Someone asked the editor that her dog was diagnosed with epilepsy. At first, she just flicked her ears. She thought it was ear mites, but then she applied ear bleach and it had no effect. After a while, the symptoms got worse, and she would tremble from time to time at night. Every time, she was so frightened that she was at a loss. She could only watch it twitching, but she didn't know what to do.

When encountering this situation, be sure not to panic, but stay calm! When an epilepsy occurs, the dog itself is unconscious, has no idea what is happening, and cannot feel pain. Let me reiterate! At this time, you must calm down and observe carefully to avoid harm to yourself or it:

· Remove any objects from around the dog to avoid injury during the attack;

· Keep a certain distance from the dog and never put your hands close to the head. It is likely to bite unconsciously during the attack;

· Turn off the lights, TV or music to make the entire environment as quiet and comfortable as possible to avoid stimulating it again;

· Record the number, duration and severity of the dog’s epileptic seizures (even if they occur again, this needs to be recorded);

· Do not move a seizure-prone dog unless it is in a dangerous area (such as an edge);

· After the epilepsy stops, be sure to comfort it gently and not too hard, otherwise it is easy to have another seizure;

· Recall what the dog did or ate before the seizure;

In addition, once the following situations occur, please contact a nearby doctor for help as soon as possible.

· The seizure lasts for more than 2 minutes;

· More than two seizures within 24 hours;

· Repeated trembling behavior;

In fact, during the entire epileptic seizure process, its duration is very important. In most cases, it will not be long (1-2 minutes). If it exceeds 5 minutes, it will enter the so-called epilepsy reaccumulation state. Dogs will have breathing problems and their tongues will turn purple due to lack of oxygen, which is a very dangerous situation. There is no need to wait (you are risking your life by waiting), wrap its limbs in blankets (remember to dissipate heat) and send it to the doctor immediately.

Are convulsions necessarily epilepsy?

No, poisoning dogs can also induce convulsions. Especially in the summer, every household uses items such as mosquito coils and insecticides, and the pyrethrins contained in these items can cause convulsions as long as dogs (including cats) come into contact with them. , it may be poisoned and induce convulsions, but it will not relapse like epilepsy.It can be stopped as long as it is cured. Therefore, if your dog has convulsions, it is best to take him to the hospital for examination and do not rush to a conclusion~

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is caused by excessive excitability of certain neurons in the brain, resulting in sudden and temporary abnormalities in brain function. Due to different neuron locations, transient sensory impairment (loss of consciousness), limb twitching, loss of consciousness, behavioral disorders, or abnormal autonomic nervous function may occur during an attack. And these symptoms can appear alone or at the same time, but only when they occur repeatedly can it be called epilepsy.

Epilepsy is usually divided into two types: primary/spontaneous) and secondary/symptomatic.

Primary epilepsy

It is a genetic disease in dogs that accounts for the majority of epileptic seizures. Dogs with this type of epilepsy have normal brain structure but abnormal brain function.

The reason may be that long-term inbreeding has caused the cerebral cortex and subcortical centers to be hypersensitive to external stimuli and prone to extremely slight external stimuli. It may also be caused by environmental factors, such as thunderstorms, strong light exposure, or shock.

This kind of primary epilepsy is generally more common in dogs between 6 months and 6 years old, and as the age increases, the number of seizures will become more frequent and the severity will become more severe.

Secondary epilepsy

It may be caused by various reasons such as insufficient oxygen supply to the brain caused by environmental hypoxia, decreased liver function due to hypoglycemia, liver disease, and damage to the circulatory system.

The most common conditions are head trauma (or brain parasites), tumors, inflammation, infection, and degenerative brain diseases. In addition, peripheral nerve damage, allergic reactions, and extreme stimulation can also trigger epileptic seizures.

What symptoms occur during an epileptic seizure?

There is not just one type of epilepsy, and the symptoms of each type are not the same, and some dogs may have only one type or multiple types of epilepsy.

However, most epileptic seizures are preceded by no warning signs, last only a short time, and stop quickly. Fortunately, dogs cannot harm themselves during an epileptic seizure.

Partial/focal seizures

As the name suggests, epileptic seizures only affect part of the body or muscle groups. Most epilepsy falls into this category, but it is often ignored because of its localized onset and short seizure duration.

If you notice strange facial twitching, drooling, or uncontrollable limbs,If there is any jitter, it is best to record a video for the doctor’s reference.

Generalized epileptic seizure

Although this is easy to identify, it is a relatively serious symptom of epilepsy. The dog will suddenly fall to the ground and then make movements similar to running or pedaling. And there is incontinence of urine and feces, drooling (or even foaming at the mouth), dilated pupils, and loss of consciousness.

