sleep walking bulldog or seizure???

[kazzy220]

I've already messaged @Libra926 on this as we all know of her experience with Vegas and his epilepsy. But I also wanted to post this as a new thread in case anybody else has had experience of this.

Due to a lot of problems with Maggie since we got her, we have only recently had her spayed. This was about 6 weeks ago.

When we brought her home from the vets she was still very spaced out from the pain meds and we had to give them to her for the next 36 hours. Maggie would walk around the room sniffing with a dazed look on her face as if she was looking for something. It was very strange, and we couldn't seem to distract her. During the day she would sleep on the couch which we expected after her surgery, but during the evening and at night she seemed to just want to constantly pace and sniff. This went on for the full 36 hours after the surgery, so we put it down to a reaction to the medication and the fact that she was in pain. She hasn't shown any sign of this since the operation until now.

On Friday night at 3am it all started again. She sleeps on our bed and we were woken up by her pacing in a circle on the bed constantly sniffing the blanket, then looking over the edge of the bed and sniffing. When we put her on the floor she still just walked around sniffing and walking in circles with this spaced out look on her face. She was fairly unresponsive to us. We didn't want to interrupt her too much as we did consider if she was sleep walking. Finally we carried her outside and out into the backyard where she did pee, but when she came back inside the pacing in circles and this CONSTANT sniffing the ground continued for about 3 hours.

All of yesterday she was fine - absolutely no sign of anything wrong at all, until about 1am this morning when it all started again. This time once we'd put her outside to see if she needed to pee, we took her upstairs and covered her up in her favorite red fluffy blanket which stopped the circling and sniffing and she went straight to sleep.

We did notice that when we got up this morning that she now doesn't want to walk down the stairs and we have had to start carrying her down.

So is Maggie sleep-walking, or is it a sign of something else.

Another thought is that this could be her way of dealing with pain. The pain of the surgery would explain the pacing for the 36 hours after it. Right now the weather and temperature in north-east ohio has plummeted and it is very cold at night. My husband sleeps with the window open so our bedroom does get very cold. Maggie broke her right elbow when she was only a few months ago, so we are fully expecting arthritus to start in that leg and the vet even told us it was to be expected. So could the cold weather be making her leg and the elbow joint hurt?? So the pacing could be again her way of dealing with this new pain???

[Libra926]

First off, before I forget...keep a camera with video, charged and handy at all times. This goes for everybody. It helps when talking to your vet or a specialist for them to see what is really going on vs you trying to explain it to them, so if you can...get it on video for documentation. With that being said, here are two of Vegas's "circle turning" videos. He started doing this right before a seizure about 8 months ago, then he stopped. It is a sign of increased brain activity...and so is what they call "fly chasing". Vegas will also sometimes sniff the ground right before a seizure.
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r...t=MVI_1096.mp4
http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r...t=MVI_1182.mp4
In these two videos, a very small seizure followed. I tiny bit of facial twitching. I would definately get it on video and consult your dr. He may suggest seeing a neurologist and they might want to do an MRI to rule out any brain lesions...I'm hoping it is just a reaction to the pain meds...but I've never heard of that happening. Usually 36 hours after surgery all is fine. The bulldog breed has such a high tolerance to pain...they are usually almost unstoppable by now. Atleast Orion was...but I'm thinking she's not normal. I'm going to google this and see if I can find out anything else....
@kazzy220

[kazzy220]

Thanks for replying so quickly!! After watching the videos of Vegas it does look very similar to what Maggie is doing. Although she never seems to go into any type of seizure. Right now it is just the pacing.

We are charging the battery on our camera today, and if it happens again tonight we will be ready to film it.

Does Vegas have a certain time of day when it seems to happen?? The only reason I ask is because for Maggie it is night time, and we are wondering if epilepsy is triggered by certain things. In this case, maybe it's when Maggie goes into deep sleep.

[Libra926]

yes. Almost always at night, during sleepy time. For awhile it was always seeming to be 3am. Just recently (within the last 3 months) he's had 2 during the day. His patterns seem to change as he gets older.

[cali~jenn]

Oh my gosh I hope it turns out to be nothing serious. I have never seen that in my boys but I do like the idea of the video camera so that you have something to show the dr.

[gatorfan85]

God be with you guysand your bullies. I hope everything turns out ok.

[TessaAndSamson]

Poor Maggie, I hope its not serious! So sorry you are going thru this right now

[kazzy220]

Poor Maggie, I hope its not serious! So sorry you are going thru this right now

I just want to say thank you to @Libra926 for being brave enough to put all those videos of Vegas going through his seizures on this site and also on youtube. If it wasn't for those videos I'm not sure we would have been as aware of the signs as we are. It also helps to see something that we may now have to face in our home, and how somebody else copes with it.

We are still hoping that nothing will come of it ..............

[Libra926]

@kazzy220
Thankyou. That is why I did it. When I searched youtube for video of bulldog epilepsy..I was shocked when the number 1 video to come up was a puppy having a dream and the owner asking "is this a seizure?"
The comments that people would post with people asking for advice were horrible. People can be so mean. I was adament that I didn't want any nasty comments...so far? Not a single one. Mostly people thanking me. Thats what I want. Just to educate not exploit. It's no fun to hear that people are sad and crying when watching his videos. It makes me sad. He is a normal...happy bulldog. His epilepsy is just a small part of his whole self. Yes, it seems as if all his bulldog problems are stemmed from his epilepsy..but take away his epilepsy and he is almost perfect!
Thankyou for your kind words.

[KMARINO]

@Libra926 He is PERFECT just the way he is epilepsy and all !!!!!, and obviously it was fate that made you his mommy!! Although I did comment that it did make me cry, I do feel bad for him, but obviously it does not bother him or slow him down!, I have watched enough of your video's (I spent over an hour on Sat. watching u-tube, and rolling laughing, (this time without food or drink, so I did not spit water everywhere). He is a VERY happy boy that has sooo much character, but more than that I was grateful that he was yours and can get the proper care/LOVE he deserves and needs.

[izstigspunks]

@Libra926 - thank you for posting the videos. As what @KMARINO said and everybody here would say, Vegas is absolutely perfect . He's happy, you're happy, and that's all there is to it!

@kazzy220 - I'm hoping for the best. You're a great bully mom!

[kazzy220]

UPDATE

Well after Saturday night nothing has happened. We had the camera all ready but although she paced a little bit she was also playing with my daughter on the bedroom floor at the same time - so not something we could really show to a vet!

So right now we are waiting to see if it happens again - with the video camera ready - the vet wants to see her actually doing it. At the same time we are keeping notes of anything that is done differently. The only difference in the day on the Friday which is when this started, is that she was mistakenly fed twice in an hour because I fed her, and then my son fed her. However, I'm not sure that being a piggy of a bulldog would cause the pacing!!