What should I write in a dog seizure log, and when is a seizure an emergency?

A seizure is frightening to watch, and the minutes afterwards are a blur. A log turns that blur into something your vet can use: how often seizures happen, how long they last, and whether treatment is working. The international veterinary epilepsy consensus lists “the importance of maintaining a detailed seizure diary” among the things every owner of an epileptic pet should be told.

What to write down after every seizure

NC State’s epilepsy lab says to “record the date, time, seizure length and description.” The University of Illinois adds the behaviour before, during and after the episode. A complete entry has:

• Date and start time.
• How long it lasted. Look at a clock when it starts. Seconds feel like minutes, so a timer is better than a guess.
• What it looked like: whole body or one part, paddling, jaw chomping, drooling, loss of bladder or bowel control, whether your dog seemed aware.
• Before: what your dog was doing, and any change in mood in the hours or days before. The consensus describes a prodrome, a change in disposition that can come before a seizure in some animals.
• After: how long until your dog was back to normal, and what you saw. The consensus lists disorientation, wobbliness, tiredness, hunger or thirst, pacing, and sometimes temporary blindness or aggression after a seizure.
• Possible triggers (practical tip, no veterinary source): a late or missed dose, a new food, stress, a new medicine. The consensus notes that diet, vomiting and diarrhoea can affect how anti-seizure drugs are absorbed, and that drug interactions can happen, so log those too.
• A video, if you can film it safely. Cornell says a video “can be immensely helpful” for your vet to confirm it was a seizure.

The free seizure log prints with these columns, plus a box for your vet’s phone number.

During the seizure

Stay calm and keep your dog safe. NC State advises keeping your pet on the floor and away from water, stairs, children and other pets. Keep your hands away from the mouth: NC State notes that animals are not at risk of swallowing their tongues, and Cornell warns you can be bitten. Note the start time, and start filming once your dog is safe.

Keeping the medication routine

Most epileptic dogs take medicine for life. Cornell notes that “once an antiepileptic is started, it is generally necessary for life,” and NC State says anti-seizure drugs should be given “consistently and at the prescribed dose.” The consensus adds that dose changes should only be made after consulting a vet and that stopping suddenly “might be detrimental.”

Practical tips (no veterinary source):

• Give doses at the same times every day and tick each one off as you give it.
• Keep the log and the medicine together, and note refills before you run out.
• Write side effects in the log too. For phenobarbital, the consensus lists sedation, wobbliness, increased appetite, thirst and urination.
• Ask your vet what to do if a dose is late or missed, and write their answer on the log.

Your vet will also check drug blood levels and bloodwork from time to time. Bring the log: it is the main evidence of whether the dose is working.

Leaving an epileptic dog with someone else

A sitter or family member needs the same information you have (practical tips, no veterinary source): the medicine schedule, what a seizure looks like in your dog, the 5-minute rule above, the rescue plan if your vet has given one, your vet’s and the nearest emergency clinic’s numbers, and the log so they can record anything that happens while you are away.