Berman's scary episode

[Jenny G]

Saturday night I was laying on the couch with Berman and Lucy when Berman sat up and started heaving like he was going to vomit.  Nothing came out so I picked him up and sat him on the floor.  He laid over on his side and started shaking - kinda like convultions.  I wasn't sure if he was choking or what the deal was.  The last time he choked (on a dingo bone), he just got real still and whimpered.  My first reaction was to open his mouth and see if anything was blocking his airway - I couldn't find anything.  I held my hand next to his nose and felt him breathing.  My friend called the Animal ER and told them I was on my way.  By the time we got to the ER, Berman was fine.  He was running around and everything.  They checked his vitals and he checked out just fine. 

The people at the ER suggested I have my vet run some blood tests on him in case he was having a seizure.  I'm taking him in this afternoon for the blood work.  Has anyone else had any experiences with seizures?  I'm really anxious to find out if he did in fact have a seizure or if he was just choking.

[Dee Dee and Hallie]

It sounds like a seizure to me, how old is he? They don't usually lay on their sides and shake when choking. If it was a seizure, it can range from never having another one to you will see it again, but they are usually very manageable so try not to panic. I can imagine how scary that was for you! Will the blood test tell you for sure if it was a seizure? Let us know what the vet says.

[TerriL]

Poor Berman! 
My Toby has seizures, and as DeeDee said, they are very managable.  Toby's present as "Butterfly Catching" but if is a particularly bad one he will act as if he is choking.  His eyes also water.   I can generally tell if he is going to have an episode.  His face actually gets wrinkled (he looks frightened) and then he will pace around and get confused.   
If it continues you might want to consider talking to your vet about a good neurologist in your area. 
We had started Toby on meds for the seizures but they made him terribly sleepy and lethargic.  After a few weeks of Zombie-Dog we decided to try something else.  As Toby's incidents are mainly in the evening (interestingly enough they always start right around dusk), I keep a very close eye on him.  The minute he starts Butterfly Catching I give him a Childrens Benedryl.  He usually can get himself settled down after that.  I also hold him very close and just whisper soothing nothings to him while the medicine kicks in.  He has not had one in over a week and our vet thinks that we may be able to continue like this provided they do not get more frequent. 
It's really scarey....just hang in there and do what YOU think is best for your boy!  Good luck Jenny!

[Jenny G]

Whew!  It's nice to know others have had similar experiences - that's what I love about this board!

Dee Dee - Berman turned 3 in April so he's a little over 3 1/2. I've never seen him have anything like this before.   I'm not sure what the blood work will show.  Maybe it'll just show what it isn't rather than what it is.

Berman did look very scared during the episode.  It probably didn't help that I was screaming in the phone and freaking out.  I haven't figured out how to maintain calmness in these situations yet. 

He was fine the rest of the weekend - a little lethargic, but I think that's because I'm poking him all night to make sure he's still with me.  We're both on very little sleep.  Hopefully he can catch up today while his worry-wort mom is at work!

I'll keep everyone posted on what the doctor says.

[Barb]

That is so scary - sure glad he appears to be ok now.   I understand your freaking out - it is sure hard not too when you don't know what is happening.   Be sure to let us know what the vet says and give Berman an extra snuugle from all of us !

[Merion]

Seizures can be controlled with medications.  Zeke was on the phenobarbital from 2 - 15 1/2.  I never really saw any big difference in his energy or activities.  You do need to do blood tests so they know how much the drug levels are in his system because they tend to metabolize it differently from dog to dog and over a period of time the dose might need to be upped to keep them in the therapeutic range. 
One other thing - I know it is hard not to panic -  but keep calm and keep noises and voices low and quiet and don't have flashing or bright lights turning on around them because they can make the seizures last longer.  When Zeke had one  I just put my arm around him and kept telling him quietly that it was OK and mom had him and he would settle down and "go with the flow" which seemed to make the seizures end sooner.  Hang in there.  If he has seizures it will not be the end of the world and he can have a good life in spite of them.  There could also be some medical reason for them if he has gotten into something he wasn't supposed to or his body chemistry is out of whack for some reason.  We will be sending  mega prayers for you both.
Merion & the ZZ's