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There are many causes of seizures, Epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures in a dog, other causes include liver disease, kidney failure, poisoning, thyroid dysfunction, infection, head injury and brain tumors.

Write down the time of day, how long it lasted and what exactly happened to your dog each and every time in detail. I would also have a camcorder charged and ready so that when and if it happens again you can video it and show it to the vet as it would be very beneficial for the vet to actually see what is going on with him.

Seizures can be diagnosed by blood work, possibly CAT and MRI scans and an electricargiogram (EKG), if she is having seizures they can be very mild to very strong, just staring into space, drooling, stiffing of the legs, tremors, paddling of the legs and feet, loss of bodily functions and unconsciousness.

If a dog is having seizures, and is having more than 1 a month, or if the seizures intensify at all, the vet would put him on a medication, more than likely Phenobarbitol. This would have to be taken for the rest of her life. Seizures can be controlled by medications

Generally the medication recommended by vets is Phenobarbitol. Keep in mind that once the medication regiment starts that it will take about 1-2 weeks for her to become regulated to the medications. During this time she will be a little out of sorts.

You should not give the medication right after a seizure as it can take some dogs only a minute to recover while others can take hours. After a seizure some dogs act like their old selves while others can seem groggy and confused. Give the medications at the same time every day... Speak with your vet.

As to how to help ....

During a seizure dim the lights and turn off any noise, such as radios and the TV. You want to keep everything as quiet and calm as possible. You can gently pat the dogs sides and abdomen while speaking softly to your dog.

During a seizure.. Although very emotionally draining on the owner to watch, the dog is in no pain and after he has recovered will not even know that anything has happened. It is the same when a person has a seizure, until someone tells them they had one they have no idea one has occurred.

Also while your dog is having a seizure you can pour some karo syrup down the dogs throat or rub some on the dogs gums... it helps to bring the dog out of the seizure and to recover sooner. This is for smaller breeds that are apt to be hypoglycemic.

While the dog is having a seizure you can place an ice pack on his lower back.. it helps so that the seizure is not that strong and that the dog will come out of it sooner and recover quicker ... here is a link to help http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ice...

When your dog has come out of a seizure and can eat ....you can give 1 tbsp of Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream in case the dog was hypoglycemic.. the ice cream will help the dog recover sooner. Haagen Daz Ice cream has no preservatives which is best for the dog as it is all natural. The reason why it works in a dog that may be hypoglycemic is that the sugar crystals are frozen and slowly dissolve at different intervals to bring the sugar level back to a safe level.

Here is some information about seizures

There are 3 phases of a seizures:

1) The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, run around aimlessly or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours.

2) The ictal phase is the seizure itself and last from a few seconds to about 5 minutes. During this period, all of the muscles of the body contract strongly. The dog usually falls on its side and seems paralyzed while shaking. The head will be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation often occur. If it is not over within 5 minutes, the dog is said to be in the status epilepticus or prolonged seizure.

3) During the post-ictal phase, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, and/or temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.

Some dogs can come out of this phase in a few minutes and other can take hours.

The epilepticus - pro longed seizure I mentioned in #2 is a serious and life threatening situation. It is characterized by a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes. When it occurs, the dog's life is endangered. Unless intravenous medications are given promptly, the dog may die. If this occurs, you should seek treatment by a veterinarian immediately

Please keep in mind that as a dog gets older, seizures will happen, some will happen once a week others happen as you said `1 time a year.

Yes the vet will not do anything as the seizures only happened very little. now if it happens all the time, there are meds they will give him to control the seizures.

You do not want to give him meds for just only 1 seizure as it would probably do nothing to stop the next one in a year or so, meds do not last more than 1 day so how could meds help him

Be patient and watch your beloved pet, and if the seizures happen more often, talk to your vet who will give the advice you will need for your dog.

There isn't a lot that you can do for seizures that happen that rarely. There are medications that help with certain seizures (phenobarbitol, etc.) but they are rather harsh medications that you don't want to give to your dog unless necessary, like when they have seizures very commonly. Right now supportive care is all that is really required and is best left to your veterinarian and technicians.

At least you now know what to look for when he has a seizure. Don't feel bad; most seizures are very short (although it feels like much longer) and are scarier than you would think. It isn't your fault and at least now you are providing the care that he needs.

I don't know, seizures are becoming a common occurrence any more. And can be caused from any thing as simple as old age in dogs to more complicated medical reasons. We recently found out a dog we have is prone to seizures because one of his parents has epilepsy. He is doing well on medication but had to be neutered so as not to pass this on to any puppies he may produce.

The only way you can find out why is to take you dog to a vet and have him tested, seizures can and do cause damage to liver, kidneys and also the brain, and giving them medicine is the only cure.

No way to prevent them from happening, but when your dog starts to seize it is best to wrap him/her in a towel or blanket to prevent thrashing around and injury to himself.

Do not put your hands or face around his face because dogs do snap and bite while seizing and you could get hurt.

Just listen to the advice of your vet.

If his seizures are mild and not very frequent - then there is not much of a treatment option for him and there would really be no point.