Your Schnauzer is Prone to Seizures (What to Do)

One of our sons had a predisposition to febrile seizures when he was a toddler. He had four gut-wrenching-to-watch seizures over the course of six months. Rather than being a form of epilepsy, febrile seizures are a reaction to fever and are, thankfully, generally harmless. They occur in only 2 to 4 percent of children between six months and five years of age, and are difficult to prevent. I knew none of this as a first-time mom and during his first seizure, I thought we were losing him. It was horrifying. It continued to be a traumatic experience with each of his subsequent seizures, even though we were much more informed and we knew what to do.

Because we have been through the jarring experience of handling seizures, and I knew that Schnauzers were also prone to certain types of seizures, I wanted to share what I know. I leveraged my own first-hand experience, did a lot of extra research, and documented the facts.

Here’s what you need to know about Schnauzers and seizures.

Are Schnauzers prone to seizures? All Schnauzer breeds, especially Miniature Schnauzers, do have an elevated risk for seizures. If a Schnauzer has inherited the risk, the seizure episodes will most likely begin manifesting at between six months and three years of age. Environmental and physical factors can also cause seizures and you will need to work with your veterinarian to determine the causes and treatment.

There are three kinds of seizures in Schnauzers: primary, reactive, and secondary.

Secondary seizures are usually caused by a stroke, trauma, or a brain tumor.

Reactive seizures are a result of a reaction of the brain to a metabolic issue like organ failure, a toxin, or low blood sugar.

If no other causes can be found, then the condition is called idiopathic or primary epilepsy.

Primary epilepsy is usually an inherited disease, and Schnauzer breeds are most prone to the condition. If your Schnauzer is prone to idiopathic epilepsy or seizures, the episodes will begin showing between the age of six months and three years.

To determine the cause and manage the seizures, you should consider taking your Schnauzer to your veterinarian for a comprehensive diagnostic workup.

What are the Most Common Seizure Triggers?

A trigger refers to a particular factor outside or inside your Schnauzer’s body that causes a seizure episode to occur.

Many different reasons can potentially trigger seizures, including the environment, foods, medications, things around your home, and stress.

It can be difficult to identify the trigger, but for something to qualify as a potential trigger, it should happen within 30 hours prior to your Schnauzer’s seizure.

The following are the most common seizure triggers in Schnauzers.

Environmental Triggers

Your Schnauzer’s environment can play a significant role in the occurrence of a seizure, and there are many things outdoors that can trigger seizure episodes. Some of these triggers include lawn fertilizers and treatments, as well as herbicides and insecticides often used around the lawn. Other things like cedar shavings, poisonous flowers, and toxic plants can also be harmful to your Schnauzer, which can eventually cause a seizure. Read my article These Household Products and Plants Will Kill Your Schnauzer for a critical list of dangerous items.

Household Triggers

Just like human beings, Schnauzers are both emotionally and physically sensitive creatures. Things such as photosensitivity reactions such as lightning and camera flashes can trigger seizure episodes in your Schnauzer just like it can in human beings. Other household items that might potentially trigger a seizure in your Schnauzer include perfumes, loud music, scented candles, cleaning products, paint perfumes, and cigarette smoke, among others.

Food

The trigger of your Schnauzer’s seizures may also boil down to something in his everyday diet. What your Schnauzer eats can be a potential cause of a seizure episode.

For example, having a diet that’s too high in sodium might cause salt toxicity that can cause pancreatitis and seizures. Food allergies brought about by low-quality processed pet foods can lead to seizure episodes as well. Other food items that can trigger seizures include some fruits and vegetables, some dairy products, spices, walnuts as well as uncooked turkey or pork. Be sure to check out my article Which Foods Should My Schnauzer NEVER Eat? for important, life-saving details.

Medications

Some of your Schnauzer’s medications can also sometimes trigger seizures.

These medications include heartworm medications, vaccinations, tick and flea preventative medications, and other prescription medications. If you notice that your Schnauzer experienced a seizure shortly after starting a new medication, then you should make a note of that when you see your vet.

In addition, be sure you do not give your Schnauzer human medications. Commonplace items such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen are poisonous to dogs.

Stress

Various factors can cause your Schnauzer emotional and physical stress or anxiety. One of the main physical stress factors that can lead to seizures is fatigue. Like human beings, Schnauzers often experience seizures at night or in the morning when their bodies are transitioning from their sleep/wake cycle.

