Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Extended release huperzine used to treat epilepsy in dogs
By Grant, Kylie L & Long, Sam N·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Veterinary Referral Hospital, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Extended release huperzine for the treatment of idiopathic epilepsy in dogs - a Case Report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (seizures with no known cause) was treated with a natural supplement called huperzine to see if it could help control their seizures. While half of the dogs dropped out of the study for various reasons, those that remained seemed to tolerate the treatment well and showed some improvement in their behavior. However, more research is needed to determine how effective huperzine really is as a treatment for seizures in dogs.
People also search for: dog seizures treatment · huperzine for dogs · idiopathic epilepsy in dogs · natural remedies for dog seizures
Abstract
Huperzine is a naturally occurring alkaloid derived from the Chinese clubmoss. It is a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, among other properties, and has demonstrated protection against induced seizures in a mouse model of Dravet's syndrome as well as nerve-agent induced seizures and is being explored as a novel anticonvulsant in a human clinical trial for focal impaired awareness seizures. It is also being explored as a treatment for Alzheimer's, via neuroprotective effects and an ability to ameliorate neuroinflammation. Here we present a case series of 6 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy treated with huperzine to investigate this potential novel anticonvulsant. Despite a 50% drop out rate over the course of the study due to various causes including unexplained death, humane euthanasia and systemic disease, huperzine was generally well tolerated and showed some positive effects on demeanor. This study highlights the need for more research to investigate its efficacy as a novel antiepileptic medication in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40151570/