How to identify a dog seizure: duration, responsiveness, and position?

Question

Last night i thought my dog had a seizure (it was dark, and when i looked it seemed like he was shaking). Thankfully he was just itching his back (like in the pic but lying down). I have some questions abt seizures: how long do they last? This lasted about 5 seconds and he stopped when i called him, that wouldnt happen with a seizure right? What position do dogs fall when having an episode? On their sides right? Feel free to tell me more about seizures if i missed an important question please! Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 20 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, thank you for your question about Alex. Seizures can have a variety of presentations but most commonly dogs experience generalized shaking/tremoring and they usually fall onto their sides. They are non-responsive to stimuli (calling their name) during this event. Seizures can last for any period of time generally 30 seconds to a few minutes. There are other more focused types of seizures where small areas of the dog's face/body will twitch and they may remain conscious during these events, but these are less common then the generalized seizures. I hope this answers all your questions!

How to identify a dog seizure: duration, responsiveness, and position?

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