Other stress factors that can lead to seizure episodes include irregular eating schedules, separation anxiety, sudden changes in their daily routine, prolonged sessions of excitement, and extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms.

Diseases or Ailments

A seizure can also occur when a certain disease changes the electrophysiology of your Schnauzer’s brain or his metabolism.

The most common diseases that cause seizures in Schnauzers include:

• Low blood sugar levels or Hypoglycemia
• Liver disease
• Poisons such as organophosphates, caffeine, strychnine, chocolate, and many others
• Toxoplasma (infection due to a protozoan parasite possible in all warm-blooded animals including humans and dogs)
• Hyperthermia (heat exhaustion or elevated body temperatures)
• Hypocalcemia (low calcium levels in the blood)
• Hypothyroidism (a thyroid gland disease that causes relatively low production of thyroid hormone)

Aging

In younger Schnauzers, seizures are generally cause by an inherited form of epilepsy. However, in seniors, that’s not the case.

Senior Schnauzers can become susceptible to seizures as their body ages simply due to complications from disease.

For example, if he has liver disease or is actually experiencing liver failure, one of the associated complications could be seizures. Because the signs of liver disease should be apparent long before a seizure occurs, be alert to reduced appetite, abdominal swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation. Also look for dark orange urine and a yellow coloring to the skin, gums and mucus membranes.

Your aging Schnauzer could also have a brain tumor, other type of cancer, or a build-up of toxins. Stay alert for symptoms such as weakness, poor coordination, personality changes and lethargy.

Even though your Schnauzer’s aging body will naturally bring some new challenges, staying alert to worrisome symptoms and taking early, proactive steps to offer treatment will help you to avoid the potential for seizures.

Can You Prevent Your Schnauzer from Having a Seizure?

If your Schnauzer is prone to a seizure disorder, it may be very difficult to consistently prevent him from experiencing a seizure. That can leave you feeling quite helpless.

However, there are some things you can do to empower yourself, take good care of your Schnauzer, and minimize (or at least, understand) his risk of seizure episodes.

Here are some options:

• Contact the breeder from whom you purchased your Schnauzer. A reputable breeder will always supply you with a pedigree and documentation regarding your Schnauzer’s parents. See if you can determine whether or not seizures are a known occurrence within your Schnauzer’s lineage. If so, spaying or neutering will be the best option so that the inherited train is not continued.
• Keep up with good veterinary care, annual exams, and basic health maintenance.
• Stay current on vaccinations. If a seizure episode occurs within 30 hours of a vaccination, contact your veterinarian.
• Unless your Schnauzer’s episodes seem associated with these types of medications, keep up with heartworms, flea, and tick treatments. These troublesome critters, along with other parasites, can cause serious issues with your Schnauzer’s health. These parasites usually carry diseases that can make your Schnauzer very ill. Some diseases carried by ticks like Lyme disease are also specifically known to trigger seizures.
• Ensure that you are feeding your Schnauzer a high-quality and nutritional diet. Generally, the health of your Schnauzer will significantly depend on the diet you give it. A healthy Schnauzer with a strong immune system has a low probability of experiencing seizures or any other ailments.
• Keep a detailed record or journal of seizure episodes and document as comprehensively as possible the previous 30 hours. What did your Schnauzer ingest? Did he gain access to a toxic or poisonous substance or plant? Was there a highly stressful event? This type of detailed log will arm you and your veterinarian with information.

What are the Pre-Seizure Symptoms?

The duration of time leading to a seizure episode is known as the aura or the pre-ictal phase.

Your Schnauzer might actively seek you or appear nervous because he can sense that something is about to happen.

Additional signs may include:

• Dilated pupils
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Shaking
• Salivating
• Whining

These symptoms might last for a couple of seconds, or even go on for several hours, and your Schnauzer might appear completely normal in between the episodes.

What are the Post-Seizure Symptoms?

The duration of time after a seizure episode is known as the post-ictal stage.

Your Schnauzer may typically exhibit:

• Disorientation
• Salivation
• Confusion
• Pacing
• Restlessness
• Temporary blindness

For the benefit of your veterinarian, you should note the duration of the seizure, the time, and your Schnauzer’s activities before the episode, as well as his post-seizure symptoms. This can be difficult to remember during what seems to be a crisis, but do your best. The information will become valuable if your Schnauzer continues to have seizures.

What to Do During the Seizure

Seizure episodes, particularly first-time episodes, can be incredibly jarring. They will appear to last for a very long time and you may be in some amount of shock and feel very unprepared.

