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Why did my dog suddenly struggle to walk and bob her head? Seizure?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 11 months old | 55 lbs

My dog is almost 4 and this morning she acted like she couldn't walk and was Bobbi g her head around. This lasted about a minute or two and then she was fine but was panting pretty hard.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on April 24th, 2017

Bonnie's abnormalities walking and head bobbing this morning sound as though they may have occurred due to a seizure. I'm glad that it only lasted 1-2 minutes, but seizures can have a "post-ictal" period afterwards where the animal can be a bit stressed for another few minutes to hours. Seizures can occur due to a number of reasons, including epilepsy for unknown reasons, toxin exposure, liver shunts (abnormal blood flow and toxin filtration) and brain tumors. For a first time possible seizure, there are generally no necessary treatments or diagnostics. However, closely monitor Bonnie for a recurrent episode. If one occurs, try to video record her actions so that her vet will be able to watch it. Also keep a log of any future episodes with the date, time, duration of possible seizure and any changes in behavior or lifestyle beforehand. If Bonnie ever has 2 or more seizures in a 24 hour period, or has a seizure that lasts for much longer than 5 minutes, she should go to an ER immediately, as this would indicate a "cluster" of seizures and require immediate medication.

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