Epilepsy in Poodles: What to Do During and After a Seizure

Your Poodle is dozing on the sofa when something is suddenly wrong. He drops onto his side, his legs paddle, he drools and may lose his bladder. A minute later he staggers up and looks as if he has no idea where he is. If you have never seen it before, it is frightening. This guide covers what to do in that moment, what happens at the vet afterwards, and what epilepsy means for a Poodle of any size.

A seizure is not always epilepsy

A seizure is a short circuit in the brain, and there are three families of causes. Sometimes the problem lies outside the brain, such as poisoning or low blood sugar. Sometimes it is in the brain itself, such as inflammation or a tumour. When no cause can be found, it is called idiopathic epilepsy, the "true" epilepsy.

In a Toy Poodle puppy, and in other very small puppies, think of the first group. A tiny puppy has hardly any energy reserves, and stress or a skipped meal can drop his blood sugar. It starts with trembling, dullness and a wobbly walk and can end in convulsions. That risk belongs to the smallest puppies; it is not an issue for a grown Standard Poodle. Read more in your puppy's first nights. Toxins such as xylitol or chocolate can also set off seizures, especially in a dog of 3 kg; see what Poodles must not eat.

During the seizure: what to do and what not to do

You cannot stop a seizure. You can keep your dog from hurting himself and give the vet as much information as possible.

• Stay calm and make room: move chairs and small tables away, keep him from stairs and the edge of the sofa.
• Do not hold him and keep your hands out of his mouth. A dog does not swallow his tongue. His jaws clamp, though, and he can bite you hard without meaning to.
• Watch the clock. A seizure feels endless but usually lasts between half a minute and a few minutes.
• Film it if you can. Video tells a vet more than any description.
• Afterwards, quiet. Many dogs are confused, restless or seem blind for a while. Keep the room calm and dim and let him come round.

Call an emergency vet at once if a seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, if several follow one another without the dog recovering in between, or if it is his first seizure ever and he does not pick up quickly afterwards. A long seizure or a cluster is an emergency. Find out now which practice near you takes out-of-hours cases and save the number in your phone.

Diagnosis: ruling things out

There is no test for idiopathic epilepsy. The vet reaches the diagnosis by excluding other causes. Under the international veterinary epilepsy task force guideline (IVETF), the diagnosis fits a dog with at least two unprovoked seizures at least 24 hours apart, whose first seizure came between 6 months and 6 years of age, and who is normal between seizures on physical and neurological examination. Blood and urine tests should show nothing abnormal.

If onset is before 6 months or after 6 years, or if something is abnormal between seizures, another cause is more likely. An MRI scan follows, sometimes with a spinal fluid sample, at a specialist centre. In a senior Poodle with sudden seizures, that is a serious conversation.

Keep a log from the first seizure: date, time, duration, what you saw and how long recovery took. Your vet will use it to decide whether and when to treat.

Treatment: fewer seizures, not always none

A single seizure is usually not treated. Reasons to start medication include two or more seizures within six months, a cluster of seizures, or one that lasts a long time. Phenobarbital is the long-standing standard. In the UK and the EU, imepitoin (Pexion) is also licensed for idiopathic epilepsy and sold on prescription; it came to market in 2013. It is not registered in the United States, where phenobarbital and levetiracetam are the usual choices. Your vet picks the drug, and the dose is adjusted to the individual dog.

To be honest about it: the aim is fewer and milder seizures. Some dogs become seizure-free, many do not, and treatment is often lifelong. Give the tablets at fixed times, and never stop or lower the dose yourself, because abrupt withdrawal can bring on a severe seizure. Regular blood checks are part of the deal. A small Poodle often needs a tablet split; do that only as the vet instructs.

Epilepsy is a chronic condition, so insurance matters. In the UK, a lifetime policy generally keeps covering a condition that began after you took it out, up to the annual limit, while time-limited policies tend to stop paying after about twelve months, and maximum-benefit policies stop once a per-condition cap is spent. Check the wording and exclusions in our guide to Poodle pet insurance, and insure while the dog is young: epilepsy diagnosed before the start date is excluded everywhere.

Hereditary, and what it means for breeders

Epilepsy occurs in all sizes of Poodle. In the Standard Poodle, American pedigree research (Licht et al.) described a familial form of epilepsy. Less is known about the smaller varieties, but in a Japanese study of 70 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy, the Toy Poodle was the most frequent breed, with 16 dogs. There is no DNA test.

The principle is therefore clear: a dog with diagnosed epilepsy is not bred from, and a case should be reported to the breeder. If your pedigree Poodle develops epilepsy, tell the breeder; that protects the next puppy buyers. Registries differ in how they define size: the FCI recognises four varieties, the AKC three (Toy, Miniature, Standard) and the UK Kennel Club three sizes. Whatever the label, the advice does not change; see Poodle sizes explained and the Standard Poodle.

Because there is no test, you have to ask when buying a puppy whether epilepsy has ever appeared in the lines. A good breeder knows and says so honestly. A puppy farm that never hears back from its buyers simply does not know. It sits alongside the other points in the Toy Poodle health overview.

In short

• Not every seizure is epilepsy. In a very small puppy, low blood sugar is a known alternative cause.
• During a seizure: make room, do not hold him, no hands in the mouth, watch the clock and film.
• Over 5 minutes, or seizures one after another: emergency vet at once.
• Diagnosis is by exclusion: examination, blood and urine, and an MRI when in doubt.
• Medication means fewer seizures but is often lifelong. Never stop it yourself.
• Hereditary and without a DNA test: do not breed from an affected dog, and always tell the breeder.