Expert: Liz Gregory - 12/7/2008

Question
My CKCS bitch is four months old. she has displayed 2 seizures in the last 24 hours. both times she has been running around playing, all of a sudden she freezes, her tongue pokes out, her eyes have gone really wide and started to roll back into her head. she then begins to shake violently. the seizures have lasted approx 5 minutes and i am now really concerned. Could you give me some possibilities of what it could be from the most general to the fatal. i am booked into the vets but i do not want a misdiagnosis of epilipsy, which i have read happens often.

Answer
Hello Renai,
I am sorry to hear about your little girl. Seizures are never a good sign unfortunately.
If she has another seizure keep her calm after and cold compresses to the groin area to keep her cool as she may overheat from the seizure activity.
The only conditions that I can think of that would cause seizures would be epilepsy or Episodic Falling Syndrome, in which they have similar symptoms. Neither of these are necessarily fatal in themselves, it all depends on severity.
You do need to also consider the last few days. Did your puppy possibly eat something that may have been poisonous? Cavaliers are notorious for eating or chewing on everything they find. Was your house or lawn treated for insects? Could the puppy have fallen or been dropped by a child? In a 4 month old puppy, I would look at conditions other than a genetic problem first since most conditions don't appear until after the first year or older. If you do get a diagnosis that suggests a genetic condition, make sure that you inform the breeder. This way the breeder will have the knowledge that the parents should not be bred again.
If you live outside of the UK, your vet may not have ever heard of Episodic Falling Syndrome so you may let him/her know of this condition. The vet should easily be able to find out more and be able to order the proper testing if it is necessary, although I don't think that is the problem.
I hope this helps and good luck with your little girl.

All the best,
Liz