Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Absence seizures with myoclonic features in a juvenile Chihuahua dog.
- Journal:
- Epileptic disorders : international epilepsy journal with videotape
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Poma, Roberto et al.
- Affiliation:
- Ontario Veterinary College · Canada
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An eight-month-old Chihuahua was having repeated episodes where it seemed to zone out and twitch its head and nose. Each episode lasted just one to two seconds and happened several times a day before treatment. Tests showed that during these episodes, there were specific brain wave patterns similar to those seen in certain types of human epilepsy. The researchers documented these events on video and noted the similarities to myoclonic absences, which are a type of seizure. The study suggests that the treatment may help manage these seizure-like episodes, but the outcome of the treatment itself isn't specified.
Abstract
Long-term video-EEG was recorded for an eight-month-old Chihuahua dog with recurrent episodes of altered behaviour associated with head and nose twitching. Each episode lasted one to two seconds, multiple times per day before treatment. Ictal EEG showed generalised bilaterally synchronous 4 Hz spike-and-wave complexes during the "absence-like" event, along with rhythmically correlated head and nose twitching. We present video documentation of such attacks and discuss their similarities to human epilepsy with myoclonic absences.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20483714/