| Epilepsy in Dogs |
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There are many different causes of seizures or fits in dogs, but ‘idiopathic epilepsy’, which is often a genetic condition, is one of the commonest. Certain breeds are more frequently affected than others. Typically the condition starts young, often in the first year of life, and is more common in males. ‘Fits’ can vary in nature, from momentary absences to fullblown seizures where the dog loses awareness of its surroundings, lies down, and thrashes its limbs. The dog will not swallow its tongue so do not attempt to go near its mouth as you could get bitten. The best thing to do is to move anything it could hurt itself on, then reduce the light and any noise and wait for it to come out of the fit. If it does not stop seizuring after 5 minutes (which is a long time if you are watching it), contact the vet straight away. Status epilepticus is a term used to describe a prolonged seizure. Cluster seizures occur when the dog comes out of one fit and shortly afterwards goes into another. These two conditions are life-threatening and require immediate veterinary attention and treatment. A single, short fit can happen to any dog or human and is not usually investigated or treated if the dog is otherwise well. If another occurs though, we recommend a full clinical examination and blood profile to rule out other causes of seizures. If all tests are normal, we are left with a diagnosis of primary epilepsy, although tumours are a rare cause which may also throw up normal blood tests – your vet will know if this is a possiblity and advise you accordingly. We generally do not recommend starting treatment for epilepsy unless the dog is having fits regularly, for instance monthly, or they are prolonged. This is because treatment, once started, generally needs to be continued for life, and also the drugs used can have their own side-effects. We usually use phenobarbitone as the first line treatment. This drug needs to be given every 12 hours, and when first used it can make the dog drowsy and/or hungry. These side-effects usually settle down after a short while and are not a reason to stop the treatment. Blood tests will need to be taken after 2-3 weeks to see if the drug is at the right level, and if not the level will need to be adjusted and a further blood test taken after another 2-3 weeks. Once stable blood levels are reached and the fits are under control, six-monthly blood testing will be required to ensure that adequate blood levels are being maintained and that the liver is not being affected by the phenobarbitone. If it is, you will be advised on various courses of action to minimise the problem. Sometimes, potassium bromide (KBr) treatment will be recommended as well as the phenobarbitone, or occasionally on its own. KBr takes much longer to reach therapeutic levels in the blood so monitoring blood tests will be done after a month and then again at 4-6 months. Annual testing will still be recommended. Approximate cost for treatment and blood testing is as below (correct Feb 09)Phenobarbitone testing = £25.50 +VAT = £29.33KBr test = £27+vat = £31.72 Annual test phenobarb + liver profile = £36.21 +vat = £41.64 Pheno + Kbr + liver profile = £44.50 +vat = £55.78 First consultation = £16.32 + vat = £18.77 Follow up consultation = £12 + vat = £14.50 Take blood fee = £5+vat = £5.75 Approximate cost of Phenobarbitone per month for 20kg dog = £13 Approximate cost of KBr per month for 20kg dog = £12 |
