Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Increased activity linked to more seizures in dogs with epilepsy
By Cameron, S et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2023·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mild to moderate increases in activity are associated with increased seizure incidence in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving anti-epileptic drugs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (a type of seizure disorder) may have more seizures if their activity levels increase moderately. In this research, 53 dogs were monitored for their activity and seizure occurrences, revealing that when their activity was 10% to 30% higher than usual, they were more likely to have a seizure within the next day. However, if their activity increased by 40% or 50%, this effect seemed to lessen. This suggests that while some exercise is beneficial, too much activity might trigger seizures in some dogs.
People also search for: dog seizures after exercise · idiopathic epilepsy in dogs · how much exercise for dogs with seizures
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, and approximately 25% to 30% of dogs with epilepsy are refractory to anti-epileptic drugs. As increased activity has been shown to reduce seizure frequency in people with epilepsy, the goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between deviation from baseline activity and seizure incidence in dogs with epilepsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Activity and seizure data were obtained using a canine activity monitoring device and owner observed seizure logs in 53 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving anti-epileptic drugs. Each dog's activity was individually measured, and 14-day baseline averages were calculated. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate how an observed increase in activity, ranging from 0% to 50%, above baseline activity, affects the incidence of a seizure in the following 24 hours. RESULTS: A total of 8540 activity days and 365 seizure days were used in the final analysis with an average of 11 seizures per dog (range 0 to 30 seizures). Seizure incidence was significantly more likely when activity was 10%, 20%, or 30% above baseline activity in the 24 hours before the day of a documented seizure [95% confidence interval (1.02 to 1.60), P=0.033; 95% confidence interval (1.08 to 1.80), P=0.010; 95% confidence interval (1.13 to 2.07), P=0.005, respectively]. However, when activity levels were 40% and 50% above baseline, the effect diminished (95% confidence interval (0.74 to 1.70), P=0.532; or 95% confidence interval (0.56 to 1.66), P=0.988, respectively). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Differently than in humans, this study demonstrated that a mild to moderate increase in activity resulted in a higher seizure incidence within 24 hours in dogs with epilepsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37572005/