Pet Seizure Tracking
Keep a seizure diary for dogs and cats with event timing, severity, possible triggers, notes, and vet-ready history.
Quick answer
To keep a pet seizure diary, log each event as soon as it ends: the date and time, a timed duration rather than an estimate, what the seizure looked like, anything unusual beforehand, and how your pet acted afterward. Those are the details veterinary neurology teams ask owners to record. DoveLewis's neurology seizure log tells owners to seek immediate medical attention if a seizure lasts longer than 2 minutes or there is more than one seizure in 24 hours. Everkin keeps each entry alongside medications and vet visits so your veterinarian can review frequency and patterns instead of relying on memory.
A clear seizure history helps your vet see patterns
When a pet has a seizure, details can be hard to remember afterward. A consistent seizure diary helps preserve timing, duration, severity, and context while the event is still fresh.
Your account carries more weight than you might expect. The International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF) notes that EEG is typically impractical in animals, so the diagnosis leans on what the owner saw and recorded.
Everkin keeps seizure records alongside symptoms, medications, visits, and daily care logs so you can review the full picture before speaking with your veterinarian.
"The owners' report of seizure history and phenomenology, supported by digital (video) recordings, remain the most central diagnostic epilepsy marker in companion animals."
What should you record in a pet seizure diary?
Everkin is designed for pet parents managing real medical complexity. For seizure tracking, the goal is not to interpret the event for you; it is to keep a reliable history you can share with a professional.
Time the seizure if you can. DoveLewis's neurology log asks for duration "timed not estimated". Everkin's seizure log has a built-in stopwatch, records duration to the second, and gives the before and after phases their own notes and durations.
- Date and time of each event
- Timed duration and observed severity
- Seizure type classification
- Possible triggers or unusual context
- Pre-ictal, during-seizure, and post-ictal observations
- Consciousness loss, urination, defecation, cluster-event, emergency-vet, medication-adjustment, and video-recorded flags
"The diary should include the date, the seizure frequency, the duration and appearance/severity of the seizure(s), whether there was any obvious trigger and whether abnormal behaviour was seen in the period after a seizure (post-ictal period)."
When is a seizure an emergency?
DoveLewis's neurology seizure log tells owners to seek immediate medical attention for a seizure lasting longer than 2 minutes or more than one seizure in 24 hours, especially if a pet is not returning to normal between seizures. If your vet has given you a different plan, such as a rescue medication, follow it.
Vets use two terms for these situations. The IVETF defines status epilepticus as more than 5 minutes of continuous seizure activity, or two or more seizures without full recovery of consciousness in between. It defines cluster seizures as two or more seizures within 24 hours. The 2023 ACVIM consensus statement on seizure emergencies reports a mortality rate of 25.3% to 38.5% for status epilepticus in animals, which is why speed matters.
Log the event once your pet is safe and care is under way. Everkin marks any seizure longer than 5 minutes as extended duration, the same line the IVETF uses, and the cluster-event and emergency-vet flags make these episodes easy to find later.
Keep the household aligned
In a multi-person household, seizure tracking is easier when everyone can see the same record. Everkin household sharing helps family members stay informed without relying on scattered texts or separate notes.
Seizure tracking is part of Everkin+, the optional membership for advanced tracking and vet-ready PDF summaries.
Common questions
Is Everkin a substitute for emergency veterinary care?
No. If your pet is having an emergency or you are unsure what to do, contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic immediately.
Can multiple family members log seizure events?
Yes. Everkin household sharing is built so family members can collaborate on the same pet records when they have access.
Why track seizure events over time?
A consistent record can help you and your vet discuss frequency, timing, possible triggers, and changes that may not be obvious from memory alone.
How long is too long for a pet seizure?
DoveLewis's neurology seizure log tells owners to seek immediate medical attention for a seizure lasting longer than 2 minutes or more than one seizure in 24 hours. The IVETF defines status epilepticus, a seizure emergency, as more than 5 minutes of continuous seizure activity. If you are unsure, call your vet or an emergency clinic now.
Sources
- International veterinary epilepsy task force consensus report on epilepsy definition, classification and terminology in companion animals. BMC Veterinary Research, 2015. Cited for: status epilepticus and cluster definitions, role of owner reports and video.
- ACVIM Consensus Statement on the management of status epilepticus and cluster seizures in dogs and cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2023. Cited for: status epilepticus mortality rate.
- Pet Seizure Log. DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, Neurology. Cited for: when to seek immediate care, timed durations.
- Owner Information Sheet: Canine Epilepsy. Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists. Cited for: what a seizure diary should include.
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