Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Causes of seizures in 96 dogs from toxins and metabolism problems
By Brauer, Christina et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2011·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Metabolic and toxic causes of canine seizure disorders: A retrospective study of 96 cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with seizures was examined to find out if their episodes were caused by poisoning or metabolic issues. Out of 877 dogs studied, 96 had seizures linked to factors like poisoning, low blood sugar, or electrolyte imbalances. The most common causes were poisonings and low blood sugar, with some dogs also suffering from low calcium levels. This highlights the importance of thorough testing when a dog has seizures, as identifying the cause can lead to effective treatment and better outcomes.
People also search for: dog seizure causes · low blood sugar in dogs · dog poisoning symptoms · electrolyte imbalance in dogs · treatment for dog seizures
Abstract
A wide variety of intoxications and abnormal metabolic conditions can lead to reactive seizures in dogs. Patient records of dogs suffering from seizure disorders (n=877) were reviewed, and 96 cases were associated with an underlying metabolic or toxic aetiology. These included intoxications by various agents, hypoglycaemia, electrolyte disorders, hepatic encephalopathy, hypothyroidism, uraemic encephalopathy, hypoxia and hyperglycaemia. The incidence of the underlying diseases was determined. The most common causes of reactive seizures were intoxications (39%, 37 dogs) and hypoglycaemia (32%, 31 dogs). Hypocalcaemia was the most frequent electrolyte disorder causing reactive seizures (5%) and all five of these dogs had ionised calcium concentrations ≤0.69 mmol/L. Eleven per cent of dogs with seizures had metabolic or toxic disorders and this relatively high frequency emphasises the importance of a careful clinical work-up of cases presented with seizures in order to reach a correct diagnosis and select appropriate treatment options.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19939714/