Yellow Labrador having Seizures/Tremors - part II

This is part two of a two part e-mail question. To read part one of this e-mail visit: Yellow Labrador having Seizures/Tremors - part I

From: Russell (USA)
Labrador Retriever: Haley
Subject: Possible tremors or seizures

Reader's E-mail - Russell Writes:

Fay,

Thank you SO much for your willingness to help. Below are the answers to your questions

1. Haley is going to the vet on Friday.

2. Nothing listed occurred during her episode.

3. It started happening while she was awake. The other night was the first time I have seen her do it in her sleep.

4. The first time it only lasted a few seconds and each episode, although infrequent seems to be progressing in time. It lasted about 2 min on and off this time.

5. No other Haley problems.

6. Current on all shots.

I'd be happy to attach a few pics of Haley...

Thanks again!

Russ

All About Labradors Blog Answer:

Hello Russell,

The information given here is to help you learn more about your Labrador Retriever and not to replace your veterinarian's advice. Disclaimer

My apologies on the delay as I receive many questions at the All About Labradors blog and it does take me some time to answer all of them. Thank you for the photos of Haley, she is just to adorable.

First off, the most important thing here, and one in which you are doing, is taking Haley to your veterinarian for a complete examination.

Here are some possible conditions I have found for you that can be causing Haley's problem:

Continue Reading...

Hypoglycemia - an abnormally low blood glucose (sugar) levels. Signs of hypoglycemia include nervousness, lethargy, seizures, lethargy, tremors, weakness, incoordination, and in severe cases your Labrador Retriever may become unconscious.

It is important to always have a source of sugar (honey, Karo syrup, maple syrup, granular sugar) with you for Labrador Retrievers dealing with hypoglycemia.

Your veterinarian can diagnose hypoglycemia with a quick blood test that checks your Labs blood glucose or blood sugar.

Have you noticed any of these episodes occurring after physical activity or on an empty stomach. You might want to try feeding Haley two or three meals instead of just one.

Epilepsy - is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent seizures. This is a big subject with so much information on epilepsy and other diseases that can cause seizures. I have found two websites for you that I believe may be quite helpful to you and has far more information and knowledge on the subject than I can provide.

The Epi Guardian Angels Website:

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/

Naturally Treating Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders - this website covers types of seizures, causes, supplementation and a very informative section on factors that may trigger a seizure.

Website: http://www.purelypets.com/articles/epilepsyarticle.htm

Here are three videos I want you to take a look at to see if it is similar to what Haley is doing:

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=539296077706955474

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=992683019408822522

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nucc0rajrPI

There is a condition called "idiopathic head bobbing syndrome" that deals with the head bobbing either up and down or side to side. I found limited information on this, but visit this website -

http://www.homestead.com/bulldogsworld/headtremor.html .

Scroll down to just about the bottom of the page where it states - I had sent the video of Zimmer's head shakes to my vet who in turn sent it to a neurologist, Dr. Eric Glass at Red Bank Veterinary here in NJ.

Does Haley take any medications (Heartworm, Frontline, etc) or had any vaccinations around the time of these incidents?

I'm asking because I read an interesting article called Are "Spot On" Flea Killers Safe which you can read here:

http://www.apnm.org/publications/resources/fleachemfin.pdf

It list ingredients in some of these products and the effects on animals. In Frontline there is an ingredient called Fipronil that can cause twitches and tremors.

You might want to keep some sort of journal to record everything that happens before the behavior and after the behavior (does it happen after walks, after she eats, after she plays, how long it lasted, how frequent, etc). Maybe you can find a pattern by doing this.

I hope this information can be of some help to you Russell. Please keep me informed of Haley's condition, and any information you get from your veterinarian as it will be helpful to me and to all of the readers at the All About Labradors blog.

Take care of yourself and Haley,

Fay

Reader's E-mail - Russell's Response:

Fay,

Thank you SO much for your information. At the very least it helps provide a limited universe of potential ailments. We have taken Haley to the vet and are awaiting results. Your research and knowledge has helped ease the anxiety by letting us know possible causes so I would like to thank you for that. Hopefully the vet will come back with positive information. I will let you know what the outcome is. Hope you enjoyed the 4th of July holiday.

Best Regards,

Russell

To see some photos of the beautiful Haley, visit: Haley 11/21/07

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