Seizures are terrifying to watch. Even the mild ones disturb owners—it’s frightening to see some force shaking your animal as you look on helplessly.

Seizures are particularly frightening the first time they happen. Kathi Dvorak, who owns and shows standard schnauzers, recalled the first time her dog Korie had a seizure. The dog was lying on the family room couch at the time, while her husband watched television.

"She started to seize, and we didn’t have a clue what it was," she said. "We’d never seen a seizure before—you think, ‘Oh, God, I did something—what did I feed her? Was it a treat?"

Liz Hansen, coordinator of veterinary information for the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, which runs the Canine Epilepsy Network, recalled a nurse who had dealt with seizures in humans, and then encountered one with her dog. "She said ‘I should know this, but I panicked.’"

Some dogs lose control of their bladder, or empty their anal glands during a seizure. Ms. Dvorak places towels under her dog to make clean up easier.

Seizures range in severity—anything from facial twitching to uncontrollable thrashing—and can be caused by a variety of causes, including inherited genetic mutations and brain damage. Seizures that continue, repeating again and again over time, are termed epilepsy. Epilepsy is much more common in dogs than cats.

"It looks very violent," said Dr. Thomas Flegel of the neurology service of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Science at Ohio State University. "The good news is the animal doesn’t feel pain and probably doesn’t even remember after the seizure what happened."

If it’s an epileptic seizure, the best thing to do is the last thing people generally want to hear, Dr. Flegel said. "Leave the animal alone and don’t touch it."

If the pet is on a hard surface, you should give it some cushioning, but you should stay away from the mouth—a seizing dog might bite without realizing what it’s doing.

Some dogs lose control of their bladder, or empty their anal glands during a seizure. Ms. Dvorak places towels under her dog to make clean up easier. Korie also foams at the mouth during seizures, but owners should be wary about using the same method for that. The dog will often "chomp" during a seizure, and if they chomp at the towel, they can start to swallow it, she said.

If the pet is near something it’s likely to hit its head on—the leg of a table for instance, move the object to a safe distance. Also keep other animals away from dogs suffering seizures. Ms. Hansen has two epileptic dogs—and one with scars on his legs where his father bit him during a seizure. "It’s doing something weird and the other dog doesn’t know what to do about it," she said. "Sometimes the other dogs will attack the dog that’s seizing."

Watching the dog is important. Ms. Dvorak recalled a person who found her dog had gotten an electrical cord wrapped around its neck during a seizure—child safety devices that keep the cords attached to the wall are a good idea.

People are often worried about their pet "swallowing its tongue." That won’t happen, professionals said, so leave the tongue alone—don’t try to pull it from the mouth. All you’ll do is put yourself in danger of being bitten.

After the seizure, the dog will often be disoriented and confused—putting them in more danger of injury then than during the actual seizure, Ms. Dvorak said.

"She started to seize, and we didn’t have a clue what it was," Kathy Dvorak said. "We’d never seen a seizure before—you think, ‘Oh, God, I did something—what did I feed her? Was it a treat?"

Some go temporarily blind, some seem to be seeing or hearing things, some pace endlessly, and others just bump into things. You’ll need to keep the dog confined to a safe area—a pen or crate works well—to prevent it from falling down stairs or knocking into walls. You should also keep clear of the dog’s mouth—dogs remain disoriented and will still bite in this stage.

But your primary role during the seizure will be to observe, Ms. Hansen said. You should watch the animal and take notes on what’s happening—the time the seizure began, what the dog was doing beforehand, how long it lasts. You and your veterinarian can use the information to see whether a pattern emerges, which will help with the diagnosis.

Very few dogs injure themselves during seizures, Dr. Flegel said. He’s seen a couple of bitten tongues, but not much else. The danger comes in seizures that continue for an extended length of time.

A typical seizure will last 10 seconds to three minutes. Anything that lasts longer than five minutes constitutes an emergency and the pet should be rushed to the hospital. The pet should also be taken to the veterinarian if it has more than three seizures in a 24-hour period, or anything about the seizure seems out of the ordinary, Ms. Hansen said.

An animal that seizes for more than 30 minutes in a row can suffer brain damage, Dr. Flegel said. Repeated seizures can have the same effect. Seizing wears the dog’s body out and raises the temperature dangerously. "Generally it’s just that everything is firing at once—it’s like they’ve run a marathon when they’re done," Ms. Hansen said.

You should have a plan in advance for getting your dog to a veterinarian during a seizure—if it’s a big dog and you’ll need two people, arrange that before the emergency happens, Ms. Hansen said.

You should cover the dog with a blanket before you lift it, to help keep from being bitten, Dr. Flegel said. Put the dog on the floor of the car if you can, to keep it from falling off the seat. Don’t leave the blanket on the dog—if anything, you want to keep the pet cool due to its rising body temperature. Open the windows or turn on the air conditioning.

You can also use a blanket as a kind of stretcher to carry the dog, if you have two people. It’s best if you can slide the pet into a crate for transportation—you won’t have to worry about it thrashing around or injuring itself while you drive.

When you find out your dog has epilepsy, ask questions of the veterinarian until you’re sure you understand the problem, Ms. Hansen said.

"A lot of people think a seizure is a death sentence—it’s not," she said. "It’s confusing, it’s frightening and it’s very scary, but there’s hope out there. A lot of dogs live happy lives with epilepsy."

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