Health & Wellness: Canine Epilepsy Causes, Resources & Treatment

5% of dogs and 1% of humans live with epilepsy.

6 CATEGORIES OF CANINE EPILEPSY

1. Metabolic causes of seizures include low blood sugar (overdosing of insulin; poor nutrition; pancreatic tumors), low calcium (animals that have just delivered a litter and/or are nursing large numbers of puppies/kittens; parathyroid disease), kidney failure (because there is an accumulation of toxic substances that the kidneys normally get rid of); and certain liver disorders.

2. Toxic causes of seizures may include things such as medications, pesticides (like metaldehyde, found in some slugbaits), certain plants, nicotine ingestion, illegal drugs and so on.

3. Degenerative causes would include oxygen deprivation to the brain and vascular accidents like a bleeding problem in the brain from trauma or a ruptured blood vessel.

4. Neoplasia (tumor) is another potential cause of seizures. Tumors may be primary, meaning the tumor originated in the brain, or secondary, meaning a tumor from another location has metastasized (moved to) the brain.

5. Inflammation/infection is a very large category of reasons seizures may occur. Viruses (canine distemper), bacteria, parasites, tick borne diseases (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis, etc.), protozoal (neospora, toxoplasma) and fungal infections are all things that may create seizures.

6. Idiopathic (genetic) epilepsy is the most common type of seizure disorder diagnosed in dogs. This type of seizure is typically seen in young animals and diagnosed when all other reasons have been ruled out.

To diagnose the cause of seizures requires several things. A thorough history is crucial. Age of the animal, detailed accounts of seizure episodes and seizure timelines, exposure to drugs, toxins or a history of trauma are all very helpful bits of information. General lab work is absolutely necessary. Once lab results and history have been collected, other tests may follow such as scans (MRI or CT) of the head, CSF (fluid around the brain/spinal cord) analysis, or more detailed lab testing.Treatment plans are completely dependent on the cause of the seizure.

CANINE EPILEPSY ONLINE RESOURCES

• The Canine Epilepsy Group on YahooGroups is a place to share information on Canine Epilepsy. You can subscribe to this group by sending an email here.
  

• The EPI Guardian Angels
• Canine Epilepsy Network
• Canine Epilepsy Resource Center
• Fly Biting Syndrome
• Google Scholar
• Google Scholar search for "Canine Epilepsy Cure"
• The PetCenter.com on epilepsy (with videos)
• The Epil-K9 Mailing List
• The Canine Health Alternatives Group on YahooGroups
  is a place to share information on alternative diets and treatments.

CANINE EPILEPSY SPECIALISTS

• Neurologist, DVM, (916)792-6387
  1100 Atlantic St., Roseville, CA

CANINE EPILESPY TREATMENT & DRUGS

• Anti-Convulsant & Anti-Epileptic Drugs (Wikipedia)
• Anti-epileptic drug information
• Antiepileptic Drugs: An Overview (WebMD)
• Diet: High protein & low carbohydrate diets are said to reduce the frequency and duration of seizures. All caretakers of dogs with epilepsy should optimize the dog's diet. Some local raw diets are available through vendors on the Nutrition page.
• Newer Antiepileptic Drugs:
  Gabapentin, Lamotrigine, Felbamate, Topiramate and Fosphenytoin
• Keppra (Levetiracetam)
• Phenobarbital

      There are many more modern drugs available. Do your home work.

CANINE EPILEPSY NOTES

• IVERMECTIN has been known to cause seizures.
• PERMETHRIN has been known to cause seizures.
• PYRENTHINS has been known to cause seizures.
• Pine (yes pine needles & pine-sol) has been said to cause seizures.
• Breads made from Agene-treated Flour

If you know of any research or resources that can contribute to this knowledgebase,
please email your infomration to the webmaster.