EPILEPSY IN BOTH CATS AND DOGS AND CONTINUES WITH FIRST~~~~~~~

[Regina D.-PBP Event Admin]

Epilepsy In Your Pet

Seizures In Your Dog or Cat

Ron Hines DVM PhD   Epilepsy is a disease in which your pet is subject to recurrent seizures or convulsions. It is similar to epilepsy that occurs in people. Seizures in our pets can have a number of causes -  NOTE: Not all seizures or convulsions are due to common epilepsy. Idiopathic means that we do not know the cause. Once we have eliminated all possible other causes, we are left with a diagnosis of common (simple, true or idiopathic) epilepsy. We can not find physical problems in pets that have idiopathic epilepsy when they are not in the process of a seizure. All the blood tests, all the x-rays and examinations come back normal. But medical diagnostic equipment is becoming more an more sophisticated so it is only a matter of time until we will be able to see what the physical or chemical problem actually is. What Pets Get Epilepsy? Any breed of dog or cat can develop epilepsy. But Golden Retrievers, Beagles, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, German Shepherds, Irish Setters, Schnauzers, and Huskies seem to have the problem a bit more than other breeds. I see the common form most frequently in Persian and Siamese cats. If your pet has common epilepsy, it is very likely that it inherited it from its parents. Epilepsy effects blood-lines of dogs and cats. It is a genetic disease. Usually, a parent or close relative of your pet also had epilepsy. What Happens To My Pet When It Has A Seizure? It is very frightening to watch your pet experience a seizure. You need to keep in mind that during the seizure your pet is not in pain. The pet may vocalize and thrash around, but they do not experience painful sensations. But just before and after the seizure they are frightened and need your reassurance. During an epileptic seizure random impulses are sent from the nerve cells of your pet's brain to muscles throughout its body. In idiopathic epilepsy, the source of these abnormal brain impulses are small areas of abnormal or damaged brain tissue. During an epileptic seizure the pet looses consciousness. Epileptic seizures are a bit like an electrical storm. Their primary origin within cerebral cortex of the brain and the target tissues of their nerve cell impulses define the type epilepsy that occurs. Seizures that put the whole body into severe muscle contractions, are called grand mal seizures.Seizures that are less severe and only affect a few muscle groups are called petite mal seizures. Status epilepticus is a term used for severe seizures that occur again and again with little or no rest between convulsions. These can be fatal. During a seizure, these tiny areas begin sending out electrical impulses that are received by the nerve cells that surround them. This results in a chain reaction in which the surrounding nerve cells are stimulated to fire off a shower of signals of their own to various muscles of the body. These abnormal electrical signals constitute a seizure. If the seizure affects the whole body, the pet looses consciousness. If it is a partial seizure, it may realize that something is occurring. In cases if idiopathic epilepsy, nothing can be found that is physically wrong with the brain.