The Epileptic Dog And How You Can Help

Epilepsy is the diagnosis given when seizures occur frequently, but it is possible for a pet to have seizures for many reasons during their life. The disease is an indication that a problem exists within the brain. For an epileptic dog, these seizures relate to having an electrical storm inside their brain.

This type of problem is actually common, and as much as four percent of all dogs are likely to experience it within their lives. The percentage can be much greater in certain breeds because the disease is confirmed to be hereditary. Certain breeds that experience higher percentages may be in the upward of fourteen percent.

A gene mutation is responsible for the inherited form of epilepsy. A particular research project is run by the Canine Epilepsy Project and funded by grants from breed clubs, various health foundations and private donations. Their goal is in determining the specific gene that is responsible for this disease.

Those pets that inherit the particular gene often begin to have seizures between the ages of one and three. This particular disease is extremely unpredictable and can be related to particular events. There are those that suffer with regular occurrences, but even then the patterns may be difficult to pinpoint.

If no tumor is involved, the treatment is likely to be some form of medication. It is extremely important to control not only the number of them, but the severity of each one. Cluster seizures are often life-threatening to the dog; most always resulting in a loss of consciousness.

All medication has some sort of side effects, but it is important to weigh that against the damage that may be caused by the disease. If the dog has a seizure once every couple of months, then this is too frequent and they need medication. Brain damage becomes a very likely possibility the more seizures that they experience.

A good medication and often the first choice is Phenobarbital; it has few adverse reactions. Long-term use may cause difficulty for some dogs due to the possibility of liver damage. It will be necessary while taking this medication for pets to have liver functions monitored on a regular basis.

Because of liver difficulty, there may be a time when Phenobarbital can no longer be taken and bromide may become a substitute medication as treatment. Veterinarians have approval from the FDA to use it for the treatment of epilepsy and it has been successful for a number of years. It is important to monitor the salt intake of the pet while taking bromide and limit it accordingly.

A change in diet and a healthy diet can make improvements for the pet suffering from epilepsy. Preservatives in the food can be a related cause for the seizures. Research the type of food that they are eating and try to feed them both no preservatives and low-sodium to try and eliminate frequent seizures, this is especially important in those breeds more prone to the problem.

Unfortunately, the pet will always be required to take medication to prevent seizure from occurring. Remember that it is extremely important to never adjust a dosage without the permission of their veterinarian. Like humans, their systems develop a dependency for these drugs and any change may cause a seizure in an epileptic dog.