Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Remarkable anecdotes illustrating the nature and effect of seizure-precipitating factors in Border Collies with idiopathic epilepsy.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2023
- Authors:
- Mandigers, Paul J J & Santifort, Koen M
- Affiliation:
- Evidensia Referral Hospital Arnhem · Netherlands
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Epilepsy is a common condition in dogs that can greatly affect their lives and the lives of their owners. In this study, six Border Collies, a breed known to be prone to idiopathic epilepsy (a type of epilepsy with no known cause), were observed to have specific triggers that seemed to bring on their seizures. These triggers included things like the presence of another dog in the home, not having enough mental stimulation, living with an autistic child, being near a busy street, the relationship with their owner, and even playing fetch at the beach. By identifying and avoiding these triggers, the frequency of seizures in these dogs improved, and some even stopped having seizures altogether.
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological syndromes in dogs and has serious implications for the quality of life of both the dogs and owners. Seizure-precipitating factors (SPFs) (also termed "triggers" or "provocative factors") have been studied and reported in both humans and dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. In dogs stress, hormones, sleep deprivation, and the weather have been reported as SPFs. The Border Collie (BC) is a breed of dog that is predisposed to idiopathic epilepsy, and the outcome is often poor. BC is described as a very sensitive dog with a strong focus on their owners, and this may have an influence on their and their owners' stress level. In this article, we described six unrelated BCs with idiopathic epilepsy in which several remarkable SPFs were identified, and avoiding them improved the outcome of these dogs. The possible SPFs were different for each dog. The SPFs were, among others, the other dog in the family, the lack of intellectual challenge, the presence of an autistic child, a busy street, the relation with the owner, and throwing a ball at the beach. These cases illustrate that recognizing the SPF(s) and taking measures with regard to management can lead to a reduction in epileptic seizure frequency or even achieving seizure freedom.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37781292/