Epilepsy – a Worrisome Disease
There is little that is more worrisome than when your dog or cat suffers a seizure. You feel helpless and worried and doubtless your pet is disturbed by the seizure.
Epilepsy is the commonest cause of seizures in pets and is the most common neurological disorder in dogs with 0.5% to 5.0% of dogs and approximately 0.5% of cats exhibiting the condition but treatments are available and are usually quite effective.
The term ‘epilepsy’ comes from the Greek word epilambanein which means to ‘seize’ or ‘attack’.
What causes epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a mysterious brain disorder that causes animals to have recurrent seizures or convulsions.
Seizures can be caused by many conditions, not all of which are epilepsy and your veterinarian will need to diagnose the underlying malady by eliminating toxic causes, tumours, infections, cardiovascular pathology and many other diseases.
However, forty to eighty percent of dogs experiencing seizures have epilepsy. With true epilepsy, there is usually no underlying disease. The seizures that occur simply represent a brief period of dysfunction and are analogous to an ‘electrical storm’ within the brain.
Epilepsy is usually detected between six months to five years of age. Epilepsy can be inherited, with some breeds having a higher incidence. Such breeds include German Shepherds, Keeshonds, Miniature Poodles, Irish Setters, Cocker Spaniels, Labradors and Golden Retrievers.
A specific type of seizure known as temporal lobe epilepsy occurs in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and is characterized by behavioural manifestations such as ‘fly biting’ where the dog attempts to catch imaginary flies.
What does a seizure look like?
Pets often behave differently immediately before a seizure. They may appear depressed, confused, try to hide, become nervous or seek attention or they may simply howl or whine for a few seconds. This is called the prodromal stage and, in some cases, you may notice such behaviours hours or even days before the seizure.
The seizure itself can involve a variety of behaviours such as collapse, convulsions with uncontrollable limb movements, copious drooling, trembling, chewing (on nothing in particular) and urination and defecation.
Some animals may show a brief period of rage and this can be dangerous. A seizure may simply involve your dog chasing its own tail or some perceived (invisible) object.
During a seizure, the animal loses consciousness. Immediately after the episode, the animal will seem disoriented and confused and may even seem blind temporarily. Seizures can last anywhere from a few seconds to half an hour.
How will my vet diagnose epilepsy?
Seizures have many causes, so it is very important that you describe the seizure episode to the vet in as much detail as possible. Your vet will be especially interested in information about when the seizures were first noticed and when, and how often, they occur. A videotape of the seizure is extremely helpful.
Your veterinarian will initially perform a medical and neurological examination of your pet to detect any other causes of the seizures. Other causes can include various brain diseases, toxins or poisons, tumours, infections and various metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. If these causes of seizures are ruled out then the diagnosis will be epilepsy.
What treatments are available?
If seizures are not very common, your vet may ask you to simply monitor your pet for a while rather than starting treatment.
However, it is very important that frequent or prolonged seizures are treated because every seizure that occurs increases your dog’s susceptibility to more frequent seizures or to the dangerous condition called status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is a series of potentially fatal seizures occurring one after the other with no obvious break in between. Seizures can cause brain death, put you and your pet at risk of injury and are extremely unpleasant for your pet.
For frequent or prolonged seizures, medications are usually advised and they may be needed for life. Medications may not eliminate the condition entirely but they will reduce the risk to you and your pet. The medications will make your pet more comfortable and are likely to prolong its life by reducing the frequency of seizures.
Phenobarbital and primidone are the most efficacious anticonvulsant drugs. Potassium bromide is useful in dogs that do not respond to phenobarbital. Unfortunately, many of the medications used to treat epilepsy in humans don't work in dogs.
What do I do if my dog has a seizure?
Be very careful when handling your pet during a seizure to avoid injury to yourself or to your pet. You do not need to try to open its mouth, as dogs will not swallow their tongues. After the seizure, let your dog recover in a quiet, darkened environment while you obtain veterinary advice. However, if your dog appears to be seizuring for a long time (for longer than 5 minutes), you will need to take him to your veterinarian to stop the seizure, as the body temperature can increase to a dangerous level.
By Dr Cam Day BVSc BSc MANZCVS (Veterinary Behaviour) Full-time pet behaviour veterinarian
- Last updated 16 November 2012
