Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tools and techniques for classifying behaviours in canine epilepsy.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2023
- Authors:
- Folkard, Emily et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Studies · Canada
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common brain condition seen in dogs, and it often comes with other behavior issues like increased fear, anxiety, and aggression. These problems can make it hard for pet owners to understand their dog's behavior, especially since different types of seizures can show up in various ways. Currently, there aren't many reliable methods to measure and classify these behaviors in dogs with epilepsy. This review looks at three tools—questionnaires, brain wave tests, and activity monitors—that could help better understand and track these behaviors. The authors believe that using a combination of these tools could lead to better ways of assessing how epilepsy affects dogs' behavior.
Abstract
Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in dogs. Similar to humans, dogs with epilepsy often experience behavioural comorbidities such as increased fear, anxiety, and aggression, as reported by their caregivers. Investigations of behaviour in canine epilepsy have yet to untangle interictal and pre and postictal behaviours, prodromal changes, and seizure-precipitating factors. Under-recognition of absence and focal seizures further complicates these assessments. These complex behavioural presentations in combination with caring for an epileptic animal have a significant negative impact on the dog's and caregiver's quality of life. Despite the growing recognition of behavioural comorbidities and their impact on quality of life in dogs with epilepsy, few objective research methods for classifying and quantifying canine behaviour exist. This narrative review examines the strengths, limitations, and granularity of three tools used in the investigation of canine behaviour and epilepsy; questionnaires, electroencephalography, and actigraphy. It suggests that a prospective combination of these three tools has the potential to offer improvements to the objective classification and quantification of canine behaviour in epilepsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38026681/