Seizures, a bigger problem for dogs than humans

DR. UTCHEN: We think our dog had a seizure. He stumbled and lay down, and his whole body seemed to spasm for about 10 seconds. After that, he lay quietly for about five minutes and then got up but seemed disoriented.

Can dogs have epilepsy?

A: Yes, epilepsy occurs in dogs just like it does in people. For most dogs that are epileptic, the first seizure of their lives occur before the age of 3.

Seizures are manifest on a whole continuum of behaviors.

They can be brief, lasting only a few seconds, and mild, involving no more than a little twitching, sometimes limited to one part of the body.

Conversely, they can be prolonged and violent, involving a full-body convulsion for several minutes. Some dogs even have what are called clusters of seizures, where a group of several seizures occurs over a period of a few days, or within one day.

Is an epileptic seizure harmful by itself?

The answer depends on the severity and duration of the seizure.

A prolonged seizure of several minutes or more can result in a rise in body temperature up to a level that is dangerous to the brain.

Even without a high body temperature, seizures can cause the excess release of a neurotransmitter in the brain called Glutamate, which allows excess calcium to enter the neurons in the brain and can damage them.

However, brief seizures are unlikely to cause any measurable physical damage to the brain.

Although there are various medical conditions that can cause seizures, a physical examination and blood tests can help a veterinarian determine whether the cause is true epilepsy.

I describe epilepsy as a condition where the brain periodically begins mis-firing and results in a seizure from time to time.

Generally this begins with a single small group of neurons, sort of like a spark plug, and spreads to the rest of the brain.

Admittedly, while that is a vast oversimplification, that explanation emphasizes the point that with epilepsy, nothing else is wrong with the body, and during the interval of time between seizures there is nothing else abnormal with an epileptic dog.

Usually, a dog with epilepsy who does not take medications to help prevent seizures from occurring will have seizures at a somewhat regular interval maybe as infrequently as
once a year, or as frequently as weekly, although that is not common.

I do not usually recommend a client treat their dog to help prevent seizures if the frequency of seizures is only every four to six months, unless the seizures are extremely prolonged or occur in clusters.

The fact is that there is no agreed-upon frequency of seizures above which a dog must be medicated.

The important thing to know is that epilepsy in dogs is more common than most people realize, and generally can be well managed with either of a few different medications.

Most commonly, Potassium Bromide is used. This is a liquid that dogs take once a day, usually by having it squirted on their food.

Other dogs respond better to Phenobarbital, which is given in tablet form twice a day.

Uncommonly, liver damage may occur, so if your dog is epileptic and takes Phenobarbital, blood tests should be done every six to 12 months to be sure everything is well.

Sometimes both drugs are used together, and less commonly used human medications, such as Keppra, Gabapentin, Klonopin Felbatol, and others are occasionally employed.

If your dog has a seizure, it is important to react properly.

Do not put your hands near a dog's mouth while he or she is seizing.

There is no truth to the myth that dogs can swallow their tongue during a seizure. Do your best to move your dog to an area on the floor away from furniture and other objects that he or she could be injured by.

Call your veterinarian and take your dog in at once. It is important the veterinarian examine your dog because there are various other reasons that a dog could have a seizure; poisoning by ingestion of snail bait, too much chocolate, or low blood sugar.

In most cases, blood tests are done to help determine the underlying cause for the seizure so that therapy, if indicated, can be instituted immediately.