Seizure disorders can occur in both dogs and cats,
although it is much more common in dogs.
The severity of the seizures, frequency and age of onset will help
suggest a cause and direct the diagnostic path.
Very young animals (weeks to months old) showing seizure disorders make
us look for congenital (born with) problems, while a healthy young adult animal
will more likely have true epilepsy or an acquired disorder that is causing the
seizures.
The severity of seizures varies greatly. Some can be a mild case of acting “out of it”
to a violent grand mal seizure. Grand
mal seizures can be characterized by a loss of consciousness, loss of
urine/bowel control, paddling the feet, and/or chomping the jaws as if chewing
gum. Warning - these pets do not
know what is happening and are very frightened.
Do not put your hands or any other body part near their heads. Also, keep other animals away as they may view
this as a chance to pick on the one that’s down.
Seizures have three stages:
Ø Pre-ictal - the time period before the seizure.
Some animals “know” when a seizure is coming and will seek out their family for
comfort prior to the actual seizure.
Ø Ictus -
the seizure itself. These can last from a few seconds, to a few minutes, to
what seems like forever. During a
prolonged seizure, animals can become very hot and are unable to breath well
due to the muscle spasms. It is not common for an animal to die during a
seizure, but it is possible for them to overheat and/or lack oxygen.
Ø Post-ictal - the time period after the
seizure. This period may last a few
minutes to an hour or more. Animals are
frequently disoriented, exhausted and weak from the strenuous activity. They need to be comforted safely.
The exact cause of seizures is frequently not
identified, but treatable causes need to be ruled out before a diagnosis of
epilepsy is made and anti-seizure medication started. As mentioned above, causes can range from a
birth defect (liver shunt), to toxins, infectious diseases (distemper),
metabolic problems (low blood sugar, low calcium) or trauma. The first step in seizure diagnosis is a
complete blood chemistry and complete blood count. Sometimes a urinalysis or other more specific
tests are needed.
The goal in managing a pet with seizures is not to stop all seizure activity
completely, that is not feasible, but to:
1. Decrease the duration of the events (to less
than 2-3 minutes)
2. Increase the time between seizures
3. Eliminate cluster seizures
A fifty percent (50%) decrease in frequency and severity
is considered a successfully controlled patient. Also note:
Short,
infrequent, non-violent seizures that do not occur in clusters do not warrant
therapy. The risk of anti-convulsants far outweighs any benefit that they may
offer. (Tilley 1996)
Treatment for seizures depends on the cause. The mainstay of epileptic-type seizure
control in pets is Phenobarbital. This
is generally a twice daily medication for the life of the pet. An initial sedation will decrease after 1-2
weeks.
Follow-up drug blood levels should be taken if there is a break in
seizure control and periodically throughout the life of the pet to ensure toxic
levels are not building up in their bloodstream. If seizure activity persists despite
therapeutic blood levels of Phenobarbital an additional medication may be used.
For pets that have an underlying disease causing their
seizures, that disease is treated first and then the seizures may/may not
require additional medication.
Owning a pet that seizures can be frightening for you
and for your pet, with
the appropriate diagnostics and right medications, most pets can live normal
lives for many years.