Diagnosing and Treating Seizures in
Dogs & Cats

By: Beatrix Nanai, DVM

Miami Veterinary Specialists 
 

Seizures in dogs and cats can occur for many reasons, from epilepsy, toxicosis and brain tumors to inflammatory/infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and congenital abnormalities. Therefore, veterinarians need to determine the root cause of the symptoms in order to prescribe the appropriate treatment, which can vary from anticonvulsant & anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics or surgery.

When seizures in dogs occur between 1 and 5 years of age, and the patient's behavior is otherwise normal between seizures, the most likely cause is primary or idiopathic epilepsy.  Along with the physical examination, ask the owner to describe the animal's behavior, or record it on video if he is willing, and whether or not this is part of a pattern.  With an epileptic seizure, the patient may behave oddly prior to the ictus, a brief period of unconsciousness that usually lasts just a minute or two. After the seizure, the dog will usually exhibit abnormal behavior such as temporary blindness, a ravenous appetite, aimless wandering that can last several hours, days or even weeks.

There may be other diseases or conditions that are responsible for  seizures, particularly if the dog is young or older when the seizures began.  A few conditions are inflammatory diseases such as meningitis & encephalitis; metabolic problems, like low blood sugar; congenital abnormalities; the ingestion of toxins; and brain tumors.  These conditions can affect patients, no matter what their age is.

Because cats rarely have primarily epilepsy, their seizures are usually caused by other conditions such as viral diseases (including feline leukemia & infectious peritonitis), fungal diseases or even  parasitic migration to the brain.   

In any seizure case, a comprehensive diagnostic workup is recommended to determine the underlying cause to treat the specific condition rather than using only anticonvulsant medications.
 

A consulting neurologist may order advanced neuro-imaging (MRI), a spinal tap, or a series of metabolic tests/hormone panels and provide treatment recommendations to the veterinarian.  This team approach has proven to be highly effective in providing the best possible care to seizure patients. 

Dr. Beatrix Nanai is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology/ Neurosurgery and the author of several peer-reviewed veterinary neurology related publications. Miami Veterinary Specialists serves as a regional referral, emergency and critical care center for the veterinary community in Miami and the Florida Keys.