Understanding the type of seizure your dog is having can help your veterinarian in diagnosing and managing the condition. Let's break down the different seizure types you might encounter.

Generalized Seizures (Grand Mal)

These are the most dramatic and easily recognizable seizures, involving both sides of the brain and body. Dogs experiencing a generalized seizure often lose consciousness and fall to the ground, with violent muscle contractions, stiffening, or paddling of the legs. You might also notice vocalizations, drooling, or involuntary urination or defecation."

Generalized seizures usually last less than two minutes but can seem much longer when you're witnessing one. Afterward, your dog may be confused or unsteady.

Focal Seizures (Partial Seizures)

Focal seizures start in one specific area of the brain and affect only one part of the body. You might notice twitching in just one limb or one side of your dog's face. Sometimes, focal seizures can spread and evolve into generalized seizures.

These seizures can be harder to detect because they might be subtle, such as a twitching eye or repetitive movement of the mouth.

Psychomotor seizures in dogs, also known as focal seizures with complex behavior, are a specific type of seizure where the dog exhibits abnormal behaviors or actions, often described as "strange" or "bizarre," rather than the typical convulsions associated with generalized seizures.

Key characteristics of psychomotor seizures include abnormal behaviors or movements, Repetitive or compulsive actions, Loss of awareness with no loss of consciousness: Unlike generalized seizures, these dogs may not lose consciousness entirely, but they are usually disoriented during the episode. Some conditions, such as fly-biting behavior has more recently been suggested to be caused by multiple other gastrointestinal and behavior conditions in addition to possible underlying seizure activity.