
Puppies are prone to ingesting toxic substances such as rat baits. As a result, if your puppy presents with seizures, your veterinarian will recommend a thorough diagnostic work-up.
New Delhi, October 6, 2019: There are few things as frightening as watching a dog have a seizure. Yet seizure disorders are surprisingly common in canines. Significant clues include the age of onset, the dog’s breed, and his response to treatment. A seizure is defined as uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain and seizures can run the gamut from very minor, focal seizures (a twitching of the face or a leg) to major convulsions in which a dog loses consciousness, may vocalize loudly, has uncontrolled muscle movements, and loses bowel and/ or bladder control. Causes of seizures can be divided by age group. For example, a dog less than six months of age with sudden onset of seizures likely has a congenital problem, infection with parasites or with a virus such as canine distemper or rabies, or toxin exposure.
Epilepsy at this age is extremely rare. The first step of evaluation is, as always, a thorough history. Puppies are prone to ingesting toxic substances such as rat baits. As a result, if your puppy presents with seizures, your veterinarian will recommend a thorough diagnostic work-up. This will start with a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel,urinalysis, and fecal examination. Bloodwork will evaluate for metabolic causes of seizures, such as liver failure, electrolyte abnormalities, or low blood sugar. A urinalysis will help determine how the kidneys are functioning, as well as look for evidence of any inflammation or infection within the urinary tract. Your vet may also recommend specific blood tests to rule out parasites such as Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. If those tests do not reveal a cause, your vet will refer you to a specialist for a cerebrospinal tap and imaging of the brain such as an MRI or CT scan. Because epilepsy is very rare in dogs this age, it is important to find the cause of the seizures.
Without definitive diagnosis, the underlying condition is likely to worsen, as are the seizures. If further testing is not financially possible, your veterinarian will start empirical treatment based on the suspected underlying cause. This may or may not be effective.
Dogs Aged Six Months to Five Years: Epilepsy becomes the most likely diagnosis in this age group when other causes are excluded. Epilepsy is not a disease per se. It is a description of seizure activity for which no underlying cause can be found. A diagnosis of epilepsy cannot be made definitively until every other cause of seizures is ruled out. The tests needed to rule out an underlying cause can be expensive, however, so this diagnosis is often made based on breed, clinical signs, and response to treatment. Beagles, Schnauzers, Collies, Cocker Spaniels, and Basset Hounds are predisposed to epilepsy. Your veterinarian will recommend the same set of diagnostic tests as for puppies and likely add a blood pressure measurement, thyroid levels, and x-rays of the chest and abdomen. If those are normal, the next steps are imaging of the brain as outlined above.In most cases, owners do not opt for the advanced testing and instead treat the suspected epilepsy with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).
Dogs Older Than Five Years: In dogs older than five, the most common cause of seizures is a brain tumour. These are generally benign tumours, such as meningiomas. Seizures can result from the tumor pressing on nearby structures as well as from swelling around the tumour. The same diagnostic algorithm is followed as above, and again, many owners opt to merely treat the seizures without an in-depth exploration of the causes. While brain tumours are generally benign and can be removed via surgery, they are invasive and carry a guarded prognosis for recovery.The causes of seizures are vast and varied. They can be broadly divided into extra-cranial (outside the brain) and intracranial (inside the brain). Extra-cranial diseases include metabolic disease such as liver failure, toxin ingestion like xylitol or bromethalin rat poison, insulinoma (a tumor of the pancreas causing low blood sugar), infectious diseases like rabies and canine distemper virus, parasitic infection, and electrolyte derangements. Intracranial causes are almost as varied and include cancer, inflammatory conditions such as necrotizing encephalomyelitis, previous head trauma leading to scar tissue formation within the brain, and vascular abnormalities like blood clots.
Dog Seizure Treatments: The first step in treatment may be nothing at all. If seizures are short and not frequent, treatment may not be necessary. While they are difficult to witness, if the seizures are brief (under five minutes) and self-limiting, then they are not dangerous to your dog. In this case, your veterinarian may not prescribe medication but simply have you keep a “seizure journal.” This involves writing down when the seizures happen, what could have precipitated them (stress, anxiety, sleep), how long it lasted, and how long it takes your pet to recover. Your veterinarian will use this log to help dictate when to start treatment and what treatment to start. In general, if the seizures are mild and infrequent, therapy is not recommended. If they are severe and frequent, or the dog has a history of previous head trauma, or if there is an obvious lesion on CT/MRI (such as a brain tumour), AEDs should be started. If the seizures are becoming a problem, medication is the first step. There are four commonly used AEDs in veterinary medicine, but more drugs are currently under study and are tentatively being used.
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