Dealing With Epilepsy Dogs Often Have

Handling epilepsy dogs have is a common problem. Epilepsy is a disease that causes seizures. What should be understood is that not all seizures are caused by epilepsy. Epilepsy occurs because there is electrical currents in the brain that cause the familiar seizures. This disease is common and can occur in any breed of dog, it is not specific to any one breed. The cause may either be genetic of heredity.

Epilepsy is a disease that can be divided into two types. The primary form of epilepsy is genetic. This form of epilepsy is passed down through the dogs parents. By looking at a dogs heredity you will often see other cases of the disease.

The other type of the disease is often caused by a lack of nutrients, or a toxin in the environment. Lead and other toxic substances can trigger the epileptic seizures, as can a lack of certain vitamins.

The primary symptoms of epilepsy are the seizures. There are many types of seizures. People familiar with epilepsy in humans will recognize these categories. There are the grand mal seizures. In the grand mal seizure the dog might collapse, lose consciousness and exhibit other extreme behaviors. This type of seizure is associated with the first form of epilepsy.

There are lesser degrees of seizure; some may be very limited in outward signs. In some cases the dog may seem to twitch, or become hazy. Some people may not even recognize a seizure when it occurs.

Owning a dog that has the disease can be traumatic. But there is help. While you cannot cure the disease there are medications that can limit the symptoms and make the dogs life more livable. Some of these are the same medications that are given to humans. Among them are some familiar names such as Valium.

If your dog exhibits the signs of a seizure you should do several things. First, observe their behavior so that you may inform the veterinarian how they were acting before and after the event.

Keeping watch over your dogs eating habits is very important. Besides what food they are eating, it is important to observe and see if there are any poisons or toxins in the area which they have access to.

After the seizure, you should take your dog to a veterinarian. The vet will perform tests including blood work and brain scans. This will look into whether the seizures have been caused by a toxic presence in the dogs life, or rather is primary epilepsy.

You should try and keep the area where the dog is going to be as clean as possible. Any toxic substances such as lead must not be allowed to be near the dog, as these can lead to seizures. After the dog has been prescribed medication you have to watch for reactions. Negative side effects such as liver damage are often associated with epilepsy drugs.

It is also unwise to stop the drugs without lowing the dose. Like many medications for humans, suddenly ceasing all intake can itself cause a problem. Because of this you will often be told by the vet to gradually lower the dose.

Some of the drug treatments can injure a dog if they are halted all together. Like any medication they should be slowly lowered and not completely stopped. Withdrawal all at once can cause injury to the dog.

Even though the disease is never cured, it can be controlled. The comfort level of a dog with epilepsy is now much better then it was in previous years. Medications can ensure that a dog can have limited effects and live a happier and more peaceful existence.