Morgan gave us quite a scare today...

[Joy Williams]

We were having a little family get-together today and had about 10 people over for a cook out. Our daughter and her 2 boys and their Boxer had come up to stay with us a couple of days to get away from Hurricane Earl since her husband was out of town and she didn't want to stay there alone. While I was in the kitchen cooking, I heard someone say What is wrong with Morgan? I turned around and she was laying on the floor. DH said she had been sitting beside him and started to get up to go into the den but her hind legs weren't working. She kind of stumbled in there, then fell down. She just lay there with her eyes open and was not responsive. She was breathing and seemed to have a regular heart beat, but it was almost like she was in a coma. Then she threw up while laying there ( I didn't even know they could throw up while laying down) After a few minutes, (and what seemed like an hour), she got up but was still a little unsteady on her feet. I tried to get her to jump on the sofa, but she had a problem getting up there. We sat there with her while getting the vet on the phone and she was drooling really badly and seemed so disoriented. When we got her up to take her to the vet, she was walking better, but still panting and drooling all over the place. By the time we got her into the office, she seemed fine!! Way to go Morgan, make a liar out of us! They did blood work and checked her over and the Dr. said her blood work was normal and she did not see anything wrong neurologically. By the time we left the vet's office, she acted as if there was nothing wrong.

 I was freaking out when we could not get any response out of her. Poor Maddie was having a fit seeing her sister there like that, and Maggie, our "grand-dog" who is usually so hyper and always wanting to play,came up, sniffed her, then backed away from her slowly and left the room.  So Strange!

Has anyone else ever had this happen? Any ideas what could have caused this?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Is it possible she had a seizure? The lying on the floor in a strange state, and the drooling sound like a possible post ictal (after seizure) state. What did the vet say?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The first thing I thought of while reading this was a seizure, too.

[Joy Williams]

I didn't actually see her try to get up, but DH said that it just looked like she stood up, then just sort of wobbled a few feet, then fell over. The vet said she could not say what caused this since everything seemed normal with her blood test, her eyes were normal when she checked them, and all other tests she did for any neurologial problems were normal. She watched her walk a little ways, and of course she was walking fine by the time we were there at the vet's. The only thing that she thought could have contributed to this was that she had not eaten anything since yesterday. Morgan is sort of a picky eater and will not eat if anyone else (other than us of course) is around. With our daughter's Boxer being there, who is wide open all the time, and always wants to eat their food, Morgan shows no interest in eating. I was thinking she was having a seizure too, and looking for any signs of her trembling or shaking, but she really didn't. She just laid there as still as could be, as if she was dead.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My poodle had a seizure that sounded exactly like what you're describing once; she was in the yard and then started to wobble and her head was tilted to one side. Then she went down and was glassy eyed, very similar to what you're describing. When I described it to the vet, he said it sounded like a seizure. The good news is that it didn't cause any lasting problems and it didn't happen again until she got really old. It was never an issue for her, and we never did learn what caused it.

[Joy Williams]

Thanks Karen, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the case with Morgan.

[Joy Williams]

Thanks Nancy! I'm glad she is feeling better now too. Just sleeping a lot.

[shelly]

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! This has really been a bad day for doodles. Did she hit her head on anything? Did she get a hold of sugarless gum, raisins, grapes, onions? I don't know much about dog seizures but it does sound like a petitie mal seizure.... that would have scared me too! Hope she is better tomorrow!

[HeatherA]

It definitely sounds like a seizure. Dogs are actually used to detect seizures. My friends Mom had one that would warn her before she was going to have one... they have a sense for something being wrong. Maybe Maggie knew something was wrong. I have see a dog seize and a human, it's very similar. Depending on the severity of the seizure they can look like they are spacing out, or they can shake.

http://www.dogsymptomscure.com/dog-seizures-symptoms.php

Interesting enough ticks can cause seizures according to that info. As can thyroid problems... and a litany of other things.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/overview.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/seizuresdogsca_rfmm.htm

I think I would talk to my vet and get answers.. if you described what you did -- what tests did they run? What did they say was the cause?

[Joy Williams]

Heather, thank you for these links. I have bookmarked them all to have on hand and also to know what to look for in case something like this happens againa.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I have no medical advice, but I'm really sorry you and Morgan had to go through this. Hopefully, it was a "fluke" and isn't going to happen again.

[Laura & Chewie]

The dog we had years ago went through a period of about a year where he had 5-6 seizures and, except for the throwing up, sounds very much like what you are describing. They never could find a reason and as suddenly as they had started, they stopped. Whatever Morgan had, I hope it's a one-time thing never to return again!

[shelly]

Hoping Morgan is back to her old self today and feeling fine!