Dog seizure diary: what to write down
This guide is general information and not a substitute for your veterinarian. For your own dog, your vet is always the right person to ask.
The first seizure is a shock, and the second one makes it clear this is something you'll be living with for a while. A seizure diary is the tool that keeps you on top of it. The short version: after each seizure you note six things. The date and time, how long it lasted, what it looked like, what happened just before, how the recovery went, and any medication you gave.
Below we go through each one, why your vet needs exactly that, and there's a template you can print. It works the same for dogs and cats. It's written here for dogs.
Want the sheet now? Print the seizure diary template. It has the six columns below already drawn, so you can start with the next episode.
All our other sheets are on the printable pet health logs page.
Why your vet asks for a seizure diary
Your vet sees your dog for a few minutes in the exam room. They almost never see the seizures. The diary is the window into the weeks in between, and from that window they read the things that shape the treatment.
- How often the seizures happen, and whether they're getting more frequent.
- What they look like, because some medications work better for certain seizure types.
- Whether a new dose or a new medication has actually changed anything.
- Whether any triggers or patterns show up, like the same time of day.
Memory can't do this. After the third seizure the first two blur together, and "maybe last month, two or three times?" doesn't help anyone. Written down, a feeling becomes a number the two of you can work with.
What to write down after a seizure
This belongs in every entry. You don't need full sentences. A few words is plenty.
- Date and time. The time too, so patterns across the day can show up.
- How long it lasted. From the start until the body settled. A rough estimate beats nothing, but check the clock if you can.
- What it looked like. Was your dog conscious or absent. Did the whole body convulse or just one part. Drooling, jaw chomping, paddling legs, loss of bladder or bowel control.
- What happened just before. The setting, the time, excitement, food, sleep. Not every seizure has a trigger, but over weeks something sometimes emerges.
- The recovery. How long your dog was confused, wobbly, hungry, or worn out afterward. That phase often tells you as much as the seizure itself.
- Medication and dose. What you gave and when, and whether a regular dose was missed or brought back up.
And if you can, take a short video. Twenty seconds on your phone tells your vet more than a full page of description, because they get to see the seizure themselves.
When a seizure is an emergency
Most seizures are over in a minute or two and are not an emergency, frightening as they look. But call your vet or an emergency clinic now if:
- A single seizure lasts longer than five minutes.
- Several seizures come close together (this is called cluster seizures).
- Your dog doesn't fully come round between two seizures.
- It's the very first seizure, or your dog has hurt themselves.
A seizure that won't stop is an emergency where every minute counts. There's more in our guides on cluster seizures in dogs and seizure first aid. In every other case, the diary is your calm tool for the time afterward.
How to record it when everything's chaos
While your dog is seizing, you're not thinking about the log, and you shouldn't be. In that moment it's only about them: stay calm, move anything dangerous out of the way, keep your hands away from the mouth, and glance at the clock if you can.
The writing comes after. If you can reach your phone, film the last few seconds, that's often enough. Jot down three words right afterward, no more. Half of what you meant to capture comes back to you that evening anyway, and you fill it in then, calmly. A patchy entry is far better than none.
How long to keep the diary
Ideally from diagnosis onward, and then for good. It matters most around any change: a new medication, a higher dose, a switch to a different drug. That's exactly when your vet wants to see whether the seizures shift, and exactly when memory is least reliable.
Keep the quiet weeks too, the ones where nothing happens. An empty stretch isn't wasted space in the diary, it's the answer to how well the treatment is working right now. With Charly, the pattern only showed up once we had three months on paper in a row.
Notebook, spreadsheet, or app?
The honest answer: the best seizure diary is the one you actually keep. All three work, they just have different strengths.
- A notebook on the fridge is always there, never runs out, and needs no battery. For a lot of people that's all it takes. Our printable template gives you the right columns to fill in.
- A spreadsheet is easy to sort and carry if you like working on a computer.
- An app can remind you about the medication and keep your entries in one place for the vet visit.
That's exactly what Felova does, an app that reminds you about doses and keeps your notes in one place for the vet. It's on Android now. If you'd rather stay on paper, a notebook on the fridge does the same honest work. What matters is that you keep it up, whichever way you choose.
Common questions
What do I do if I missed a seizure?
Add it as soon as you notice, even if only the date and rough time are certain. Note that you didn't see the start so your vet reads the entry correctly. An incomplete entry is better than a gap.
Do I have to film every seizure?
No. Look after your dog and keep them safe first. Only if you're steady and your hands are free does a short video help. If a video isn't possible, a careful description is enough.
Is a plain notebook enough?
Yes. It's not the tool that matters, it's that every seizure is in there with its date, time, length, and what happened. A notebook you actually keep beats any app you never open.
Felova does exactly this kind of tracking, a calm place to log seizures and medication so the picture is there when your vet needs it. It's on Android now.
Get it on Android →