# Seizures due to toxins in 5 week old puppy??



## icordova (Nov 28, 2014)

Hello,

We have a litter of Great Dane puppies who turned 5 weeks old on 11/24. Just before midnight heading into 11/25, we fed the puppies. About 15 minutes later as we were going to sleep, we noticed one of the male puppies was whining. As we got up we noticed that the puppy was whining and pacing back and forth. We also noticed that his rear end was slightly protruding. We thought it was constipation at first but then we started to notice some foaming and salivation coming from his mouth. We then decided to take him to the Emergency Vet. Unfortunately the closest Emergency Vet is an hour away. During the ride we noticed on 2 occasions twitching in the mouth with salivation and bowel movements. As this point we are thinking seizures. 

We arrived at the Vet and unfortunately they were no help. They just advised us for the puppy to stay with them for “monitoring” but had to pick him up at 7:45AM which by the time was all said and done was just two more hours. They also advised blood work but we both felt the doctor along with her student was shooting from the hip and we have been burnt from this method and had to put two of our dogs in the past to sleep without any answers. Plus we figured being 5 weeks old and in an unfamiliar place who not help the situation. 

We then took him home and waited until our Vet opened. We took him in and they ended up doing blood work which some had to be shipped out. Our vet was thinking that he has a liver shunt and that is what he was being tested for. In the meantime, the Vet prescribed Lactulose to be given 5ml three times a day until we heard back on the results of the blood work. He did experience a couple of episodes while at the Vet but then experienced his last one of the day at 6PM on 11/25. This was the worst and actually resulted in convulsions. He was given a shot of Diazepam while at the vet. 

Since being on the medication, he was perfectly fine up until 8AM on 11/28. In which he had an episode. He then had another episode later in the same day. He was eating well, drinking water, he was using the bathroom (both pee and poop), and of course playing. You could not tell there was anything wrong with him and basically thought that we would receive good news. 

The blood work all came back normal. The following tests were performed. This is what is on our receipt.
•	Blood Gas Single Parameter
•	General Health Profile/CBC/Lytes
•	X-Ray
•	Ammonia
•	Bile Acid

The Vet called us and stated all of the blood work came back normal and there was nothing else that they could do. They recommended that we go to a specialist or euthanasia. It is very upsetting that once again I am spending money without a result or even doing tests to potentially find other causes. Right now we are approximately $600 in with no answer. 

Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions? Right now we are thinking toxins cause the seizures but if that is the case what would be the causes for toxins if 11 other puppies are doing ok?

We are going to pick up the paperwork of the blood work to get a second opinion in case anyone has any questions. 

I feel this guy deserves a chance but is not getting it and want to make sure we explore all options before any decisions are made. 

Other items of note.
•	The puppies have not been outside
•	They are enclosed within a 13’x7.5’ kennel run in one of our rooms 
•	They are eating Pedigree softened by water and mixed in with wet puppy food. 
•	They had their first rounds of worming (Nemex)


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## aero4ever (Jan 18, 2007)

Unfortunately I don't have any answers or good suggestions for you, just want to say I'm sorry that you're going through this. One of my dogs has had grand mal seizures for 4 1/2 years and I've lost track of how much money I've spent on tests, he even had an MRI to rule out brain tumor. He was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy which is just a fancy way of saying "we don't know". I've had to come to terms by just accepting that sometimes the brain just short circuits for whatever reason. Sometimes there aren't any answers and I think that makes it really hard because we want to know what the monster we're facing is. 

Five weeks sure does seem awfully young though. Seizures can be caused by all sorts of things, including something the mother is eating (not necessarily something toxic) and passing through her milk, assuming the puppy is still nursing. I've heard that some dogs are prone to seizures from rosemary or grains. 

I hope you're able to find the answers you're looking for.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Stop feeding them Pedigree, it's crap food. It has BHT /BHA as a preservative and food colouring. Either ingredient could cause seizures in a puppy prone to seizures. Besides that, Great Danes are dogs that have to be fed very carefully while growing, what sort of experience/mentoring/education do you have in breeding?


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