Even if consciousness gradually returns after the attack is over, all nervous system functions cannot be restored, and short-term (a few seconds or days) visual loss, ataxia, confusion, mental depression, fatigue or other symptoms may occur. If it lasts for a long time (more than 2 days is recommended), it is recommended to go to a nearby hospital for a check-up.

Note: It may also occur suddenly during sleep or rest.

Partial epilepsy evolves into generalized seizures

This is the most common type among dogs with epilepsy. Due to the inconspicuous convulsions and short onset time of partial epilepsy, when it evolves into generalized epilepsy, we often mistakenly think that the epilepsy type belongs to the latter, so when the doctor When making a diagnosis, be sure to tell the doctor what happened before your dog had a seizure.

What do I need to tell the doctor?

For example, the duration of the epilepsy, whether the body was twisted during the attack, whether the legs were twitching, how stiff the limbs were during the epilepsy, whether the eyes were moving or wide open, whether there was drooling or foaming, whether the breathing was smooth, and whether there was incontinence of urine and feces. , whether there is still consciousness, etc.

You should also tell what you did and what you ate before the seizure. Don’t be afraid of remembering too much. After all, the symptoms of epilepsy vary. In addition to normal diagnosis, doctors also rely on your description to determine the cause of epilepsy.

How will the doctor diagnose?

No test can directly diagnose, and only the "diagnosis of exclusion" method can be used. The doctor will usually first ask about the age of onset of the dog, the type and frequency of seizures, and then follow up with a comprehensive physical examination, a comprehensive neurological examination, blood tests for FIP, FeLV, FIV and toxoplasmosis, liver function tests (bile acids), Urine tests, X-rays, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid and CT scans (if no problem is found, it may be classified as primary epilepsy), MRI and other tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Can this disease be cured? How to treat it?

In most cases, epilepsy cannot be cured because cure requires knowledge of the underlying disease or targeted treatment, both of which are currently unavailable.

The only way now is to use anti-epileptic drugs, and the treatment itself is to controlControl and alleviate epileptic seizures and suppress the symptoms themselves.

For drug treatment, sedatives and antispasmodics can be used to enhance the inhibitory effect of the cerebral cortex and restore the normal regulatory function of the central nervous system.

Phenobarbital, 2-6mg/kg body weight, taken once within 6-12 hours. However, it is worth noting that there is no universal standard for how much phenobarbital should be taken. After taking the medicine for a period of time (about two weeks), it is necessary to go to the hospital to check the drug concentration in the blood and adjust the dosage according to the drug concentration.

Another problem with it is that long-term use will put a burden on the liver. It is best to add liver enzymes and bile acids during regular examinations.

Note: Frequent urination, thirst, appetite and weight gain may occur during use, but it is not ruled out that the side effects will disappear after the body adapts to phenobarbital.

Other drugs include: phenytoin, 2-6 mg/kg body weight, taken orally every 8-12 hours; diazepam, 2.5-100 mg, intravenous injection until effective; primidone, 55 mg/kg body weight, subcutaneous injection.

Do anti-epileptic drugs have to be taken for life?

Of course not! If the condition can be controlled, it is best not to use it as much as possible. However, during the treatment process, you must not change the time or frequency of feeding or stop feeding without authorization. You must follow the doctor's instructions and cooperate with the treatment.

In addition, after diagnosis, it is determined that your dog has primary epilepsy (caused by genetic or environmental factors), has no more than 2 seizures per year or is not very serious, and does not even need to take medication.

However, there are relatively few cases where the disease never relapses after taking medication for a while. In most cases, they need to continue taking anti-epileptic drugs.

What can I do if my dog ​​has epilepsy?

Needless to say, feeding medicine at a regular time and at a fixed point. If a dog has an epileptic seizure, it is best to record the time, frequency and symptoms of the seizure every time. It would be best if the behavior before the seizure can also be recorded. It couldn't be better, it will be of great help to the doctor's treatment;

If you are taking phenobarbital, you must remember to go to the hospital every two weeks or so to check the drug concentration in your blood;

Do not take it swimming, as it is very likely to cause epileptic seizures while swimming, which may lead to drowning;

Keep ventilation in the summer. Prolonged epileptic seizures will cause the dog's body to overheat. After the seizure is over, wipe its paws (legs) with cold water to help cool it down;

If you take medicines containing potassium bromide, you must avoid foods with high sodium content, otherwise it will cause epileptic seizures in your dog;

Finally, for dogs with epilepsy, four months is the cut-off point. If it still survives four months after the onset of epilepsy, it means that the probability of primary epilepsy is very high, and its lifespan will not be affected. No matter how big the impact, it can only twitch a little, and it won't hurt. Therefore, if your dog is diagnosed with epilepsy, don’t panic. The most important thing is to first understand the type of epilepsy.

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