My 12 1/2 year old lab/sharpei mix has started having seizures. She has had 4 in two days. I took her to my vet and they did blood work that came back negative for any issue. The vet thinks that the seizures could be caused by a tumor that is affecting her central nervous system. I don't want to put her through the process of an MRI -- she's already "freaked out" enough. Can you give me a second opinion? I'm really at a loss as to what to do. Thanks.
Experienced Advisor Deepa Gopinath says:
March 09th, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Hi there, sorry to hear about Gracie's seizures. Seizures are caused usually by either metabolic diseases that cause toxins to enter the brain or primary brain disease. Your vet did the blood test to rule out metabolic disease, so it looks like the problem has been narrowed down to primary brain disease. This can include trauma (you would know if this has ocurred), idiopathic epilepsy, infectious diseases and a tumour. I agree with your vet, unfortunately in an elderly dog with a sudden onset of seizuring, the most likely cause is a brain tumour, particularily if she is showing abnormal behaviour in between seizures. The only reliable method we have of looking at the brain is MRI, which requires a general anaesthetic. This shouldn't be a problem if her bloodwork is ok and if she is healthy otherwise, and if her age is taken into consideration during the anaesthetic. Many brian tumours are un-treatable but there are certain types which are operable or can be treated with chemotherapy. The MRI, maybe followed by a spinal tap is your best chance of getting an answer, but please do think about whether you would consider surgery/chemo as treatment. I'm sure your vet would be happy to have a detailed discussion about this. Please do let me know if you have further questions.
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