Last Updated on February 6, 2022 by Griselda M.
Is there a relationship between yorkies and seizures? , in fact, yes, Yorkies could suffer seizures due to many reasons. Watching your lovely Yorkie while having a seizure episode is a heartbreaking issue. Actually, a seizure is a sign of many underlying health issues that we will discuss later. Keep reading till the end to know the reasons for seizures and how to deal with your puppy during the episode.
Table of Contents
Yorkies and Seizures
Seizures are the uncontrollable shaking or twitching of your Yorkie’s body. It is a result of hyperactivity of electrical signals of the brain. A seizure episode can last from less than a minute to several minutes.
What Are Yorkie Seizures Symptoms?
If you are asking “are yorkies prone to seizures?”, yes they are and you can determine this through the following symptoms:
- Falling to the side while performing a paddling motion with the legs.
- Muscle twitching, stiffening, and jerking.
- Loss of consciousness, chomping, and foaming at the mouth.
- They may pee or poop during the episode.
- They may lose their awareness of their surroundings.
- Before the seizure episode, they may seem confused or dazed, or unsteady. Additionally, they may walk in a circle way hitting anything that surrounds them.
What Are Yorkie Seizures Causes?
Yorkies and seizures are well related because of many health issues that Yorkies are prone to. If you are going for adopting a Yorkie, read well about these health conditions to minimize your pet’s chances of having them and to seek medical advice immediately.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is one of the common health problems that Yorkies experience. They get low blood sugar that makes them suffer from seizures. Yorkies like other small breeds are prone to hypoglycemia because their bodies can not store enough glucose.
If you did not feed your puppy at regular intervals a well-balanced food, they would experience hypoglycemia. Make sure to feed your Yorkie a meal every 4 or 5 hours to maintain its blood sugar to be stable and not to fall down below normal. Furthermore, Yorkies are energetic dogs that love to play and keep moving so they expend their blood glucose quicker than other breeds.
Learn more about: Can Yorkies Eat Broccoli?
If your dog had hypoglycemia, immediately give it water mixed with sugar or oral glucose solution. After that, go to the vet to discuss how to manage the case.
Portosystemic Shunt (PSS)
PSS is a shunt that hinders the liver from detoxifying the blood and perform its normal function. Normally, the blood of the intestine, spleen, and other organs enter into the portal circulation to go to the liver. Then the liver detoxifies the blood by removing toxins to go to the blood circulation eventually.
However, if the portosystemic shunt is present, it will make the blood of the organs enter the circulation again without being filtered. This will allow toxins to enter the circulation and may lead to hepatic encephalopathy. Usually, the shunt is congenital, however, it can be acquired secondary to another underlying issue.
Your Yorkie would experience some neurological symptoms including seizures, blindness, ataxia. Additionally, it may suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite, and excessive bloody urination. The treatment of PSS is the surgical correction of the shunt, however, before going for the surgery the doctor will prescribe some medications to improve your Yorkie’s health to avoid surgical complications.
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is the presence of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain that exerts pressure over your Yorkie’s brain. The excess CSF occurs due to the overproduction of CSF by the body (congenital hydrocephalus) or the presence of a tumor or infection that blocks the flow of the CSF (acquired hydrocephalus). The condition is mostly genetic so if your Yorkie suffers from hydrocephalus, avoid breeding in order not to pass the gene defect to its offspring.
Symptoms of hydrocephalus include a dome-shaped skull, soft spot on top of the skull, wide-set eyes, abnormal walking, changes in behavior, and seizures. Additionally, if the case is due to a tumor or a disease, your pet will have a loss of vision, restlessness, changes in behavior during training, and circling. Treatment of hydrocephalus includes anti seizures and corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation.
Moreover, surgery for inserting a ventriculoperitoneal shunt would help drain the excess CSF. Before adopting a Yorkie, search for a reputable breeder to buy from and make sure to see the parents of the puppy. Also, ask for the health papers of the puppy and its parents to determine if they have hydrocephalus or not.
Read more about Why Is My Yorkie Shaking? – Problems That You Need To Know About
Other Reasons
- Head injury
- Toxicity from a poison such as a rat poison, or a chemical
- Electrolyte imbalance because of dehydration
What Are The Types Of Seizures?
There are three different types of seizures as follows
Generalized Seizure (Grand Mal Seizure)
The dog will lose consciousness and get convulsions. Also, electrical overactivity occurs all over the brain. The seizure episode could last from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Focal Seizure
It abnormal electrical activity occurs at one part of the brain leading to the convulsion of one side of the body. It may last for a couple of seconds.
Psychomotor Seizure
your dog will express psychomotor seizure like it is chasing or attacking an object that is of its imagination for a couple of minutes then returns back to normal.
How To Manage A Yorkie With Seizures?
Firstly, remove any objects like a table or furniture away from your Yorkie to avoid getting hurt, and don’t place anything into its mouth. Additionally, if there are other dogs or cats, take them to another room as they may attack your dog during the seizure. Furthermore, if the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes, turn on a fan or put cold water on your Yorkie’s paws because its body temperature is high to the extent of possibly damaging the brain.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Yorkies are prone to seizures due to many health issues. If your Yorkie got a seizure, write down the time the seizure lasts and your dog’s behavior to tell the vet. The doctor will check it thoroughly and give you a suitable treatment. For more inquiries, please keep me posted in the comments below.
Learn more about: Amazing Facts About Yorkies Sleeping Habit