Boxer Dog Seizure

I was sitting on the couch watching TV, Astrid the Boxer Dog came walking strangely into the room.  She was crouched very low on all four legs, almost like how a cat looks when it is hunting something, excelp she was walking  wobbly and very low to the ground....

She looked at me and had a deep worry in her eyes, she stopped immediately in front of me, as if seeking comfort. It was evident that something was 'off'.... I asked her if she was okay, and she then moved to the side of the coffee table and kind of collapsed.  

It was strange as her four legs just seemed to buckle beneath her.  Then all of a sudden her eyes went to a blank stare and her head was bobbing, like a little bobble head doll.

I was not sure what to do, so I spoke gently to her and told her it would be okay, her eyes shifted towards me and she looked so very scared and helpless, my heart melted for her..

Her head only bobbed for a brief few moments, then she seemed 'present' again, her spirit was back in her eyes.  I gently started petting her and telling her everything was going to be okay.  I just sat with her giving her love, calmly.

After a few minutes, she sprung back to her feet and was flipping around the room as Boxers usually do, it was so strange!

I googled "dog seizure symptoms" and discovered that Astrid the Boxer Dog appears to have had a very mild dog seizure.

The information below is from vcahospitals.com:

What happens during a typical seizure?  Seizures consist of three components:

1)  The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours. This period precedes the seizure activity, as if the dog senses that something is about to occur.

2)  The ictal phase is the seizure itself and lasts from a few seconds to up to five minutes. During a seizure, the dog may lose consciousness or may just have a change in mental awareness ("absence" seizures or hallucinations such as snapping at invisible objects). If the dog experiences a grand mal, or full-blown seizure with loss of consciousness, all of the muscles of the body contract spastically and erratically. The dog usually falls over on its side and paddles its legs while seeming to be otherwise paralyzed. The head will often be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation may occur. If the seizure has not stopped within five minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure. Status epilepticus is considered an immediate emergency and medical help should be sought.

3)  During the post-ictal phase or the period immediately after the end of the seizure, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, or even temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.

It is very frightening when your furry family members go through something so scary!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?