
What is epilepsy?
Idiopathic epilepsy is a disorder in which seizures or ‘fits’ occur repeatedly. Sometimes seizures can have an underlying cause such as an illness or problem within the brain, however a lot of the time there is not a clear underlying cause and the animal can be otherwise completely healthy in between.
As an owner of an epileptic dog, you may have experienced the distressing sight of them fitting. While the outlook may at first seem bleak, it is important to remember that in typical epileptic seizures your dog is unconscious and not aware of what they are experiencing.
If episodes occur because of a problem elsewhere in the body, such as heart disease which stops oxygen reaching the brain, this is not epilepsy. Your vet may do tests to try to find the reason for the epilepsy, but in many cases no cause can be identified.
In most instances effective treatment is possible and many epileptic dogs enjoy a pain-free, long and happy life.
If you are worried that your dog is epileptic, speak to your vet today.