In reality, seizures generally only last for a couple of minutes, and there is only so much you can do to help. You cannot stop a seizure once it has begun, and the best you can do is to stay with your Schnauzer and keep her (and yourself) safe and calm.

You should follow the steps outlined below to help keep you and your Schnauzer safe until the seizure is over:

1. Stay calm. It might be difficult to remain calm, but the health of your Schnauzer depends a great deal on your ability to focus.
2. Protect your Schnauzer. To prevent your Schnauzer from hurting herself during a seizure, you should keep her away from sharp objects, stairs, and water. You can cushion her head, and gently comfort and hold her until she starts regaining consciousness.
3. Stay safe from biting. Schnauzers do not swallow their tongues during seizures. Therefore, avoid grabbing her tongue because you can get bitten.
4. Keep her cool. Seizures that last for more than two to three minutes can put your Schnauzer at risk of overheating or hyperthermia. You can cool her by applying wet towels or some cold water around her neck, paws, groin, and head.
5. Note the time and length. You should know the time when your Schnauzer’s seizure begun and how long the episode lasted to give your veterinarian crucial information.
6. Observe and record the seizure episode. Notice how your Schnauzer moves and behaves during the seizure. Does she urinate or defecate? Is there foaming or chomping? Observe and record as much as you can.

What to Do After the Seizure

The duration after a seizure episode is known as the post-ictal stage. It can last from a few minutes to several hours.

At this point, your Schnauzer may be disoriented and lethargic, with unusual behavior like walking into walls, stumbling, overdrinking water from the water bowl.

Here is what you should do after a seizure episode:

1. Encourage your Schnauzer to lie still. If your Schnauzer lies still, you can try comforting them with petting and soothing words. If he is still anxious, he might not agree to lay still. Avoid holding him down because that can create even more stress.
2. Protect your Schnauzer. If your Schnauzer decides to move around, be sure to keep her safe. You can block access to any stairs and water like ponds, lakes, and swimming pools to prevent your unsteady Schnauzer from falling down the stairs.
3. Monitor your Schnauzer. For the next couple of hours, monitor for other abnormalities like additional seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or stumbling.
4. Begin a seizure journal. You should start documenting the seizure episodes, including the length of the seizure and the time of day it occurs. That will eventually assist your vet in determining if seizure medications can be recommended, or if other treatments are necessary.
5. Seek medical attention. Take your Schnauzer to your veterinarian or veterinary hospital.

What Can You and Your Veterinarian Do To Treat and Manage Seizures?

An initial diagnostic examination might help find the underlying cause of seizures.

For some Schnauzers, lifelong medication is necessary to assist in managing seizures with periodic blood tests required to monitor the efficacy and side effects.

To diagnose and manage seizures, your veterinarian may perform the following tests on your Schnauzer:

• A blood cell count. This test will look at both the white and red blood cells in the blood to know whether your Schnauzer is anemic, whether or not he is dehydrated, and any chances of infections.
• A complete blood chemistry profile. This test includes tests for kidney function, bilirubin levels, liver enzymes, protein levels, and blood glucose levels.
• A urinalysis. A urine analysis assists in determining whether your Schnauzer’s kidneys can concentrate urine and effectively conserve water in the body.

Depending on the results from the diagnostic process listed above, and the history and severity of your Schnauzer’s seizures, your vet may also undertake more tests.

In some cases, your Schnauzer might undergo a surgical procedure to help manage the situation. For instance, surgical operation can give relief to brachycephalic Schnauzers.

Your veterinarian can recommend medications that can treat seizures in Schnauzers depending on the underlying causes.

The treatment plan for your Schnauzer’s seizures may include steps that:

• Include medications to prevent any uncontrolled brain activity
• Provide your Schnauzer with a stable environment
• Strengthen the liver
• Strengthen the brain
• Avoid toxins
• Offer surgical relief to the brachycephalic Schnauzers
• Include alternative therapies

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Watching any living thing, including your Schnauzer, have a seizure can be extremely difficult and even traumatic.

In some cases, the best we can do is to work with our veterinarian to provide management options and possibly life-long medication. In other situations, embarking on the challenge of isolating and avoiding triggers will be necessary.

For Schnauzer puppies, determining whether or not she has an inherited form of seizure disorder will be essential.

For senior Schnauzers, keeping her healthy and staying alert for early signs of diseases before they progress to the point of seizures is also essential.

Seizures are relatively rare, but being prepared with this information will supply you with practical tips and maybe some peace of mind.

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