Brittany Ippolito
April 15, 2026
A deep dive into why seizures occur
There are few things more unsettling than watching your dog have a seizure. One moment everything is normal, and the next, it feels like you’ve completely lost control. Your mind races, your body goes into panic, and the entire world around you blurs. I know that feeling well.
I have always known that my dog Zeus could potentially be a “seizure dog”. I suppose you can call it mother’s intuition. Ever since Zeus was a puppy he has shown pre-seizure activity, especially during Spring, and this year, what I always suspected could happen, did. Despite being informed and prepared, my mind still couldn’t wrap itself around what had just happened.
Witnessing your dog have a seizure is hard, and just like me, you’re probably wondering whether or not life is ever going to feel safe again. Your mind is likely running through a rolodex of reasons, trying to understand why.
While it can feel unnerving, many cases can be effectively managed, and in some situations, seizures may even resolve, but understanding what’s driving them is key.
Before we dive in, I want to be clear: I’m not a veterinarian. I’m a canine nutritionist and a dog mom who has gone deep into understanding seizures through both Western and Eastern frameworks, and I’m sharing what I’ve learned along the way.
Seizures are defined by Western medicine as excessive electrical activity in the brain, where groups of neurons suddenly begin firing in an excessive, synchronized, and uncontrolled way.
Common Types of Seizures:
Common Pre-Seizure Activity:
Common Seizure Activity:
Common Post-Seizure Activity:
Common Reasons Why Seizures Occur:
Emergency Symptoms: seek emergency vet care immediately
Western medicine uses various drugs that reduce or calm this excessive electrical activity in the brain. Work closely with your veterinarian to determine whether your dog needs drugs to control their seizures.
Seizures are defined in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a sudden disturbance of Shen (the spirit or mind), and all seizures are categorized under Internal Wind.
To understand Wind, we can look to nature. Think about how gusts of wind cause leaves to involuntarily shake. This mirrors what’s happening in your dog’s body, a surge of energy that leads to involuntary movement.
This internal Wind is often driven by excessive or unanchored Yang energy. Yang is warming and activating in nature and when it rises without restraint, it can overstimulate the brain and trigger seizures. In Western terms, this parallels the excessive electrical activity seen during a seizure.
In TCM, the focus isn’t just on the seizure. It’s on the internal patterns that created the conditions for it to happen. There are four main patterns that can produce seizures: Deficiency, Excess, Shao Yang, and Toxic-Heat.
Once the correct pattern(s) has been identified, Chinese herbs are used to help rebalance the dog’s system to eliminate or reduce the occurrence of seizures. TCM food therapy works the same way that Chinese herbs do. Food is a gentler method and doesn’t always reach the same depth as Chinese herbs.
It is important you work with someone who can correctly identify the pattern involved in your dog’s seizures as the wrong herbal formula or food approach can work against your dog.
Deficiency Seizures:
The dog lacks the cooling and stabilizing substances (Yin/Blood) needed to anchor Yang
Goal: cool, nourish, and anchor rising Yang
Food Therapy: cool and nourishing foods and vegetables to build Liver/Kidney Yin and Blood
Excess Seizures:
Phlegm obstructs the clear functioning of the brain, creating instability
Goal: transform Phlegm, drain Damp, strengthen Spleen Qi
Food Therapy: vegetables that transform Phlegm and drain Damp, strengthen Spleen Qi
Shao Yang Seizures:
The dog’s regulatory “pivot” is unstable, leading to improper movement of Qi and circulation
Goal: harmonize and restore proper movement
Food Therapy: aromatic herbs and leafy greens to move and direct Liver Qi
Toxic Heat Seizures:
External toxins or severe internal heat overwhelm the system
Goal: clear heat and detox
Food Therapy: cold and bitter greens to clear Heat and Toxicity
I strongly recommend feeding your dog a fresh food diet, and I am partial to cooked food. In my opinion, raw feeding can introduce variables that may not be ideal in more sensitive or unstable cases. I also recommend you keep your dog’s diet very simple so you can identify how your dog reacts to dietary input.
For most seizure diets, I would limit or omit foods that are overly warming and invigorating. From a TCM perspective, all seizures are a “gust of upwards energy”. Overly warming and stimulating foods can amplify that upward, reactive state.
How your dog's meals are cooked even matters. For example, kibble is cooked using high levels of heat. This method of cooking is drying, depleting and inflammatory to your dog's body.
Not all of these supplements are useful or appropriate for all types of seizures. I rely on TCM food therapy to guide my decisions on what supplements to use, depending on the patterns involved in the seizures.
MCT Oil: provides ketones, which can help stabilize brain energy and support inhibitory signaling
Food source: MCT oil, coconut oil
Omega-3: can help reduce rapid neural firing and inflammation in the brain, maintain membrane fluidity and stabilize neurotransmitter signaling to help prevent abnormal electrical firing.
Food source: fish oil supplement, sardine, mackerel, anchovy, salmon, herring
Magnesium: helps calm the central nervous system and reduces excessive electrical activity. Seizures can also deplete magnesium. Studies show many humans who experience seizures are low in magnesium so may be worth having your dog’s levels checked.
Food sources: pumpkin seeds, hempseeds, dark leafy greens, quinoa, avocado, seaweeds
B-Vitamins: B6 and B12 are especially important when it comes to nervous system health. B6 is needed to make GABA, which helps inhibit excessive electrical activity. Test your dog’s levels before supplementing.
Food sources: salmon, pork, poultry, liver, heart, nutritional yeast
Taurine: can help stabilize neurons and inhibit excessive electrical activity.
Food sources: heart, gizzards
Glycine: an amino acid that supports inhibitory signaling and helps reduce overactive nerve firing. It also balances the excitatory amino acids found in protein, and maintains the integrity of your dog’s gut lining.
Food sources: connective tissues, collagen, bone broth
Complex Carbs: can help settle some edgy nervous systems and stabilize blood sugar.
Food sources: low glycemic root vegetables, whole grains, legumes
Vitamin E: helps stabilize the brain's environment, protects against oxidative stress, making neurons less vulnerable to damage and overactivity. Also prevents fats from going rancid, and may help reduce seizure frequency.
Sources: use a supplement with mixed tocopherols
CBD Oil: some studies show CBD oil can reduce electrical activity in the brain. From a TCM perspective, it may also help reduce intense feelings that trigger “rising energy”.
Seizures are scary, but you don’t have to go through this alone.
Some cases resolve, others require long-term management, but all benefit from understanding what’s driving them.
If there’s one piece of advice that I can give YOU, it would be to stay present. Living with a seizure-prone dog can put you in a constant state of alert, and that takes a toll. Taking care of yourself allows you to show up as the grounded, steady presence your dog needs.
If you would like to work with me, book a package here: https://www.dogfoodtherapy.com/consultations
Looking for advice and help with your dog's diet and nutritional needs?
Book a one on one call with me where we'll go through your dog's history, habits and any current health concerns. You'll receive tailored recipes and food/herbal therapy guidance on what will best meet their needs. I am also available to chat if you have questions along the way!
