Seizures fall into 4 categories:
1. Toxin exposure- if the seizures were within a short time of one another (24 hours) this is a possibility.
2. Metabolic disorder- a problem with liver, kidneys, blood glucose levels, heart disease, etc. could be the cause. To rule this out she would need to have a complete physical examination and bloodwork to evaluate major organ function. At 14 this should be performed at least once a year anyway.
3. Structural- a tumor or other lesion affecting the brain. These are uncommon in dogs but do occur and are more often seen in elderly animals.
4. Idiopathic- a fancy way of saying "no one knows". Seizures in this category usually start when the animal is between 3- 5 years of age. Much more common in dogs than in cats.
If your dog is doing fine now you may decide to just watch her to see if any further seizures or signs of illness are noted. Otherwise, I'd recommend having your veterinarian do a good physical and some bloodwork to try to eliminate causes for the seizure.
Most vets will not prescrible anti- seizure medication unless the seizures come more than once a month, or in clusters (several seizures one after the next). Phenobarbital is usually the first drug of choice. In the initial dosing period (first few weeks), dogs may appear "drunk"- wobbly gait, sleepy, until the liver has "learned" how to metabolize the drug. After that they generally handle the medication well. You would need to have liver values checked periodically and a white blood cell count early on to make sure she was handling the medication ok. Anti-seizure medications serve to decrease the frequency and severity of seizures but will not eliminate them all together, especially in cases of idiopathic epilepsy.
In cases that do not respond well to phenobarb alone, a drug called potassium bromide is often added to the treatment regimen.
As for the eye issue, it could be nuclear sclerosis or cataracts. Nuclear sclerosis is clouding of the lens of the eye. This is a normal age- related change which doesn't affect vision very much. Cataracts are deposits within the lens that can progress and lead to blindness. Your veterinarian would be the best person to assess her eyes and let you know the diagnosis.
I hope this information was helpful.
Edited by Vet help on May 3 2006 at 2:12 PM