Dog shaking- seizures?

Anita Blow

Hi everyone. I have a 13 year old Westie (Although you'd swear he was about 4). Recently he's been having these shaking fits where he's otherwise fairly normal but shivers quite bad and the last time it happened he had very weird breathing. It sounded like he was choking, but he wasn't.

Just tonight however he was lying beside me and had a really weird episode. He was sleeping and suddenly had about 20 seconds of massive rhythmic contraction. It was like really quick squirming. I shook him really hard but no reaction (normally he'd dart up if I even shook him a little) even after calling his name loudly. When it finished, he lay there and is reactive now but very subdued.

I know this isn't the place for medical advice but any advice if anybody has had something similar would be great. I plan to take him to the vet just in case. Really worried

Aeternum

Anita Blow wrote: »

Hi everyone. I have a 13 year old Westie (Although you'd swear he was about 4). Recently he's been having these shaking fits where he's otherwise fairly normal but shivers quite bad and the last time it happened he had very weird breathing. It sounded like he was choking, but he wasn't.

Just tonight however he was lying beside me and had a really weird episode. He was sleeping and suddenly had about 20 seconds of massive rhythmic contraction. It was like really quick squirming. I shook him really hard but no reaction (normally he'd dart up if I even shook him a little) even after calling his name loudly. When it finished, he lay there and is reactive now but very subdued.

I know this isn't the place for medical advice but any advice if anybody has had something similar would be great. I plan to take him to the vet just in case. Really worried

Sounds like a fit similar to the ones our Pyrenean mountain dog cross gets. Vet reckoned it was epilepsy and now we have tablets to give him in case we see one starting but it seemed to be a phase for a few months and then they stopped. We were told not to try wake them when they are having one during their sleep under any circumstances as it can make it a lot worse. Definitely bring your little one to the vet though.

DBB

Westies are renowned for lung problems as they get older, a condition so endemic in the breed, it's called Westie Lung. So as your Westie has been coughing, and because the condition puts serious pressure on the heart, he needs to see your vet asap... But you know that already!
They are also a bit prone to collapsing trachea, which really doesn't help the lung condition, but my experience of collapsing trachea is that it usually causes fainting and twitching when the dog has just done something active really suddenly, rather than when they're resting.
And it could also be neurological, like epilepsy or the like.
So yes, a trip to the vet is on here, be prepared for a range of tests, including bloods, chest x-rays, and ultrasound scans.
Good luck!

Anita Blow

Thanks for your help both of you.

Both sound exactly like whats happening to my dog!