# Sleep shakes ? Seizure or Dreams ......



## LuvourGSDs (Jan 14, 2007)

Just wondered how you tell a seizure from a tremble/shake while sleeping ?

I crate them at night, but have been being nice & letting them sleep out on beds so been watching them while they sleep more. Out of the 3 I notice 2 twitch legs, paws, ears (move forward), mouths, etc. This is more with the female Sable which is 5. Just concerns me & hope it's just dreams or something.

Any advice............


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I don't know how you would tell them apart, but I do know most of my dogs have moved A LOT while sleeping. They will whine, bark, move their legs, twitch, flick ears, twitch mouths/lips, and etc...

When my terrier slept often his tongue would stick out of his mouth. he had a short muzzle and it seemed when he was fully relaxed his tongue didn't fit inside his mouth... Well one day I look over at him, he is twitching wildly with his tongue sticking out and his eyes open and moving! It scared the heck out of me, I was sure he was having a seizure! I shook him and he woke up and gave me a half-asleep look like "what do you want??" Sometimes he would sleep with his eyes partly open and when he would go into REM sleep it looked really freaky and combined with the twitching and the tongue lolling, yikes!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Both of my dogs are sleep twitchers... it's normal. I've never seen a dog seizure so i wouldn't know how to tell it apart, but i wouldn't get too worried by simple twitches. 

Now if it gets to this... you might want to get a little worried...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BgjH_CtIA&feature=channel


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

I would _think_ that a seizure would be more violent than simple sleep twitching and would cause the entire body to shake (rather than the occasional leg, ear, paw, etc.) Jerzey twitches in her sleep too and I was freaking out at first! Especially because it seemed to just develop out of no where. The more you watch your dogs sleep, though, the more you'll learn what is "typical" sleep movement so if something out of the ordinary _does_ happen you'll know for certain.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Both my dogs do the twitching and whimpering sometimes in there sleep.


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## mastercabman (Jun 11, 2007)

My dogs do the same,and sometime,Oliver goes swimming!


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## chelsa (May 31, 2009)

My GSD twitches while sleeping, sometimes I think he's chasing something.My brothers last GSD died of siezures you will know the difference they are almost like human siezures.


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## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

Blake only twitches after a day of working on his prey drive a lot. Think he is chasing the tug in his dreams. Rest of the time is as quiet as a baby, almost looks dead.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Over the years some of the Hooligans have had bizzare sleeping habits. When they got older, both Ringer and his sister Honey had such violent leg thursts that the vet tried medications for them (didn't work too well). Tasha, my first GSD, would sometimes scream like a banshee while she was sound asleep. Mac occasionally lets out a low, mournful howl.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Mine all sometimes shake, twitch, and give off pitiful yips while sleeping. We always say "oh there goes Coke! We left the gate open and he's chasing rabbits again!"


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## BucksMom (Aug 13, 2007)

Ms Jen you are a worry wart.....mine do it also. LOL


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## Sean Rescue Mom (Jan 24, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: dukeMy brothers last GSD died of siezures you will know the difference they are almost like human siezures.


Exactly, you will definitely know the difference. Sean is my first dog and I had never seen a dog seizure before until it happened to him. There is no question, it's instinctive and you will know it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I used to worry about Arwen too, but I can wake her up when she is jerking/twitching in her sleep with her eyes a little open. And she wakes right up. 

With a seizure, nothing stops them until they come out of it, or are given medicine. It is nothing like sleep twitters. 

However, people with epilepsy have a range of siezures. My sister just passes out. Other people have full blow shakes, etc. And some people just get a blank look and come out of it quickly. So it is possible that there are differing levels of severity for dog siezures. 

Cujo had a cluster of siezures over the course of two days and had them in the vet's waiting room and scared all the other customers and had to be medicated to bring him out of it. 

Puppies have something called "activated sleep" where they twitch, like their whole bodies. It is both normal and necessary for the nervous system development. It is strange to watch. It happens while they are quite young. A week or less old. 

You will be sitting there watching them sleeping and looking like a bunch of jumping beans.


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