Very odd 'twitching'…usually when excited

[Merriwyth]

My 13 year old, Tano, has recently started doing a very odd, very involuntary-looking twitching when she gets excited. Since it usually happens when she'd normally be drumming her paws on the floor to get my attention I didn't notice it at first but after some observation I've determined it's an involuntary action.

It really looks like a half second seizure. I saw a video about fainting goats and Tano's symptoms look almost the same. I know the goats 'faint' due to hereditary reasons but, aside from the toppling over, it looked so similar. Her legs (front legs…but she's usually sitting) just sort of stiffen up for a second. She also gets a rather startled expression on her face but the whole event happens so quickly and she's back to normal.

It only happens when she's excited in a 'positive' way. Like while I'm preparing her meal or as she is, ever hopeful, watching me eat. If she's negatively stressed she just shakes but there is no tensing up or apparent loss of control. Negative stress pretty much only happens when she's about to be crated (though once she's crated she's perfectly fine) or if I leave the house for a moment to fetch the mail or something (she has always had varying degrees of separation anxiety).

Does this sound like true seizures or am I being hyper-sensitive? Since it's not very consistent it's been very difficult for me to get a bead on the situation well enough to warrant a special trip to the vet. She's due for a physical soon though so I'll bring it up with him then. Any advice before then would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[mmm789]

my daughters 6 month old also has twitching, but it is in her back, then she chases her tail. the twitching seems to be involuntary, like a spasm or something. of course, she has that worried look, but has any one heard of this?

[BDawg]

I'm not saying this is what is going on, but I recently saw a tv special (discovery channel or bbc america?) that had to do with narcolepcy. They were studying animals (dogs) because it's hereditary. Anyways- it ended up being something where only when the dogs were excited positively (like when they got their favorite treat), whatever hormone or neurotransmitter that was supposed to fire or release, would not– and they would have this reaction where they'd kind of lose it and eventually would lie down involuntarily. I can't imagine that you "develop" narcolepcy though.

As for mmm789, you don't happen to use Advantix, do you??? We had a VERY bad reaction with our dogs and that product. She would twitch her back leg and then donkey kick things. And she'd scratch at her back where we had placed the product. Please let me know if this is what you're using! You should stop immediately!!

[mmm789]

thanks so much for the advantix tip. i do think that is what my daughter uses. she'll switch to something else, and later i'll update the results.

[BDawg]

Ahh! We had terrible, terrible results with Advantix!! Please, please please don't use this product! It was so scary seeing our little girl messed up neurologically. You could tell it really scared her too.

[tanza]

I have used Advantix with no problems… but then again they are all different and have different reactions. But then we don't need to use it but maybe twice a year depending on the weather, or if we travel to shows.... I have also used the other flea products (topical) without problems.

[BDawg]

Of course there will be people who don't have any problems with the product- and that's great. But if your dog is having problems after having used the product– chances are that IT is the problem. A quick google search for Advantix Side Effects will bring up a list of user complaints.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=advantix+side+effects&btnG=Google+Search

And if your dog has similar symptoms to the ones listed, I would definitely recommend stopping the use of the product immediately.

[mmm789]

i am not sure when she(daughter) last used it. is it a monthly or weekly product? i've been out of town over the holidays, and i haven't seen the dog do it since i got back, and i probably am the one with the most time with the dog. She (dog) didn't twitch very often, less than daily, so it makes sense that if it is the medicine, and it is almost time for the next dose, the symptoms would decrease.

[tanza]

I am told by my Vet that these are very common in older dogs.. and in fact both my 16 1/2 yr olds and my 15 (in Feb) yr old have odd twitching that looks like a seizure activity. But it is not…. I am told that this is pretty normal in an elder dog... and due to one or more of the following.....
Ruptured intervertebral discs, cervical instability or spinal cord degeneration.

[JazzysMom]

Sometimes Gypsy seems to have seizures in her sleep. Not the kind of movement wherein you guess she's chasing rabbits in her dreams or something. She does that also, but sometimes it looks very much like a seizure.

VERY nerve-wracking.