I’m losing my best little mate. Please pass on any suggestions that you may have to help. Thanks. Tricia.
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Pumpkin
Member
Posts: 125
Joined: 25 Sep 2012, 12:37
First Name: Tracey
Dog #1: Charlie
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 02 Jul 2012
Dog #2: Lily
is a: Black Mini Dog
Born: 14 Jun 2013
Location: Hornchurch, Essex

Re: Fit

Post by Pumpkin »

So sorry to hear Harry had another fit. They seem quite a way apart so maybe a case he doesn't even need medication at the moment. When Charlie was checked out the vets kept him for half a day and ran lots of tests to make sure there are no underlying issues, if not and it is idiopathic epilepsy then they will be best placed to guide you on what to do.

All I can advise is from our experience and what we do which is the CBD oil which we have found to be by far the best control. Vets cannot really suggest this as an option (apparently the benefits are unfounded but not from where I am standing!) but do some research and let me know if you need any other info.

It will be fine and we have found it controllable for the most part. They are very disorientated when they have had a fit and also it is very tiring so it maybe the case Harry is tired and a bit perturbed about what has happened.
Hope he settles back soon and you get on ok at the vets.

Charlie sends hugs
:ymhug:
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zeta1454
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Joined: 19 May 2011, 16:58
First Name: Leigh
Dog #1: Magic
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 20 Apr 2010
Dog #2: Trilby
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Born: 15 Mar 2012
Dog #3: Pip
Born: 21 Feb 2014
is a: P/S Mini Bitch
Location: North Yorkshire
Contact:

Re: Fit

Post by zeta1454 »

So sorry to hear about Harry's seizures and I do hope you may be able to get a definitive diagnosis as it difficult to address the issue if you do not really know what is happening and why. Certainly the weather has been bad for humidity so this may have been causing Harry some discomfort and breathing issues but probably not the reason behind the fits generally.

The mention above re CBD oil is a possibility to try and great to know that someone has used it on the Forum with success. We use Simply CBD Gold together with a couple of other supplements for our elderly dog who had some stiffness with walking and he has done brilliantly on that blend. However, a number of people as well as the Forum member who posted above do use the oil for epileptic conditions / seizures etc. in their dogs very successfully.

There is a also a Facebook group which I found very helpful:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/SimplyCBD/

And this is the company which I use for the oil:

https://www.simply-cbd.co.uk/2017/08/17/welcome/

Our vet at the time we started using it for our elderly dog was not opposed to the use of CBD oil but said that we would have to do our own research as vets do not have any guidance on offering it to clients at present.

Good luck and paws and fingers crossed that you can find a way to help Harry :ymhug:
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Magic - Silversocks Sharade at Darksprite
Trilby - Darksprite Rosa Bud


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Oscar 12345
Member
Posts: 1592
Joined: 02 May 2017, 11:28
First Name: Julie
Dog #1: Oscar RIP Sweety
is a: P/S Mini Dog
Born: 21 Dec 2002
Dog #2: Otto
is a: B/S Mini Dog
Born: 04 Jul 2017

Re: Fit

Post by Oscar 12345 »

No advice Tricia but best wishes that all goes well and sending positive vibes. He looks a lovely boy :ymhug: Do keep us posted on your progress.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
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