Canine Epilepsy In Dogs

Canine epilepsy represents at least 14% of neurological consultations in veterinary medicine, though this is not a very high number, it is considered the most common neurological problem in dogs and is the most common type of seizure in dogs. The major problem with canine epilepsy is that the condition is not very well understood and most of the information on the subject of dogs has come from aspects in human epilepsy. Epilepsy in dogs is only diagnosed after every other disease and option has been ruled out, making canine epilepsy diagnosed by the absence of positive signs. There are also many different types of epileptic seizures making the diagnoses even harder to find. Currently, there are medications that can somewhat control and manage
These types of seizures can either be generalized (affecting both cerebral hemispheres) or focal (where electrical disturbance is limited to specific areas of the brain) (Rusbridge 2014). Idiopathic epilepsy is presented with tonic-clonic seizures with conscience loss (grand mal) and is recurrent in dogs. The clonic phase is presented with loss of consciousness, salivation, urination, defecation and cyanosis and the tonic phase follows with chewing movements of limb tugs. It is believed that idiopathic epilepsy is genetically inherited and typically starts between the ages of six to nine months old. The inheritance of idiopathic epilepsy is said to be complex and is the result of polygenic susceptible alleles along with environmental influences. It is difficult for breeders to select against the disorder because of the lack of a definitive diagnostic test and age onset. The only way to come to the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy is to rule out any other diseases. Idiopathic epilepsy is diagnosed by looking at: the absence of interictal abnormalities, age onset, history of seizures, diet, severity and frequency. Genetics confers risk of epilepsy and affects the success of treatment which helps explain why some breeds such as: German Shepherds, Beagles, Labradors, etc. are more predisposed to the disease. Another probable cause of epilepsy may be from “an alteration in AED [antiepileptic drug] target, ie. decreased sensitivity to treatment, or overexpression of blood-brain barrier drug transport proteins limiting penetration of AEDs into the brain” (Rusbridge 2014). Though idiopathic epileptic seizures are not random, they are also not triggered by environmental or outside factors like season, time of day, weather, etc. However, there are some triggers that can cause an