Grey That Is "sleepwalking?"

[Guest Energy11]

I just got this via email from the group we help out.

 

To me, this sounds neurological, like "Sundowners."

 

Any thoughts? Thanks! Dee

 

 

 

... "Last evening Sugar proceeded to "sleepwalk" again, for lack of a better word. She has periodically done this through the years, however, I cannot determine exactly what she is doing! She first will wake me to go out, really just by pacing and rattling her tags. So I let her out thinking she just has to go potty. She will pace nervously around, with her ears pricked straight up, looking around as if she is seeing something in the air! She'll come in and will pace around the house doing the same thing. Last night this happened three different times at one hour intervals starting at 12:30 a.m. She doesn't appear to hear me or see me during the episodes!

 

After the last episode, I stayed up a bit with her rubbing her ears, talking to her and trying to comfort her. She loves to get her ears rubbed and if you stop, she'll immediately put her paw up to her ear as a signal for you to continue! She didn't do thi s for about 10 minutes after I had begun rubbing her ears. When she finally did, she actually looked at me as if that was the first time she had seen me and she seemed somewhat startled!

 

Has anyone had similar experiences? This has been going on with Sugar for about the last 5 years or maybe longer (she is 9 years old). It may happen twice a year, if that. I plan to start logging the episodes to see if there is a pattern. Oh, they ALWAYS happen at night! ..."

 

 

 

Thanks for any feedback!

 

 

[JAJ2010]

Weird... Wonder if a smelly treat would snap her out of it?

[Guest eaglflyt]

To me it sounds a bit like possible petit mal or focal seizure activity ... or a canine sleep disorder. Evidently, dogs can have sleepwalking issues. There are some videos on YouTube. I would advise a veterinary workup and possibly a referral to a neuro specialist. I'm in agreement that it sounds neurological in origin.

[TheFullHouse]

Sounds like focal seizures. My daughter has these, she walks around just like that, will continue to do the task she's started but totally unaware of it, thus she loses pieces of "time".

 

What makes me think it's focal seizures if that her pup doesn't seem to hear or see her.

[Guest Energy11]

Sounds like focal seizures. My daughter has these, she walks around just like that, will continue to do the task she's started but totally unaware of it, thus she loses pieces of "time".

 

What makes me think it's focal seizures if that her pup doesn't seem to hear or see her.

 

Wow! pretty interesting! I can't believe your DD gets this. The brain and it's functions, and disfunctions is sooo amazing! Does sound like what this pup is getting, too.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Energy11

[TheFullHouse]

Our family is the one that you could put in a study as to whether Epilepsy is hereditary or not. I have it and so do both of my children.

 

Would you believe when I was diagnosed I was told there wasn't a chance I could pass it on to my kids. WRONG!

[Guest Energy11]

Our family is the one that you could put in a study as to whether Epilepsy is hereditary or not. I have it and so do both of my children.

 

Would you believe when I was diagnosed I was told there wasn't a chance I could pass it on to my kids. WRONG!

 

 

I think it IS heredity, just like Diabetes or other illnesses. Docs have learned a lot over the years, about Epilepsy. Yes, your family is an excellent resource for the disease ... ya never know, you guys could be part of some type of paper/study, to help others with it!

[GreyWrangler]

One of mine used to do something like this. Someone suggested giving her honey, or something sweet during the phase. we tried it and it worked, bringing her out of what ever it was much more quickly than just letting it pass.

 

I called it dumb seizures, everthing she did was repetative and in slow motion.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Sounds like a complex partial seizure to me (aka complex focal seizure). Those affect the area of the brain involved in behavior, so the dog engages in repetitive behaviors like running around, fly-biting, aggressive rage "attacks", etc. (The pacing and looking into the air makes me think of the dogs that have episodes where they see imaginary flies around their head).

 

Simple partial seizures (aka simple focal seizures) are in the part of the brain controlling muscle movement. They involve one part of the body, like the face or one leg. Sophie gets these, her head will twitch or her jaws will chomp but she is still able to walk, eat, responds to her name, knows where she is, etc.

Edited March 29, 2010 by LindsaySF

[Guest tennesseegrey]

Sounds like a complex partial seizure to me (aka complex focal seizure). Those affect the area of the brain involved in behavior, so the dog engages in repetitive behaviors like running around, fly-biting, aggressive rage "attacks", etc. (The pacing and looking into the air makes me think of the dogs that have episodes where they see imaginary flies around their head).

 

Simple partial seizures (aka simple focal seizures) are in the part of the brain controlling muscle movement. They involve one part of the body, like the face or one leg. Sophie gets these, her head will twitch or her jaws will chomp but she is still able to walk, eat, responds to her name, knows where she is, etc.

 

Ahhhh!!! Brings back fond memories of my Rosie. I had her for about 5 years and she sleep walked probably 5-6 times in those 5 years. I never worried about it, I used to do the same thing as a child. I grew out of it. I thought it was kind of funny. She would run from room to room like she was on a mission to find something, but I never quite knew why. She never did it more than once in an evening. It's just one of those things they do. She did not sleep walk in her last year.