What Would You Do If It Was Your Dog? Seizures in Dogs: Winston’s first seizure.

Winston, a neutered male Boxer, got his first seizure when he was 12-years-old.

Winston started seizing in the middle of the night, which landed him at a local veterinary emergency clinic. Why do emergencies always happen after hours or on weekends? Our experience confirms that that seems to be the rule.

Seizures in Dogs: Winston's first seizure.

The ER veterinarian ran a bunch of tests on Winston–a whole lot of tests. Winston’s parents received Amoxicillin and pain medications to treat potential pancreatitis. But Winston had no symptoms of pancreatitis.

They also vaccinated Winston.

Never allow a veterinarian vaccinate your dog if they’re ill.

Winston just had a seizure with an unclear cause. The ER vet figured Winston might have pancreatitis. Therefore they went ahead and vaccinated him? That is truly mindboggling.

Pancreatitis and seizures connection?

There is some research indicating that dogs with epilepsy might be at a higher risk of developing acute pancreatitis. All I could find is one single paper, though.

Severe pancreatitis could maybe cause seizures–I guess–if it caused hypoglycemia. Which means the pancreas would need to suffer profound damage. Winston was not throwing up, he did not have diarrhea–anything that would point to pancreatitis in the first place. All he had was one seizure.

Severe pancreatitis could maybe cause seizures–I guess–if it caused hypoglycemia. In other words, the pancreas would need to suffer profound damage. However, Winston was not throwing up, and he did not have diarrhea–anything that would point to pancreatitis in the first place. All he had was one seizure.

And Winston was 12 years old.

Do you know the significance of that? What do you make of the seizure? How do you feel about the diagnosis and treatment? What would you do if Winston was your dog?

Read Winston’s story.

Related articles:
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog: Seizures

Further reading:
Seizures in Dogs & Cats – What You Need to Know!

Categories: Conditions • Dog health advocacy • Misdiagnoses • Seizures • Symptoms

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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