Your Dog Is Having a Seizure: What to Do in the Moment

Quick answer

Your Dog Is Having a Seizure: What to Do in the Moment

Stay calm and note the time. Clear hard objects away and keep the area soft and quiet. Do not restrain your dog or put anything near or in the mouth. Time the seizure. Once it ends, keep your dog warm and quiet while they recover. Call an emergency vet immediately if a seizure lasts over 5 minutes, if seizures cluster back-to-back, or if it is the first one.

Decide in 60 seconds

During the seizure: what to do

Most seizures last under two minutes even though they feel far longer. Your job is to prevent injury, not to stop the seizure.

Clear hard objects away and cushion the space , do not restrain the dog during the seizure.

Move furniture, stairs, and hard objects away. Dim the lights, lower the noise, and speak softly. If your dog is near an edge or stairs, gently guide the body away by the hips using a towel or cushion , but do not hold the dog down or hug it. A seizing dog is unconscious and cannot control its jaw, so keep hands and faces clear.

Never touch the mouth

The old myth about pets swallowing their tongue is false. Putting fingers or objects in the mouth risks a serious bite and can injure your dog. Keep everyone's hands away from the head. Your dog may drool, paddle the legs, lose bladder or bowel control, and vocalise , all of this is normal and not painful in the way it looks.

Time it and film it

Note the start time on your phone; a stopwatch beats guessing, because seizures feel endless.

Note the start time , a seizure lasting over five minutes is an emergency.

If it is safe, film the episode. Video is genuinely useful to your vet for telling a true seizure from fainting, tremors, or a behavioural event, and for judging severity. Record what your dog was doing beforehand, anything they may have eaten, and how long recovery takes.

After the seizure

Once movements stop, your dog enters a recovery (post-ictal) phase , disoriented, restless, pacing, temporarily blind, extra hungry or thirsty. Keep the space calm, dim, and safe. Offer water only when fully alert to avoid choking. Overheating is a real risk after a long seizure, so a cool, quiet room helps. Even after a short, self-limiting seizure, book a vet appointment to investigate the cause , epilepsy, low blood sugar, liver disease, toxins, and tumours all need different treatment.

Living context by region

This guide is written for multi-region English readers (US/UK/AU/NZ/CA/EU and more). Where climate, products, or vet access differ, prefer local veterinary advice and local product labels. Use metric first; keep °F/lb in mind for North American homes.

When to call your vet

• Signs are getting worse over hours, not better

• Pain, persistent vomiting/diarrhea, or neurological signs

• You needed force or guesswork to keep going at home

Common mistakes

• Waiting because the animal 'still looks okay' while prey species hide pain

• Changing five variables at once so you cannot tell what helped

• Copying drug doses from social media

• Skipping species-appropriate husbandry while buying more gadgets

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