By M. Lucinda Craig DVM
First let me tell you that my own dog is an idiopathic epileptic, and I know personally how difficult, frightening, and frustrating it can be to own a dog with seizures. Misha had his first seizure at eighteen months and had clustered seized (multiple seizures in a short period) before he was two years old. Even medicated, he seizes on a monthly bases.
In young puppies, congenital defects or low blood sugar are the most common cause of seizures. Toy breed puppies develop low blood sugar if they don’t eat frequently, at four to six hour intervals. A small amount of corn syrup or pancake syrup placed on the tongue can raise the blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is an emergency. Your puppy should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. A porto-systemic shunt is a blood vessel anomaly in which the blood from stomach shunts around the liver rather than through it. This will cause seizing following eating, especially if fed high protein food. Puppies with this disorder are frequently smaller and weaker than their litter mates.
A dog who begins seizing between one and three years of age with no apparent cause is most likely an idiopathic epileptic. This is an inherited disorder in dogs. I own giant schnauzers where epilepsy is becoming a serious problem because of the narrowness of the gene pool. Idiopathic epileptics require twice daily medication for their entire life. Most dogs are started on medication when the seizures become more frequent than once a month or if they have a long seizure or a cluster of seizures. Phenobarbital is still the first line drug for epilepsy in dogs. Many people are frightened by the potential side effects, but most dogs tolerate it well. Initially there will be sleepiness and ataxia (a drunken appearance). This will wear off in two to three weeks. In some dogs phenobarbital causes excess drinking and urinating; this side effect does not wear off. Depending on its severity, the dog may need a different drug. Potassium bromide is the traditional second line drug, and now some new human drugs have been used in dogs. The newer human drugs carry a significant expense and are more commonly used as an add on drug rather than alone. If you suspect, your pet is an epileptic, you should consult with your vet on appropriate treatment.