The day after Christmas, my 8 year old boxer woke me with that odd coughing noise that dogs do when they are trying to herk something up. By the time I got to him, he was falling all over as he tried to stand and couldn’t manage it. Did that a couple of times and then toppled over like a tree onto his side. And just. laid. still.
I was very nearly hysterical–this was within maybe 90 seconds of being sound asleep–and started throwing on clothes while trying to see if he was still alive, grabbing my shoes, figuring out which vet would be closest, etc. Then he lifted his head and wobbled to his feet and down the hall. He went outside, had a little poop in the yard, and by the time he came in, he was back to himself as if it had never happened.
He was a little cautious of the hallway and bedroom–I think he thought something back there attacked him–but otherwise seemed to be fine. I took him to the vet, who did bloodwork and a heartworm check, declared him to be “looking fine” on all fronts, and charged me the last $180 I had set aside from Christmas to fix the hole in the bathroom ceiling.
I’m still really nervous and have to poke him every time he falls asleep. I just don’t know what happened–if it was a seizure, it certainly wasn’t a typical one where the dog lies there and paddles his feet and shakes. Could he have gotten choked? Cardiac episode of some sort? I even checked the nearby outlet and don’t think he shocked himself somehow. I’m so afraid it will happen again and he won’t come out of it. 
My poor Hot Rod. He’s such a good dog and such a part of our family.
One time, while on a walk with my mom, one of my Great Danes (she was…4? I think?) suddenly acted off.
By the time she came home you could tell that she was having a hard time seeing (she got really close to something before jumping back…had no depth perception) and seemed really slow in hearing and reacting to things. An hour later she was back to normal and never had a problem or experienced something like that again.
I don’t know what happened to her either, we thought a stroke too, and it’s not the exact same symptoms as Hot Rod had…but it’s…something…I guess
Our Simone once had a somewhat similar incident. While preparing to throw up, she was thrusting her head forward and contracting her belly – basically dry-heaving – shen she suddenly went rigid and pitched forward onto her face. I was holding her when it happened. She appeared to have all but passed out. I thought she was dying. But as I lifted her back toward me, she horked out a toy fragment with a single titanic effort. After perhaps fifteen seconds of quivering recovery, she began to seem herself again. Maybe your boy was choking?
Hope it was a once-only event, and you have many more years together.
ISTR something like this described in one of James Herriot’s books (The All Creatures Great and Small guy). In that case the dog had picked up a small rubber ball of some kind which had lodged in its trachea; too far down to cough back up, too big to go further down. Periodically the ball would shift and plug the dog’s airway exactly like a ball valve. When the dog blacked out from lack of air, apparently the throat would relax sufficiently for the ball to move back from the plug site and the dog would resume breathing normally and regain consciousness.
I too wondered about the possibility of choking. If I had to put into words the way he looked when he was falling around, I’d say he looked like he was being choked, or like he’d been hit by a car…that type of disoriented, struggling, awful can’t-get-up thing. Something to consider; maybe I should ask vet for an x-ray.
I’m glad your vet felt that Hot Rod was OK, but I completely understand your panic and concern.
I’ve had a couple of dogs with seizure disorders. One (also a boxer) had the “paddles his feet and shakes” type. The other one (poodle mix) had episodes similar to the one you observed your dog having - trying to walk or stand but unable to do so, finally staying down for several minutes.
I don’t remember how we managed our boxer’s seizures. The poodle has been on a tiny daily dose of phenobarbital since her second episode, and as far as I know she hasn’t had any more since starting medication. It’s a cheap medication with few side effects (it makes some dogs sleepy. I never noticed this in the poodle).
It’s entirely possible that Hot Rod will never have another episode. If he does, though, keep track of when they happen and how long they last. Recurring seizures, or seizure episodes that last a long time, can cause damage.
Good luck, and I hope Hot Rod remains fine and healthy.
It does sound different from the seizures I’ve heard about and my dog Dude suffered from. So maybe it was something temporary, choking, or maybe even a pinched nerve or something. Hope so, Dude’s seizures increased in frequency and duration over her life, the end was tough for her.
I had a Rottie that had an episode like that, but he also had started coughing recently and we found out he had a leaky heart valve. He only had the one episode though, ever and lived for a few years after it happened. Terrifying though.
I’m glad your vet did a heartworm check. My late dog Princess had two very similar episodes before we learned that she was in the unlucky 20% of dogs who are still susceptible to heartworm despite getting monthly pills for it. At the time she had it, about half of the dogs treated for it died from the arsenic treatment killing the worms that break up into pieces. I don’t know if they’ve improved the treatment since the mid-90s, but either way I’m glad that’s not Hot Rod’s problem.
Hot Rod had heartworms when I got him from my ex-husband (who only remembered to mention it when I asked why the dog was coughing) and was treated that year, about 2006. It was still a risky procedure, and I was instructed to “keep him quiet” for the few weeks before the first inpatient treatment and the followup. Keeping a young boxer “quiet” is pretty much impossible, but he did fine.
I’m glad that he’s heartworm free…that was definitely on my mind.
I hope you figure it out - or it just never happens again. one of my dogs has had several seizures but it’s been a long time since the last one.
I’m not saying that’s what’s happening with your dog, just that they can have them but not regularly.
One of our chihuahuas had a seizure, so the vet thinks. We found him in his bed dazed and in a non stop quivering state. Middle of summer so he wasn’t cold. No injuries. Inside only, no shock, poison, foreign edibles, etc. Vet said he might have been recovering from a seizure within the past hour but not to worry. That was 4 years ago (age 10) and none since. Vet said they don’t use a daily med unless it’s recurring.
Upon reading this, I first wondered if my daughter posted this; but unless your boxer is really a 1/2 Jack Russell 1/2 Dachshund then I’m going to assume you’re not my daughter. 
So my daughter’s dog, Louie, about 12 years old, had some kind of weird seizure, seemed to be slobbering a little bit, couldn’t walk right. Daughter took him outside for a poop, and he seemed to recover from it. After a trip to the vet, she said it sounded like a seizure, and that other than upsell her on a bunch of things (i.e. blood tests, xrays) that there wasn’t much she could do; and the best option is to have Louie take it easy, and watch him for any other signs. It scared my daughter; but so far Louie’s been acting OK (which is to say, he’s a grouchy old bastard that only seems to care for my daughter and her boyfriend!)
Good luck and best wishes on your little Hot Rod.
Haven’t read all the responses yet. It’s possible it could have been a one time incident but you have a geriatric (yes, 8 is geriatric) boxer so I encourage you to investigate further.
Boxers are known for two very serious issues, tumors and enlarged hearts (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Eight is on the older end of the spectrum for a seizure disorder like epilepsy to start. Blood work basically rules out any other organ issues but it is not going to tell you if there is a heart or brain issue. I realize you said you spent your last $180 but I would recommend xrays of the chest and an EKG to check for heart issues. He could have had a syncopal (fainting) episode. In fact what you described, coughing then toppling over sounds more like syncope than a seizure.
Now that you mention it, the doc mentioned the possibility of syncope too. I’ve been considering asking for x rays, probably to make me feel better if nothing else. It’s not something I can do right away, but tax time will roll around soon and maybe then I can manage it.
He continues to act just like his normal self–busy, attentive, and food-oriented. He was the runt of the litter and is still pretty small for a boxer–45 pounds last visit to vet–and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that he has undiagnosed health issues just because “runts” so often do.
I’m so glad to hear everyone else’s stories and input.