Dog Primary Epilepsy Symptoms

1. Normally first noticed when the dog is at a very young age (below 3years)

2. Several or a single grand mal seizure will occur.

3. Possible more mild petit mal seizures may occur but are more uncommon.

4. Agitated and nervous before a seizure (pro-drome).

What Causes Dog Primary Epilepsy?

Little is know of the cause of epilepsy in dogs apart from that it is due to abnormal brain activity. This abnormal brain activity effectively resets the body due to something not working properly, you can think of the seizure as the method to correct the abnormality or malfunction in the brain so it can continue normally again.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

Epilepsy is a hard condition for the vet to diagnose because there is no tests that can be done to prove that this is the cause. Because of this the vet is forced to use a method called diagnosis by exclusion which as you may have guessed tests for all other possible conditions, and if non of these conditions appear positive then the only possibility left is epilepsy.

From here if the dog is presented to the vet in the middle of a grand mal seizure then the procedure will continue as stated in the grand mal seizure page here.

After that treatment and the dog is now stable, tablets may be used to stop the seizures but if the dog does not have seizures often throughout the year then no treatment will be needed. When the dog has seizures it often puts strain on their liver, but a small amount of stress is also put on the dog's liver when trying to treat the epilepsy with medication so it is the vets job to determine which will cause the least damage long term and then use that treatment.

If these tablets are chosen to be used then in most cases this will need to be maintained for the rest of the dog's life. The tablets used are normally Phenobarbitone tablets which cause the cells in the brain to relax and calm down more than usual lowering the chances of a dog seizure.

Finally the vet will monitor your dogs health for a period of time after prescribing the Phenobarbitone tablets to ensure everything s working how it should and then adjust the dosage accordingly.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Grand Mal Seizures
Dog Petit Mal Seizures
Dog Abnormal Brain Development
Dog Heart Problems Causing Seizures
Dog Kidney Problems Causing Seizures (renal encephalopathy)
Dog Liver Problems Causing Seizures (hepatic encephalopathy)
Dog Seizures Caused By Chemical Poisoning
Dog Seizures in Bitches Who Have Recently Given Birth (Eclampsia)
Dog Tumor (causing seizures)
Strokes in Older Dogs