11 month old French Bulldog with Fly Snapping Fly Biting Focal Seizure

monica88 · Jul 6, 2019

Hi there- I am new to this site. Can anyone give me more information about what might be the cause of this "fly biting" behavior? Theo is now 11 months and I first noticed it when he was 5 months old but did not realize it was abnormal. He is my first dog- the light of my life and I am terrified that this may be the beginning of something worse. The vets are unsure and think it may be a focal seizure. We are waiting for more information from his urine culture. His bloodwork came back with slightly elevated biomarker for kidney disease. We are waiting to get more information before scheduling a neurology appointment. Current thoughts are kidney disease, liver disease, focal seizures.

He does not lose consciousness and does not have muscle weakness or incontinence. The behavior lasts a few seconds at a time. I am always able to get his attention after calling his name a few times.

Honeys Owners · Jul 6, 2019

Hopefully just idiopathic head tremours, but just in case have him checked out thoroughly. Here's the link to Head tremour FAQ at English Bulldog site English Bulldog News Forums - Head Tremors in English Bulldogs

Nicole G · Jul 7, 2019

So sorry to hear that you and your baby are going through this! My girl used to get idiopathic tremors which thankfully she grew out of. I used a treat and was always able to get her attention.
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if its at all helpful to hear, I do know a dog who did suffer with Liver Disease and seizures when he was pretty young and he is currently still healthy and going strong at 13!

Mechadogzilla · Jul 7, 2019

One of my Frenchies manifested this behavior for a while. I was quite concerned about it at the time and had the vet run tests on him. Nothing conclusive was ever found. The behavior ended about 6 months after it started and never reoccurred again. I know that it can very scary when this behavior takes place but hopefully it will end soon. Wishing Theo the best.

2bullymama · Jul 7, 2019

monica88 said:
Hi there- I am new to this site. Can anyone give me more information about what might be the cause of this "fly biting" behavior? Theo is now 11 months and I first noticed it when he was 5 months old but did not realize it was abnormal. He is my first dog- the light of my life and I am terrified that this may be the beginning of something worse. The vets are unsure and think it may be a focal seizure. We are waiting for more information from his urine culture. His bloodwork came back with slightly elevated biomarker for kidney disease. We are waiting to get more information before scheduling a neurology appointment. Current thoughts are kidney disease, liver disease, focal seizures.

He does not lose consciousness and does not have muscle weakness or incontinence. The behavior lasts a few seconds at a time. I am always able to get his attention after calling his name a few times.

Can you try to video the next episode and post her for us to see. [MENTION=51]TheOrionShow[/MENTION] has extensive experience with seizures and could give insight if you could post a video

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

monica88 · Jul 21, 2019

Hi there- I am not sure how to upload a video. I tried to attach through "attachments" but it would not load. Could you let me know how? Thank you!

monica88 · Jul 21, 2019

Thank you so much. That really does make me feel better. How long did your girl's tremors last? Did they look like fly biting? Theo is also dripping urine so we think he may also have ectopic ureters. We are getting him looked at again on Tuesday. They will do an ultrasound and also do a neuro consult.

monica88 · Jul 21, 2019

Mechadogzilla said:
One of my Frenchies manifested this behavior for a while. I was quite concerned about it at the time and had the vet run tests on him. Nothing conclusive was ever found. The behavior ended about 6 months after it started and never reoccurred again. I know that it can very scary when this behavior takes place but hopefully it will end soon. Wishing Theo the best.

Thank you! We are taking him to get a neuro consult on Tuesday. Initially I thought he may have been doing it because his tail pocket was irritated but after regular cleaning with wipes from the vet, he "fly bit" again. Although his anal glands were leaking that particular day and I wonder if he "fly bites" when he has discomfort in his bum.

Mechadogzilla · Aug 3, 2019

I remember when our dog, Ivan, had these symptoms, He seemed to be looking at something that wasn’t there as he was snapping. In his case at least, I don’t think it was some other irritant as his eyes darted around as if he was watching a fly. Again, best of luck with Theo.