Dog Seizure and Urination Problems

by Megan Fisher
(Whitehaven, UK)

Reader Question:My canine has urination problems and is experiencing seizures

My Jack Russell is currently 17 years old, female, never had pups, and compared to others, vets say she is healthy for her age. However I took her to the vet for two problems: her peeing in the house, without knowing, and her having fits. The vet gave me a course of tables for her to take for the peeing. The tables will tighten her bladder; these had no affect and after months we stopped giving her them. We know don’t worry about her peeing as it is just a sign of old age.

Fits:

Her blood was taken for her fits, but tests came back all clear and I was told, Pebbles, for her age was a healthy happy dog.

However the fits I was talking about mostly happen when she is excited: when we come home and/or after she has had a walk. I notice now they’re becoming more regular.

When she has a fit - her back end falls, her head tips back, she falls over rolls around for a bit (the matter of about 10seconds) and she jumps up and she is fine again and runs around like a puppy.

Diet:

Pebbles is constantly hungry, always eating however losing weight. And she snatches food off you.

New concern:

A teat has a very hard stone in it about the size of a golf ball, I can touch and move it without hurting her she lets me squeeze it and instead of milk clear fluid comes out. It’s not attached to anything inside the body. Pebbles will nibble at this and drink the fluid that comes out. It seems to be getting bigger over time

- Megan

Vet suggestions for solving dog urination problems and dog seizures

Hi Megan,

It sounds like Pebbles might be having seizures. If they are coming frequently enough and are severe enough to be dangerous, your veterinarian can prescribe medications (e.g., Phenobarbital and/or potassium bromide) to help control them (and of course confirm that this is truly what is going on).

That said I am most concerned about the mass that you have found in one of her mammary glands. Dogs can get breast cancer, particularly if they are not spayed before their first cycle or two. I am also worried about the fact that she is losing weight and is always hungry. This could be a sign of a number of potentially serious diseases.

Your best resource at this point is the veterinarian who knows her complete history and has seen her in the past. He or she can compare the finding of a physical exam to what she has looked like previously and recommend the best way to proceed.

Balancing the costs and potential benefits of diagnostic tests and treatment is always difficult in an older dog with multiple problems, but a recheck with your veterinarian is certainly worth the time and trouble.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM