I also posted thison the gun dog forum, but since I waterfowl hunt with her I wanted some of your thoughts as well.....

My 5 year old female lab had what appeared to be a minor seizure about 10 days ago. She recovered from it in under 30 seconds and was quickly back to normal. Then 3 days later she another one so i took her into the vet on this last Tuesday. Blood was drawn and sent off to be tested.

This morning she had her 3rd seizure and was down for again around 30 seconds. She also had a bowel movement during the episode. I called the vet and we are still waiting on the blood results to come back in.

All three times happened at my house and she was not running around for more than 30 seconds so as of right now we do not know what is causing them. The temperature here in Houston has been below 70 all week so I don't believe she was overheating like I've seen other labs do wile dove hunting.

I just wanted to know what some of your experiences are with your labs and how you handle the situation. I duck hunt with her every weekend and the vet said I could continue to do so. My biggest fear is that she has an episode while swimming in deeper water and I can't get to her in time. Right now she will not be hunting with me.

Any thoughts if you have some experience with this and especially if you continue to hunt your dog.

Thanks

Scary stuff, hopefully everything is ok!

It's tough, but it's the best decision you can make, IMO. Hope the test results help with the diagnosis and quick recovery.

I hate this for you; my lab started going through seizures about 18 months ago - when he was 4.5. Ace's seizures would last for several minutes at their most severe point and he was wiped out/lethargic for the rest of the day. My wife would cry when we saw him seize and we just tried to keep him calm and safe during the seizures - it was scary for the dog and us.

My vet prescribed Phenobarbitol (sp?) twice a day for the seizures and I think of it as a $15/month insurance policy against any more episodes. We missed several doses in a row (my fault - won't do that again)and he had a relapse, but that is the only seizure since he has been medicated. I kept his hunts limited last season as a precaution, but he has hunted hard this year and we have had no issues.

It's not the end of the road or the end of Ace's hunting career and I pray it won't be for y'all. Just an extra hoop to jump through; but for us to still get to hunt, its worth it. Good luck!!

Like others said I think the best thing to do is put her on the bench until you figure out exactly what is going on. Once you figure that out and can treat it I think she will be back to normal and you can hunt her again. Jut not worth it to send her out on a retrieve and her to slip into one. That would be tough to watch.

I had one do the same thing and it ended up from an inner ear infection. Crazy I know, she never showed any signs of ear infection or acted strange.

thanks for the replies guys. The more I research the seizures it seems like it is not unusual especially for hunting dogs. It's good to hear some of your stories about continuing to hunt with your dog and just managing the situation as best as you can. Very scary situation though.

The vet did call me back and the bloodwork all came back normal which rules out any liver/kidney/lyme disease and other internal problems. There also could be a head trauma issue that is causing them. She was hit in the head by a horseshoe over two years ago so that could be the cause.

Wow, I saw your thread on the gun dog section but have not clicked it.

In addition to the steps you are taking to help diagnose and treat her I would make sure not to breed her in case its a congenital thing. Too many heartaches at my house from dogs with hereditary health issues over the years.

Good Luck, I hope they can treat it.

My old lab had them often durring hunting season. I found out through tests that she had a low blood sugar problem. I would give her a gainsburger patty before working or hunting and it solved the problems.

Hope everything turns out okay.

have black lab she had seizures around age 4 has thyroid imbalance takes 1 pill aday and no more problems