The Tails of Truth Podcast:

Senior Dog Had One Seizure? Here's What to Do

Your senior dog just had a seizure. Here's what this episode actually covers:

  • What qualifies a dog as "senior" for seizure risk (roughly 9+, or 7+ for giant breeds)
  • What a seizure looks like, and how post-ictal confusion separates it from fainting
  • What ER bloodwork realistically finds after a first seizure, and what it doesn't
  • Why a brain tumor becomes the top concern in senior dogs, and why it isn't automatic
  • Phenobarbital versus Keppra, and why Dr. Angie disagrees with medicating after a single seizure
  • The real tradeoffs of starting steroids preemptively
  • When cluster seizures change the decision to treat
  • CBD, Chinese herbs, and where they fit into ongoing management
  • What to do, and what not to do, if a seizure happens at home

Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo talk through the full decision tree pet parents and veterinary professionals both wrestle with after a senior dog's first seizure, including the parts of standard ER protocol Dr. Angie thinks deserve more scrutiny.

Key Takeaways

  • One seizure in a senior dog doesn't automatically mean medication.
  • "Senior" for this purpose is roughly 9+, or 7+ in giant breeds.
  • Post-ictal confusion is what helps identify a seizure, not fainting.
  • First-seizure bloodwork rarely finds the cause — it mostly rules out things like severe hypothyroidism or electrolyte problems.
  • The real concern in seniors is a brain tumor, but many dogs never seize again after one episode.
  • Waiting for a second seizure gives useful information about timing and progression without meaningful added risk.
  • Anti-convulsants become the right call once seizures recur, especially if they cluster (more than one in 24 hours).
  • Steroids and anti-convulsants started reflexively at the ER can bring real side effects and complicate long-term management.
  • At home: give space, don't touch the mouth, don't feed right away, protect from falls.
  • CBD and Chinese herbs are for ongoing management once there's a pattern, not a treatment for one seizure.
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Sound Bites

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  • "After twenty years of practice, when I watch an animal seize, it still alarms something inside me."  — Dr. Angie 

  • "It's one of my least favorite things to witness." — JoJo

  • "Seizures beget seizures." — Dr. Angie

  • "After one seizure, putting your dog on an anti-convulsant, in my opinion, is incorrect." — Dr. Angie

  • "Everybody wants to just pull them close and hold them, and your dog's just not in their normal state of being." — JoJo

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