Seizures in Dogs: What to Do, Causes and Treatment

What Does a Dog Seizure Look Like?

There are two main types:^1,2,5

• Generalized (grand mal) seizures: the dog falls over, loses consciousness, stiffens, and paddles or jerks its legs. It may drool, chomp its jaws, and pee or poop. Most last 1 to 2 minutes.^2,10
• Focal seizures: only part of the body is affected, such as twitching of one side of the face or one leg, repeated lip-licking or "fly-biting" (snapping at the air). The dog may stay conscious. A focal seizure can spread into a generalized one, and this is the most common pattern in dogs.^1,5,2

Milder seizures can look like a dazed expression, staring, or mild shaking.²

The Three Phases of a Seizure

• Before (prodrome): some dogs act restless, clingy, nervous or hide, from minutes to hours or even days beforehand.^1,2
• During (ictus): the seizure itself, usually seconds to a few minutes.^2,11
• After (post-ictal): confusion, pacing, restlessness, wobbliness, drooling, hunger or thirst, or temporary blindness. This can last minutes to hours, and occasionally longer.^2,5,1

What to Do When Your Dog Has a Seizure

• Stay calm and keep your hands away from your dog's mouth. Dogs can't swallow their tongues, and a seizing dog may bite without knowing it.^2,9,12
• Keep your dog safe: move furniture and objects away, keep your dog away from stairs and water, and keep other pets away.^5,12,9
• Time the seizure, from when it starts to when your dog is aware again.^9,5
• Take a video if you can do so safely. It helps your vet tell a seizure from fainting, a balance problem or another look-alike.^5,12
• Afterward, keep your dog somewhere quiet and safe until it recovers, and call your vet.^3,9

Seizures aren't thought to be painful, though your dog may be confused or frightened afterward.²

How to Stop a Dog Seizure

There's no safe home remedy that stops a seizure in progress. Most seizures stop on their own within a couple of minutes.^2,10 For dogs that have had long or clustered seizures, your vet can provide a rescue medicine to give at home:^4,5,13

• Midazolam sprayed into the nose: the at-home option rated most strongly in the 2024 ACVIM consensus statement for a seizure that won't stop.⁴ In an owner survey, 97% of owners who used it felt it worked, compared with 63% for rectal diazepam (owners' impressions, not a clinical trial).¹⁴
• Diazepam given rectally: a long-used at-home option.^13,4
• Levetiracetam "pulse" doses by mouth after a seizure, to help prevent a cluster.^4,5

Use these exactly as your vet directs. If a seizure doesn't stop after a rescue dose, or lasts more than 5 minutes, go to an emergency clinic.^4,2 Long or repeated seizures can raise body temperature dangerously.^2,5

What Causes Seizures in Dogs?

A seizure is a sign, not a disease in itself.⁹ Causes fall into three groups:^11,1

• Idiopathic epilepsy: repeated seizures with no other cause found, thought to be largely inherited. It's the most common cause, usually starting between 6 months and 6 years of age.^2,5,6
• Structural brain disease: brain tumors, inflammation or infection (such as distemper), head injury, stroke or malformations.^11,5,12
• Reactive seizures: a normal brain reacting to a problem elsewhere, such as low blood sugar, low calcium, liver disease (including a liver shunt), kidney failure, or a poison.^11,5

Age gives clues. Dogs under 1 year are more likely to have a birth defect, poisoning or infection, and dogs over 6 years at their first seizure are more likely to have a metabolic problem or a brain lesion such as a tumor.^5,9 See liver shunts in dogs, canine distemper and diabetes in dogs.

Poisons That Cause Seizures

A sudden seizure in a previously healthy dog can be caused by a toxin.⁸ Common ones include:^{8,15,16,17,18}

• Xylitol, a sweetener in sugar-free gum, candy, some peanut butters and human toothpaste, which causes a dangerous drop in blood sugar^15,19
• Chocolate and caffeine^16,8
• Slug and snail bait (metaldehyde) and some rat and mouse poisons (bromethalin)^17,18
• Human medicines, including ibuprofen, ADHD medicines, some antidepressants and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) overdoses⁸
• Antifreeze, mushrooms, sago palm, cannabis and homemade salt dough^8,5

Seizure Triggers

In dogs with epilepsy, seizures are often set off by something. The most common triggers are stress, lack of sleep, weather changes and hormonal changes.¹¹ Seizures also often happen during changes in brain activity, such as during excitement, feeding, falling asleep or waking.²

Which Breeds Get Epilepsy?

Any dog can have seizures, but idiopathic epilepsy is more common in purebred dogs.³ Breeds reported to have higher rates include Beagles, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Boxers, Cocker Spaniels, Collies, Dachshunds, German Shepherds, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, Irish Setters, Poodles, Saint Bernards, Shetland Sheepdogs and Siberian Huskies.^7,5,9

What Looks Like a Seizure but Isn't?

