| I have a 2-year, 4-months old Golden Retriever. About 3 months ago he came into the office seemingly in great pain - he could not move too well and had his legs curled up and it seemed he was struggling to breath. After a while
he got up and ran to the car and was a bit wobbly. On reaching the vet he seemed a bit better but had tenderness on his back - he spasmed when you touched him there. We thought he may have been kicked by a horse. I was worried as he had had his 5 in 1 and rabies the previous day so thought it may be a reaction to that. The vet also thought it may be epilepsy. Just yesterday - so 3 months later - he had a similar thing with inability to walk well - seemingly in pain either with a sore leg or back and then about 20 mins later feeling quite fine.
Does this all indicate epilepsy and if so what can I do? What can I do to help him during an attack? Could it have been bought on by the incorrect doses of 5 in 1 or rabies vaccination? How could it have come on? Will he grow out of it? If not epilepsy what else could it be? What does his future hold? |
| Blood work on a dog won't show epilepsy but a complete workup with your veterinarian is in order to rule out underlying metabolic disorders. Epilepsy is a diagnosis you have to "back into" by process of elimination. Should this ever happen to your dog again, try to get him to the vet's office within a couple of hours of an episode. That way, the vet can look at the CPK levels, which is a muscle enzyme.
You may also want to check the color of your dog's gums by lifting up his lip. If the color is very pale or if there is a purple hue to his gums, that could indicate a medical condition. The tenderness on his back could be the result of motor activity during a seizure. It is highly unlikely that a rabies vaccine could cause any of these symptoms. One thing you could do is keep a diary of when these episodes occur for your dog. Be particularly mindful of the phases of the moon and the weather. I have known epileptic dogs to have seizures only during a snowstorm when the moon is full. It sounds strange, but it could be helpful. |
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