I Think Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog Should See a Vet
The other day my mother forwarded me the link to the newest canine viral video, Bizkit the Sleep Walking Dog. The video had already been featured on the Yahoo! home page, so I knew it was getting millions of hits. My nephew purportedly watched the video a dozen times, laughing riotously all the while. I decided to see what the fuss was about.
My initial reaction to the video was to think that Bizkit needs to see a neurologist. Undoubtedly, sleep walking occurs in normal dogs. But Bizkit’s efforts are extreme. And it is not common for dogs to wake up snarling and then run headlong into a wall. Bizkit could hurt himself or someone else, I thought. What if, next time this happens, Bizkit is lying next to the stairs and falls down them? To me, the events in the video looked more like a seizure than like normal sleep walking.
I doubted my own assessment of the situation until I reviewed the sequel to the video, Bizkit the Sleep Walking Barking Dog. This video features the same star in the same room, from a different angle. Bizkit again goes through a violent episode of running in his sleep.
What happens next in the video is not normal. Bizkit awakes, raises his hackles, barks, and stares into space for over a minute. This behavior is typical of dogs recovering from a seizure or similar neurological event.
Bizkit’s owners didn’t ask for my advice, but here it is: I would strongly recommend that Bizkit see the vet for a full neurological evaluation. Bizkit’s behaviors could be harmless, but they also could be symptoms of a serious problem.
You have questions. 
I am not a veterinarian but I am a dog lover and I thought the same thing when I viewed this video. This animal needs a medical evaluation to be provided by his owners instead of being made the laughing stock of the internet. That they saw humor in this disturbs me.
I agree that this dog needs a neurological evaluation. My cat, Sammy, had seizures and they looked very much like this. If anyone else has a pet who is exhibiting behavior like this, please make sure that it is normal and not a neurological problem. Sammy’s seizures becme so frequent and severe that we had to make the heartbreaking decision to put him to sleep. Despite the best care, his seizures were not controllable. Our baby was only 7 months old.
I agree. The videos are disturbing and when they are presented as a form of entertainment it did evoke concern that the owners were not caring enough to have the dog medically assessed. If however you read the comments by the owner, she states that her dog has been acting in this manner every time her dog sleeps ever since she was a puppy. The owner has had the dog visited by a veterinarian resulting only in a prescription for Valium for the dog. The dog is now 14 years old, seemingly fine otherwise and is loved by her owner.
I have had three dogs in the past who have suffered through seizures. It is awful to see! As soon as I saw the video of that poor dog supposedly sleepwalking, I knew that he was experiencing a seizure. I do not find anything humerous about that video. I hope that they get that dog to a new vet asap!!!!! That video should NOT be shown on the internet any longer.
[...] reading your comments and reading the Dr. Barchas analysis and then watching a longer clip of the same dog having another episode. This one I will call an [...]
I agree, it was disturbing to see. Even if it were not a seizure but it was really sleepwalking…….as a person who also sleep walks it’s a horrible thing to live thru too. And to be able to fully function while sleeping is pretty scary.
I’ve woken up with black eyes and not when what ever I did injured me. I’ve woken up outside and not known how I got there.
I’ve woken with a baseball bat and hammer in our bed. My husband was as disturbed by these discoveries as I was!
LOL! I hate it when I wake up sobbing too. Which is what happens when my husband has caught me sleepwallking and tries to wake me. Scared him when I suddenly started sobbing and screaming and ran back to bed and hid under the covers! Now he just gently leads me back to bed and then is unable to sleep for a while! Don’t blame him!
But I tell you, even when my dogs are dreaming and I know they are safe, and they start to bark and cry and really breathe hard, I can’t help but comfort them.
That poor dog. I didn’t find the video funny at all, and I’m glad to hear that others are similarly concerned for the dog’s well being. One of my dogs sometimes cries, barks and moves during sleep (not as extreme as Bizkit), and I gently wake her whenever I hear it. She is the strong, silent type (was bit by a snake and did not make a sound) so I believe that her sleep-crying means she’s having a bad dream (she also has a BB in her back leg, from before we rescued her). Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing, but I also know my dog very well.
I agree with all of you, and I say the same as Elena: I am glad to hear that many people are concerned about Bizkit. Many of you suggest a vet for Bizkit. I completely agree, and I strongly recommend a psychiatrist for his owner, who must be on the brink of a mental illness. How could she possibly go on filming her dog while he hit his head against the wall!!! Would she do the same with any of her children (if she has any)?
This woman should not be allowed to own a pet. This poor animal is in danger with this person!
I have seen dogs do this before and i have to be honest with you all. i do something similar. i have woken up outside and down the street from my house before as a kid and my parents couldn’t believe that i got out of the house witout making a noise. Our dog did this once or twice and we just laughed and gave him a little love. i bet the owners love this dog, and you should not be so concerned about it.
Bizkit is fine. I hope you will understand when I say, I prefer to listen to her vet, as well as look at the obvious. She has been sleep walking since birth, she is now 14 and is alive and well. By the way, she often wags her tail and trots along in her dreams, she also looks for and chews on bones in her sleep. I guess those are seizures too. Some of you people need to get over yourselves.