I'm so upset. Tonight I heard a weird gaging sound coming from outside. My husband and I ran out and our dog Sydney was having a seizure. It lasted about 3 minutes. Her gums went totally white and her back legs were paralyzed. She seems totally fine now. I'm taking her to the vet in the morning to see if he can figure it out. She is our little baby and part of the family of course. She is 9 years old now so I guess I have to expect health issues. It sure doesn't make it easier though. :(

What type of dog?, my grandmother had a miniature poodle, that started taking epileptic seizures, the vet said it was very common for that type of dog. Once the dog was given pills it never had that problem again, but had to take a pill every day

My mother has a 13 year old Pomerianian that she has had since he was 2 or 3. He has suffered from epileptic seizures all that time. They will come and go. He hasn't had one in a long time, but usually will get one or two a year. When he gets them. he pants a lot more than normal. his eyes will get really big, and he will usually just lay there really still after the seizure. My mom has asked the veterinarian about this and he doesn't know what is causing him to have the seizures. I would still take your dog to the vet and find out any information you can.

Sorry to hear the sad news Lisa. :( Hard to lose a pet that's been in the family for so long, especially in such an unpleasant manner.

Oh Lisa...I´m so sorry for you - it´s surely scary to see your beloved pet suddenly having cramp attacks without knowing why.

In addition to the above postings, let the vet check the dog for proper kidney functions. Our first cat, Montag, died from a sudden and massive kidney failure, and the symptoms he showed were similar to epileptic attacks. Please don´t hesitate and see the vet immediately - in Montag's case, it took only three days until we had to put him to sleep.

Of course, I hope that Sydney can still lead a long and painfree life once the vet finds a cure. ;)

Thanks for your sweet comments Cal, Stacy, Recker and Wave. I was crying all last night so it really helped to come in here and unwind a bit. I took Sydney, an Australian Shepherd to the vet first thing this morning. After a fortune in tests we found out it was most likely a heart problem. She has an irregular beat. He gave me some meds to put her on and said this should control it and she can live a normal life if we get this under control. She goes back to see the vet in 3 weeks. Hopefully this med works. Thanks again for your responses. It helps to talk about it. :)

So glad to hear that he'll probably be ok. Keep us informed on how things go for him.

My 4 year old chocalate lab has had epilepsy since birth, and started developing seizures from 6 months on. He is now on medication, which lessens the severity of the seizures, if not the frequency. Howewer, epileptic animals can live a long and productive lives (just like humans).

Sadly, the lab I owned prior to this one was 9 years old when he started developing seizures that were related to a possible brain tumor (nothing to do with epilepsy). We had to put him to sleep shortly thereafter. That was one of the hardest days of my life. I am a HUGE animal lover (I actually like animals more than people, for the most part).

Seizures can be indicative of several things, though - from poisoning to heat exhaustian. In all cases, it's best to see what the vet has to say asap.

Best of luck, and if you need an ear to bend, feel free to pm me. :)