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.
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!