# Seizure and Hypoglycemia.



## Manda-chan (Aug 30, 2004)

I've done 2 searches on this forum - and couldn't really find if anyone had this particular problem. 

One of my babies (i have 3 young adult males, 1 older male/female) - Orion - Had a seizure while playing with his toy (namely the laser pointer and the feather/string thing). I believe the laser pointer could have been the real culprit (as my mother in law was using it, she was sitting on the couch, i generally always stand so there's no way that it can shine in their eyes). He went to reach for the feather and suddenly contracted and i caught him as he fell back. He siezed for approximatly 20 seconds, I made sure he was still breathing and his heart was beating but knew I couldn't do much more then that. He kinda stared for what seemed about 10 seconds - then started that horrible "What the **** happened to me?" Meow. (Oh, and he didn't loose control of his bowels, which I had read was very probable with a seizure like that). 


After a minute of crooning to him and holding him in my lap, he plodded off a few feet and layed down and started grooming. I feed him food shortly after realizing he was fine. 


We took him to the vet on Monday to get blood work done to see if there was another underlying cause besides the possibility of the laser pointer. The vet said that since he was playing it was very likely he was hypoglycemic and that caused his seizure. The blood work came back yesterday and everything was fine (thank god) - except his blood sugar was only 90. And the vet said this was slightly abnormal as the cat was stressed and it should have been higher. I'm not sure but it's completely possible. 


Their diet is pretty much Inova wet (Evo 95% when i can get it) - with only a little bit of dry because the young adults eat so much.

I am currently looking into Raw Food as i feel it would be better for them (Especially if Orion tends to be hypoglycemic).

Anyone else had any issues with this or heard of this? The laser pointer, seizures from hypoglycemia - etc?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I had a cat develop seizures many years ago, but she had multiple health issues, and the cause of the seizures was never determined.

If your vet believes that your cat may be prone to hypoglycemia, you should ALWAYS keep clear Karo Syrup in your house. If your cat experiences another seizure, immediately rub some Karo on his gums (less than 1 tsp). If he's hypoglycemic, the Karo will be quickly absorbed through his gum tissue and raise his blood glucose. Just don't give him too much Karo or his blood glucose may spike.

You might also want to consider buying blood glucose testing supplies and learning to test your cat at home. Many folks with diabetic cats do this to help them manage their cats' hyperglycemia, but you'd be doing it to check for the opposite condition.

I've never heard of non-insulin-related hypoglycemia in cats before. Interesting.

Laurie


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

I would also question hypoglycemia as the cause of the seizure because of the quick recovery without treatment. 

And lab work that is of concern ALWAYS needs to be repeated (yes, they will charge for this) because handling errors can cause the results to be meaningless. Another factor is when the bloodwork was obtained in relation to the cat's eating. It is normal for the blood sugar to be lower right before meals and higher a couple of ors after the meal.


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## Manda-chan (Aug 30, 2004)

Thanks Laurie. She did mention keeping Maple Syrup around just for such an occasion. I'll look into buying hte clear karo syrup to keep around as it sounds a better option then the maple syrup.

And yes, hypoglycemia without a known cause sounds weird to me too. I'm a medical professional so I know most cases of hypo are generally treated by eating around the clock small meals, rather then 3 large ones (for humans that is). So i think from now on i'm going to make sure he ALWAYS gets some food before we play - just as a precaution. 


Right now, i think i'm going to just watch to make sure that he doesn't have another one. If he does, we'll be doing more extensive testing, as i know most epilepsy cases are from unknown reasons (as far as the brain is concerned).

Watching him for several days afterwards, he's shown no outward signs of distress or change in his habits, and he's eating/drinking and going to the bathroom like normal.


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## BlueOwner (Jul 30, 2009)

My cat started having seizures 5 years ago. None of the allopathic vets have been able to help him. I even took him to a specialized neurological vet center for an MRI and spinal tap - it was not a happy experience for anyone! He was diagnosed with epilepsy - like a generic diagnosis with no specific causes. They cheecked for everything, including hypoglyccemia. I also checked with his breeder, and his bloodline never had seizures.

I started working with a homeopathic vet, and got his seizures under control - from 1 seizure every week to once every 6 months. I put him on essential fatty acids (omega 3/6/ and 9) 2 years ago, and he has been seizure free to date. The DHA I use comes from Halo Pets, called Dream Coats. It is odorless, and created for pets. I give him a dropper once in the morning, and once at night.

The other thing my homeopathic vet did was take him off all vaccines, since he is a totally indoor kitty. I did some research on the internet, and vaccines (especially, the rabies one) may cause seizures, allergies, etc.

Good luck. 

BlueOwner


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