Dog Seizures Caused By Chemical Poisoning Symptoms

1. Dog drooling.

2. Muscle twitching and muscle spasms after a short amount of time.

3. Possible mild or grand mal seizures.

4. Symptoms will quickly worsen.

What Causes Dog Seizures Caused By Chemical Poisoning?

Like other causes of seizures, this illness is caused by abnormal brain behavior but in this case is brought on by the chemicals that the dog may have swallowed or eaten. The most common cause for this is slug or snail pellets, de-icer, or antifreeze which all contains the chemical metaldehyde.

After having consumed this chemical the dog may start twitching and have muscle spasms which can quickly develop into more serious grand mal seizures if a lot of the substance has been consumed.

Although most metaldehyde poisoned dogs will survive these temporary seizures it is essential that they get treatment soon after as it is possible for the dog to die from this poisoning.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

The treatment for this condition is to try and remove the poison from the dog's stomach to ensure the dog does not get any worse and can begin recovery. This is often made easier with hydrogen peroxide but advice from your vet first is recommended, if the first method does not work your vet will then have the option to pump the dog's stomach.

If however your dog is already in the stage of having grand mal seizures then this will first have to be treated using the methods on the grand mal seizure page and then treatment will carry on as above.

As said earlier this poisoning is in most cases not fatal but without treatment could become fatal depending on how much metaldehyde has been consumed. Always contact your vet if you are unsure.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Grand Mal Seizures
Dog Petit Mal Seizures
Dog Abnormal Brain Development
Dog Heart Problems Causing Seizures
Dog Kidney Problems Causing Seizures (renal encephalopathy)
Dog Liver Problems Causing Seizures (hepatic encephalopathy)
Dog Primary Epilepsy
Dog Seizures in Bitches Who Have Recently Given Birth (Eclampsia)
Dog Tumor (causing seizures)
Strokes in Older Dogs