ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 10, 1996 TAG: 9611110094
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-16 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Claws & Paws
SOURCE: JILL BOWEN
Q: We have a 4-year-old castrated German shepherd, which we have owned for about six months. He has a seizure about once a month, sometimes as many as three in a day, sometimes two days in a row. We got the dog from the pound so we don't know anything about him. My son's black Labrador crossbreed also has seizures that last about three minutes. We took both dogs to our local veterinarian, who seemed to think that the seizures were no big deal and that there was no treatment. We wondered if this really was the case and what you could tell us about seizures. We do notice that two or three days before he has an attack our shepherd paces the floors a lot.
A: Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the canine central nervous system and can usually be treated. True epilepsy can usually be controlled by drugs, but it is important to rule out any other problems that could be confused with a seizure, such as fainting because of a heart abnormality, neck or back pain, or a middle ear problem.
I would suggest that you ask your veterinarian to refer you and both your dogs to a veterinary neurologist. There are excellent small animal neurologists at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. True epileptic seizures occur more frequently in certain breeds of dogs, including German shepherds, Saint Bernards, Irish setters, poodles, beagles and keeshonds. A high incidence is also seen in collies, cocker spaniels, boxers, Labrador retrievers, miniature schnauzers and wire-haired terriers.
All epileptic attacks have an ``aura'' followed by a ``paroxysm,'' the latter being usually the only thing the owner notices at first. However, the series of signs, or aura, that precede a fit may last from a few seconds to several days and may include a number of different signs. Some dogs become restless, others wander aimlessly or hide, while others whine or salivate and become increasingly nervous. These signs can become very obvious to owners and may even give them time to increase the anticonvulsant medication, thereby preventing or at least reducing the severity of the attack.
Following an attack a dog may appear confused or disoriented, salivate profusely, wander around aimlessly and in some cases be unresponsive to its name. It may even appear blind for a period. There does not seem to be any correlation between the length of the aura, the severity of the fit and the length of the post-seizure period; all may vary from animal to animal and from attack to attack.
Medical treatment is usually advised for dogs who have one or more fits per month. Successful treatment depends on the owners and their dedication to giving the drug exactly as prescribed with no changes in the dose or medicine without consulting the veterinarian. Haphazard dosing or abrupt medicine changes may well make matters worse. It is important to remember that the object of the treatment is to decrease the frequency and severity of the attacks, and that it may not be possible to stop the seizures altogether.
Several different medicines have been used with success in controlling epilepsy. It can be a question of trial and error to find the medicine that suits your dog. This requires patience, as it will probably take two to three months to evaluate the effect of each drug. In the vast majority of cases a drug or combination of drugs can be found that, if they do not control the seizures completely, will at the very least reduce both the severity and frequency of the attacks and make owning your dog more pleasurable.
If you have a question for Dr. Jill Bowen, please write to her in care of the New River Current, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, Va. 24073 or send e-mail to newriver@infi.net.
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