13 year old mini suffering seizures

[wendy1129]

Looking for input from anyone who's pup has suffered seizures. Willy is 13 years old and is still as playful and prances like a pup. Last November he had what vet thought was a stroke. She put him on a med that caused a seizure a day later. New vet put him on keppra for couple months. Great and back to normal till almost 7 months later another seizure. One sunday, one thursday and one friday. Vet placed back on Keppra gave me cbd strips also, I declined putting him an phenobarbital. She did blood tests all good, suspects brain tumor, do not have the $2000 to confirm that. He has never shown any signs of a tumor before and seizures came out of blue. Any suggestions or thoughts on what might be besides tumor. He has not gotten into or been exposed to any toxins. Even after the 3 seizures he is eating and drinking well. Sleeping a lot, probably due to keppra. Still a little confused when walking i.e. stands and faces wall but did that last November and cleared up after a couple weeks. Just searching for possible causes as has not shown other signs of tumor. Also she checked his BP as she had a dog with high BP who seizured, Willys was normal. I know that no dog lives forever but if something simple he deserves the chance. Thank you.

[zeta1454]

Welcome to the Forum, Wendy

I am sorry to hear about Willy and the seizures. Only a vet is going to be able to diagnose the cause of the seizures and there are a number of possibilities some of which you have probably ruled out now after the blood tests. Certain medications and anti-parasitic treatments can trigger seizures in dogs that have no prior history of this and there are some of the other causes described on this link:

https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/ ... older-dog/

As a dog ages, the possibility of random short lived seizures can increase due to temporary disturbances in the electrical signals in the brain. Seizures are not painful in themselves and especially if short lived are more distressing for the person witnessing them. As regards the possibility of a brain tumour, the problem especially with an older dog would be deciding what to do if it was confirmed as, with a senior dog, surgery is not likely to be an option so it would be just managing the symptoms if they were causing Willy pain or distress or deciding to let him pass with dignity.

You could search the Forum (under the Health section on the Board Index) for topics regarding seizures in dogs put up by Forum members with personal experiences of these but they will not give a definite diagnosis for Willy. Some of the other behaviours you describe sound as though there may be signs of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction which is common in ageing dogs and does suggest that there could be changes in the brain that may lead to seizures in some dogs.

If you do not want Willy to undergo more exploratory procedures and he is still eating well and playing, you could just let him enjoy life as he has been; try to manage his seizures safely when they occur and watch to see if there are any more worrying symptoms that might show he is suffering pain or distress…or that the seizures become so serious or frequent that he has no good quality of life. It is natural to want to know exactly what is causing a health issue but sometimes the procedures involved to do so are not helpful to the dog and may not give you answers that are useful.

[wendy1129]

Thank you for the welcome and the info. I am diligently doing my research and Willy is doing alot better each day. My goal is to make sure he is happy and comfy. His overall health is so good it makes this seizure issue confusing. But appreciate any and all input.

[wendy1129]

Well, it's been 4 days since seizure . Willy is on Keppra and Meloxicam and almost back to normal. He prances like a deer thru the yard like his old self when outdoors. Have noticed inside he has an occasional tremor like episode. Just like not sure what's going on but snaps right out of it. Still not sure on the brain tumor thing as he has no other signs. Will just keep chugging along fingers crossed.

[zeta1454]

Good news that Willy has been seizure-free for several days and sounds as though he is enjoying life. Paws and fingers crossed he keeps well