This is "Bentley." He came to AERA with seizures that were extremely difficult to control. He was diagnosed with epilepsy after an MRI and cerebral spinal fluid analysis ruled out other potential problems. At AERA, our neurology team used a continous IV infusion of medication to stop the seizures. We were able to monitor "Bentley" for seizure activity using our electrodiagnostic equipment. The needles are amazingly thin and do not hurt "Bentley" at all.
The tracings referred to as an encephalogram (EEG) that you see on the computer screen let our doctors know if "Bentley" was having a seizure and allowed them to treat him before they became out of control.
After 24 hours, "Bentley" was weaned off the infusion and his regular seizure medications were adjusted to help reduce the severity and frequency of his seizures.
Epilepsy is a common condition that we see in dogs. They will usually start to seizure between 1 and 3 years of age. When the seizures occur it is because the normal electrical conduction circut of the brain has sort of "short-circuted". Seizures can occur without any clinical signs at all - that is why the EEG is so important. It can track abnormal brain waves in a dog that looks perfectly normal on the outside. When seizures are seen they can range from focal facial seizures (looks like the dog is chewing) to full tonic-clonic seizures (dog is on his side paddling, foaming at the mouth and may lose control of the bladder and bowels). The actual seizure event will usually last from 30 seconds to several minutes. It is followed by a "post-ictal" period where the dog can act very abnormal and even be clinically blind. This can last from 30 seconds to a full hour. After this these dogs appear perfectly normal.
Dogs with epilepsy may only seizure once every 6 months or more and in those cases no further treatment may be needed. Other dogs can seizure extremely frequently - several times a day - and they require medication to control their condition.
People who seizure with epilepsy do not usually remember the event - it is just a black out period and we suspect the same happens with dogs. Many of these dogs can go on to live a wonderful life if they have owner's that are willing to do what is needed to treat their conditions.
If you would like to know more about the services offered by our neurology/neurosurgery team, visit Neurology at AERA