Canine Epilepsy is hard on your dog, and almost as hard on you - it hurts to see your beloved pet agitated and anxious in the wake of a seizure or episode. Learn the best ways to treat your pet and give it the best life possible despite this condition.
Step 1
Consider the age of your pet. Most canine epilepsy develops between the ages of 4 and 8. If your dog is acting funny and is between those ages, it's a good bet it has canine epilepsy.
Step 2
Think about injuries. Canine epilepsy can be caused by head trauma. See your vet if you think your dog has been hurt this way to decide if this may be the cause of your dog's seizures.
Step 3
Recognize the symptoms. Not all dogs have typical seizures - you know, where they keel over, twitching spasmodically, eyes rolling back in their heads, foaming at the mouth, chewing up their tongues. In fact, very few dogs suffer this type of seizure. More often, seizures look like this:
- The dog gets clingy or paces relentlessly. It may get ill or vomit. This is the "incoming" phase - the dog senses something isn't right and begins to react.
- The dog begins to run around in a very agitated manner, maybe appearing to try to scratch its neck or behind its ear. You begin to get concerned when the behavior continues. And continues. You run to your pet, thinking maybe it's being bitten or stung by something, but find no insect or sticker, or anything at all. The dog continues to run in circles, very agitated, maybe drooling by now. You realize that there's something wrong with your dog - it cannot control its legs, or keeps cranking its head to one side. But after you get hold of your dog, you begin to soothe your pet, and things start to straighten out. After a few minutes, your pooch seems to be something like his or her old self and you're left wondering what just happened.
- The dog takes a few steps, but appears unsteady, or tries to rise but can't seem to get on its feet. Then it just sits down. It sits, looking confused or blank. The dog may stretch - this stretch looks very peculiar. The dog cranes its neck upward, holds it there for a few seconds, then repeats, maybe. Eventually, the "episode" passes, and the dog gets up and continues on its way.
- Some part of your dog's anatomy seems to get out of control, for example: the dog begins to eat its kibble or dog food, and suddenly, is beset by uncontrollable licking, which it cannot stop or control as its tongue lols out of its mouth sideways, and it continually gags and tries to swallow, or maybe looks like it's biting the air.
- Or maybe your dog actually does have what we would traditionally consider a seizure, with spasms, twitching, and very scary.
Step 4
Treat the symptoms first. The main thing is to realize that your dog is like a little kid, and is going to be scared or confused during and after one of these seizures. Talk comfortingly, in a low, soothing voice, say things like, "It's okay, buddy. That's a good boy. Easy, easy, I got you." Touching your dog in a calming, gentle way seems to help some; holding and cuddling a dog also can help. If the dog is chomping or licking, as described above, be sure to keep your fingers out of the way of its teeth, but touching the side of its face and talking soothingly can console and comfort your pet so that s/he can relax again. Get your dog calmed down and settled before taking any other action - unless the seizure is continuing for longer than a couple of minutes. In that case, get your pet to a veterinary emergency room as soon as possible, since seizures can disrupt your dog's ability to breathe.
Step 5
Try changing your dog's diet. Most canine experts feel that many dogs with canine epilepsy have a problem processing proteins. Changing to a good quality kibble made with all lamb and rice is a first step (grocery store food is typically the worst quality). Stop all rawhide, bones, dog biscuit, table scraps. No more doggie treats. Instead, give your pet carrots, or a little broccoli or cauliflower (be careful not to give much broccoli or cauliflower as these can become toxic in large amounts) -- Also keep in mind that onion, grapes, and tomato are toxic to dogs. The important concept is that your dog has to be limited in its intake of proteins outside of its kibble, and the type of protein has to be high quality (hence the lamb and rice).
Step 6
See your vet. The vet will probably tell you that all that can be done for your dog is to sedate it. The truth is, there may be several episodes or seizures early on, but if you can get the diet under control, and keep the dog calmer, they may become far fewer between. Keeping a dog sedated all the time is no kind of life - dogs should be vital, energetic and able to sense you and its surroundings for a good quality of life. If you can control your dog's symptoms by keeping a calm environment and changing its diet, your dog will be almost normal all the time, and won't need all the medicines.
Step 7
Do what is necessary. If your dog is very high strung, you may have no choice but to tranquilize your animal, to keep it sane and prevent seizures. At holidays such as Indepencence Day in the USA, or others where fireworks are used, and there are noisy exploding sounds, or even during thunderstorms, you may need to tranquilize your pet to get him or her through the frightening noises and flashes of light that go with these holidays or storms. It will be important to be flexible enough to treat your dog's symptoms with drugs when you feel it necessary, and to refrain when you feel the dog's symptoms are well-controlled.
Step 8
Accept a seizure here or there. If your dog gets along well, responds to the change of diet, and the seizures scale back, that's great! But you should expect to see a seizure once in a while. Don't panic. Just calm your dog, and stay calm yourself. An occasional seizure is to be expected.
Step 9
If episodes become more frequent or severe, consult the vet immediately. The first consultation is just to confirm what you already suspect - that your dog has canine epilepsy, and not something else (like a parasite or other illness). If your dog doesn't respond to diet change or environmental alterations, and his or her seizures become more severe, or if s/he seems to be having them more and more often, it's time to see the vet again. Canine epilepsy, while treatable in most dogs, is a progressive problem. As the dog gets older, seizures and episodes can become more frequent and severe, until the dog has no quality of life, and you are a frazzle. But many dogs live a completely normal life span with the simple treatments described here, so have hope and take the great joy in your pet that you always have!
Tips
- Teach your dog to love veggies. Eat them yourself, and enjoy them in front of your dog. After you're all done (don't feed table scraps while you're eating), offer some to your dog. Or use them as a reward for doing tricks or tasks. Saying, "Mmmmm, it's good, buddy," can encourage your dog to eat something s/he wasn't previously interested in, so help your dog develop a liking for these things.
- Relax. It's not the end of the world, and it's not your fault or anything you've done. It's a condition, like arthritis. That's all. Most dogs don't die from it (although it is possible, in very extreme cases) - they just need life adjustments.
- Look for external triggers like pesticides or household cleaners that seem to trigger episodes in your dogs.
Warnings
- Avoid corn products (which is why you need to switch to lamb and rice food - most commercial dog food is almost all corn) - like popcorn.
- Don't give your dog milk or eggs, either.
Things You'll Need
- Green beans
- Broccoli/cauliflower
- Carrots
- Vet prescribed tranquilizers for holiday/storm use
