If your dog is experiencing seizures contact our Bartlett vets at Hillcrest Animal Hospital to schedule an examination. If your dog is experiencing recurring or severe seizures visit your nearest animal emergency hospital for urgent veterinary care.
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Focal or Partial Seizures in Dogs
Focal seizures in dogs (sometimes called partial seizures) only affect one half of the brain, and within a particular region of that half. These seizures are described as either simple or complex, depending on your dog’s level of awareness while the seizure is occurring. Dogs usually remain conscious during a simple focal seizure, whereas consciousness is likely to be more impaired if your dog has a complex focal seizure.
Dogs experiencing a simple focal seizure could display one or more of the following signs:
Generalized seizures in dogs occur within both sides of the brain. Generalized seizures often start out as a focal seizure then evolve into a generalized seizure. Dogs experiencing a generalized seizure will usually lose consciousness and may urinate or defecate while unconscious.
Generalized seizures are characterized by movement on both sides of the body and fall into different categories:
In dogs that experience seizures, focal seizures which evolve into generalized seizures are the most common. Often the focal seizure is so short or subtle that the signs are missed by pet parents.
If your dog begins having a generalized seizure, try to remember exactly what they were doing right before the generalized seizure began. Was there an unusual behavior before the seizure began? Provide your vet with a detailed explanation of what happened. The more your vet knows about what your dog was doing before the generalized seizure, the better able they will be to diagnose the type of seizure your dog had and possible cause.
How are fly-biting and focal seizures diagnosed?
The only way to definitively determine that fly-biting and other suspected focal seizures are caused by seizure activity is through the use of an electroencephalogram (EEG). This test allows a veterinary neurologist to record a dog’s brain waves during an episode, in order to accurately determine whether the behavior is caused by abnormal electrical activity within the brain. Unfortunately, fly-biting and other focal seizures often occur intermittently and unpredictably, making this test impractical in most cases.
Therefore, fly-biting and focal seizures are typically a “diagnosis of exclusion.” This means that if your dog’s clinical signs suggest fly-biting or other focal seizures, your veterinarian will perform tests to rule out other causes of these episodes. Screening bloodwork may be performed, to assess the function of your dog’s liver, kidneys, and other internal organs. Your veterinarian may recommend additional testing, such as infectious disease titers, abdominal ultrasound to assess the internal organs, brain imaging (CT scan or MRI), or cerebrospinal fluid analysis. While these tests often come back normal in patients with fly-biting or focal seizures, it is important to perform this workup in order to rule out underlying medical conditions. If your dog does have an underlying medical cause for the fly-biting, treating that condition will be essential for successful management of the episodes.
Once a diagnosis of focal seizures or fly-biting has been suggested, response to treatment can often be used to confirm the diagnosis.
The same anti-epileptic medications that are used for generalized seizures can be used in the management of focal seizures and fly-biting. Medications commonly used for the treatment of seizures in dogs include phenobarbital, zonisamide, potassium bromide, and levetiracetam. These medications vary in their benefits and possible side effects, so your veterinarian will consider your dog’s individual history in determining which medication to prescribe.
Once started on anti-epileptic medications, your dog will typically remain on these medications for the rest of his life. Long-term use of anti-epileptic medications requires laboratory monitoring, although the exact requirements for monitoring vary based on the specific drug and patient. Some medications require only the monitoring of routine screening bloodwork (to assess for side effects), while other medications require the monitoring of blood levels of the drug to ensure that changes in dosage are not needed.
How to Spot Canine Focal Seizure Symptoms
“Doc, I think my dog is hallucinating,” began the call of one of my clients when I was in veterinary practice. After collecting details about the dog’s unusual behavior and examining her in my clinic, I confirmed focal seizures. In this article, we’ll discuss focal seizures, their signs, treatment, and recovery.
We’ll also go over what you can do for your pooch if he has a focal seizure and when you should take him to the vet.
To help you prepare for the appointment, we’ll explain what to expect when you visit the vet and how focal seizures are treated. Finally, we’ll give you tips to help prevent focal episodes in your furbaby.
Seizures involve abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Usually, seizures occur unexpectedly and have no known trigger. When dogs have a focal seizure, the atypical activity is isolated to a part of the brain. As a result, there are limited effects on the body. The signs of the seizure will depend on where the unusual impulses occur in the brain.