# Can stress cause Seizures?



## Rough_Collies2008 (Jan 4, 2008)

Monday night Angel had a pretty good seizure. It lasted what felt like 2 minutes. When she came out of it she looked dazed, and was trembling a bit. 

I rushed her to the vet that evening(the one who knows her entire history), and they didn't really offer much. Other then to keep an eye on her, and if she has another seizure to bring her back in(does that sound right?). She was acting like her normal self by this point.

Anyway, she acted completely fine the rest of the night. Her same spunky self as if nothing had happened, and she has not had another seizure *knock on wood*(which concerns me, because what if she has had another without me around...as she didn't seem to have any real 'after effects' so I wouldn't have known).

Sunday she had gone to the groomer with the other pups, which is usually stressful for her. 

Is it possible the all day venture and constant stress Sunday could have 'triggered' the seizure Monday?

I have never dealt with this, and at this point...my vet is no help.


----------



## Hallie (Nov 9, 2008)

I felt the same way with my old BC mix! There is really nothing the vets can do until Angel has consistant seizures like my vet wanted my dog to get to the point of having 1 or 2 seizures a month and that was pushing before he put him on medication. The medication Phenobarbital is what we used with my boy. Phenobarbital is hard on the liver with prolonged use though so the vets typically wait till the seizures get to the point where meds are needed. I'm sure there are other medications you can use I guess it depends on the situation and the vet. As long as she was okay afterwards and herself then she'll be okay . When you really need to worry is when they stay in a post seizure stupor too long (stumbling, drooling, swaying) because that shows the seizure was a much larger one that can ultimately effect brain function if they have too many. Eventually Spot's (my BC) seizures got pretty bad but that took awhile I mean he had his first one at 6 months and his last one (the worst) at 8 years. He got put on medication at around 4 or 5. If he had a seizure while we were gone we would usually know because things would be knocked down or he would have saliva around his mouth or when they started getting really bad he'd be shaky or still recovering when we got home. As long as it's a rare occurance and there aren't any after effects you're in the clear . I mean no seizure is bad but there's not much you can do until they get frequent. As for the stress thing my opinion is yes! Spot used to have one after thunder storms because they stressed the little guy out so bad. A few times our rival male at the time would get around and the situation would get very tense between him and spot and spot would get really agitated and want to come in and he would pace back and forth and then maybe later that night he'd have a seizure. I don't know if there are any studies on it but based on observations of my own dog's behavior I would say yes.


----------



## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

With everything that poor dog has been through I would say, yes it could have been the stress.

I am happy to see you here, we have not seen you in a while!!


Look what we have now!!


----------



## Rough_Collies2008 (Jan 4, 2008)

Hallie, Thank you for all the information! Your post made me feel a bit better...that I am not 'missing' something in her care. I hope she doesn't have one again anytime soon. Thankfully, she seemed to have recovered from this one just fine.

Kacaju, I know...poor Angel. I am starting to think I should just take up permanent residence at the vet. 

GORGEOUS!!!! I am in love with her! What a stunning dog. When did you get her?! Just so you know...I have completely fallen heads over heels for smooths now because of your dogs. 

I know I have been MIA a lot recently....I have been rather busy lately! Just that time of year!


----------



## kartor83 (Jul 14, 2009)

I would say yes! I work at a boarding kennel and we had a dog staying with us for about a week. She had never had a seizure in her life and within a week of boarding she had several. Full out grand mall. On weekends the kennel is full with dogs and very loud. During the week we are slow and not as noisy. She only had seizures on the weekends! We also had an old schnauzer that only seemed to have seizures when it came in to groom(only in its older age). Not trying to freak you out but just giving you some examples. There is a chance she will only have seizures a couple times a year (if that).


----------



## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

she is from Jett's breeder. her name is Eve. She is actually on loan to us for the summer/fall so my daughter can train her and show her for the breeder.


----------



## heidiann (Feb 3, 2008)

Stress can be a trigger, yes...definitely! 

And for your vet to do nothing but to say just watch her and come back if she has another is completely normal. A lot of dogs will have a seizure and it will be the only one they ever have. 

You did everything right! Hopefully this was an isolated incident and she doesn't have anymore.


----------



## Casie (Apr 9, 2013)

I've had my dog Tito for about a month now, the owners before us, had him for 6 years, they said he had been having seizers for a while & would have at least one a week, & since he has been with us, he hasn't had one at all, the owners before us, did a lot of street drugs & I personally think that's what caused titos seizers, I obviously don't do any street drugs & don't allow him to even be around cigarette smoke, they also hit him often & today when he got sick in the house, he ran to a different room & hide from me, & when I found him, he was yelping & acted like I was gonna hit him, & when I didn't, he seemed happier then ever, am I just crazy or does it make since that his environment caused his seizers?


----------



## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

As a human with a history of seizures, what your vet did is what human doctors do. The drugs can be really hard on your system and are best avoided if possible.
As for stress induced seizures, only if you are already susceptible to seizures. A perfectly healthy being won't have seizures from stress alone. You can still work through it, teach the dog to stay calm during stressful times and it'll help reduce the seizures.
I learned meditation before college to prove a doctor wrong (I wasn't supposed to be able to handle the stress) .


----------



## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

kacaju said:


> With everything that poor dog has been through I would say, yes it could have been the stress.
> 
> 
> Look what we have now!!


Just wanted to say your dog is beautiful (hey and I am glad to see that smooth collies do have a bit of a coat on them, there is another OP considerign one for a homestead in Maine)....
Also that yes, I do think stress can trigger seizures, I have seen this with humans anyway....


----------

