Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder in dogs. It causes fits (seizures) in affected dogs, which often occur when they are resting. The fits usually last a few minutes only, and dogs may be confused for 5-15 minutes afterwards. If your dog has a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes you shuld call your vet and arrange to take your pet immediately to the surgery. We recommend if your dog has a seizure, they are left quietly with the lights off, ensuring they cannot fall down any steps or stairs. As they can be confused afterwards there is a risk of being bitten, so they should be left to recover alone. Occasionally a dog will have one seizure, and will never have another one, but in most cases the seizures will recur. Epilepsy usually starts in younger dogs.
Cats may also have seizures, due to epilepsy although it is much less common than in dogs. Older cats may also have seizures, but this is more commonly due to other medical problems. If your cat has a seizure they should be left alone to recover, with the lights turned out, ensuring that they cannot fall . A seizure will generally only last a minute or two.
Diagnosis of epilepsy- there is no single test for epilepsy so we rely on ruling out other potential causes of seizures. It is most helpful to take a video clip with your mobile phone of the fit so that the vet can see exactly what happens during the seizure. Diagnosis of epilepsy generally involves blood tests, and may include urine tests, x-rays and spinal fluid analysis. MRI scans may be performed to rule out brain tumours ( although rare in younger dogs and cats).
Treatment of epilepsy is generally recommended if your pet has more than 1 seizure per month, or if your pet has cluster seizures (one immediately after another). Once treatment is started it is usually lifelong. Happily most pets with epilepsy will live fairly normal lifespans with medical treatment.