• Fainting (syncope): usually caused by a heart rhythm problem. Fainting is usually shorter (often 30 seconds or less), the dog goes limp rather than paddling, often after exercise or coughing, and it recovers quickly without a long confused phase.^10,9,5
• Balance (vestibular) problems: a head tilt, falling or rolling to one side, and flicking eye movements, without loss of consciousness.⁵
• Movement disorders: episodes of abnormal movement, such as exercise-induced episodes in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. These dogs can often be distracted out of an episode, which is less typical of a seizure.⁶

A video of the episode is one of the most useful things you can bring to your vet.^5,12

How Vets Diagnose the Cause

• History and exam: what happened before, during and after, possible poisons, and a neurological exam^2,6
• Blood and urine tests to look for low blood sugar, liver or kidney disease and other reactive causes; sometimes bile acids, thyroid tests or an ECG^6,11,2
• MRI and spinal fluid tests, especially for dogs whose seizures started before 6 months or after 6 years, dogs with an abnormal neurological exam, cluster seizures or status epilepticus, or dogs that don't respond to medication⁶

Idiopathic epilepsy is diagnosed by ruling out other causes.^7,6 Vets usually call it epilepsy after at least two unprovoked seizures more than 24 hours apart.^1,11

Dog Seizure Medication

A single seizure doesn't always need daily medication.⁵ Veterinary guidelines usually recommend starting treatment when a dog has:^20,2,11

• Two or more seizures within 6 months
• Status epilepticus or cluster seizures
• A brain lesion or past brain injury
• Severe or prolonged post-ictal signs

Common medicines:

• Phenobarbital: the most widely used and best-studied first choice. A phenobarbital tablet for dogs (Fidoquel-CA1) received FDA conditional approval in 2023. Common side effects are sleepiness and unsteadiness at first, and more thirst, hunger and urination. Your vet will check blood levels and liver health regularly.^20,21,22
• Potassium bromide: used alone or with phenobarbital (KBroVet-CA1 received FDA conditional approval in 2021). It takes weeks to months to reach full effect. Keep your dog's diet and treats consistent, because changes in salt intake change bromide levels.^20,23,24
• Levetiracetam (Keppra) and zonisamide: widely used, often added to other drugs. Imepitoin, a first choice in Europe, isn't available for epilepsy in the US.^25,7,20

Never stop seizure medicine suddenly or skip doses. This can trigger severe seizures.^22,7,21 Treatment is usually lifelong.^7,11 The goal is fewer, milder seizures with few side effects; seizure freedom isn't always possible.^20,2 About a fifth to a third of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy keep having seizures despite medication, even combinations of drugs.^11,5 Keep a seizure diary of the date, time, length and type of each seizure.⁷

Diet and Natural Remedies

A diet enriched with medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) reduced seizures in a trial of 21 dogs with epilepsy, and a veterinary diet containing MCTs is available. Ketogenic diets and omega-3 supplements haven't been shown to help.^20,26,5 The evidence isn't yet strong enough to replace medication, so change diets only with your vet's guidance.²⁶

We found no good evidence that honey or other home remedies prevent seizures in dogs. Ask your vet before trying CBD or any supplement. Don't give Benadryl (diphenhydramine) for seizures; an overdose can itself cause seizures.⁸ Never put anything in your dog's mouth during a seizure.²

Life Expectancy and Quality of Life

Many dogs with idiopathic epilepsy live close to a normal lifespan with medication.^7,27 In a Danish university hospital study, dogs with idiopathic epilepsy lived to a median age of 9.2 years, compared with 5.8 years for dogs with seizures caused by brain disease.²⁷ Poorly controlled seizures, cluster seizures and status epilepticus shorten survival.^27,28,11

In owner surveys, more frequent seizures and drug side effects such as heavy sleepiness and unsteadiness lowered dogs' quality of life, and their owners' too.²⁹

When to Consider Euthanasia

This is a personal decision to make with your vet. It may be time to talk about it when seizures can't be controlled despite treatment, clusters or status epilepticus keep happening, recovery between seizures is poor, or medication side effects leave your dog unable to enjoy life. A dog with a seizure-causing brain tumor or other progressive disease may also decline over time. In one Danish study, about half of the dogs with idiopathic epilepsy that died were euthanized for seizure-related reasons.^27,28

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop my dog's seizure immediately?

There's no safe home remedy. Keep your dog safe, keep your hands away from its mouth, and time the seizure. Most stop within a couple of minutes. If your vet has prescribed a rescue medicine such as intranasal midazolam, give it as directed. Go to an emergency vet if a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes.

Can a dog have a seizure and be OK?

Yes. A single short seizure is rarely dangerous, and many dogs are back to normal within minutes to hours. Your dog still needs a vet check to look for a cause.

What should I do after my dog has a seizure?

Keep your dog in a quiet, safe place, away from stairs and water, and let it recover. Offer water once it's fully alert. Write down how long the seizure lasted and what it looked like, and call your vet.

Why is my dog pacing after a seizure?

Pacing, confusion, restlessness and temporary blindness are normal in the recovery (post-ictal) phase, which can last minutes to hours. Call your vet if your dog isn't returning to normal within a few hours, and right away if it has another seizure.

What triggers seizures in dogs?

In dogs with epilepsy, common triggers are stress, lack of sleep, weather changes and hormonal changes. Poisons such as xylitol, chocolate and slug bait can trigger seizures in any dog.

Do seizures hurt dogs?

Seizures aren't thought to be painful, but dogs can be confused or frightened afterward.

Can I give my dog Benadryl for a seizure?

No. Benadryl doesn't treat seizures, and an overdose can cause them. Only give medicines your vet prescribes.

How long can a dog live with seizures?

Many dogs with idiopathic epilepsy live close to a normal lifespan with treatment. The outlook is more guarded when seizures are caused by brain disease or can't be controlled.