subject: How Canine Epilepsy Actually Works [print this page] Having something wrong with your pets can be scary, and when something happens it can be quite scary to watch. For owners of dogs with canine epilepsy this is not only a reality, but something that they must deal with on a regular basis. Canine epilepsy is a condition where the dog in question has seizures that occur frequently. Although dogs with canine epilepsy have seizures, not all seizures are caused by this condition.
The condition is caused by a brain disorder. Basically, electricity travels in the brain in an abnormal way and causes other parts of the body to respond. The reason that you see dogs kicking, or looking they are running or swimming in midair during a seizure is because the messages to the nerves get scrambled up and the muscles cannot coordinate properly.
Many things can cause a dog to have seizures and in fact, most of the things aren't even known to experts. There is a name for seizures that don't have a known cause. They are called idiopathic canine seizures, or primary epilepsy. Researchers are still trying to find a known cause for many of the seizures that happen in these cases.
The other broad category of seizures is called symptomatic epilepsy and is is rather comprehensive as far as the conditions that it covers. Links have been found in certain breeds between seizures and genetics.
Generally, seizures in dogs can be divided into two different types. The first is the generalized seizure, and this is the scariest of them. The Grand Mal seizure falls into this category and it is this one that most people are aware of, or have seen in their pet.
The second type of seizure is known as a focal seizure, also called a partial seizure. This type of seizure only causes certain symptoms because the electrical signals are only affecting one part of the brain. The reason that it is called a focal seizure is because it typically focuses upon one area or one set of symptoms.
Grand Mal seizures are actually no longer known by that name by experts in the field. They have been renamed to tonic-clonic seizures. The dog will experience unconsciousness and the muscles will contract, with the head back. The dog normally is on his or her side when the seizure happens, with the legs sticking out. There may or may not be vocalizations from the dog, and facial twitching is also a reported symptom.
In a partial seizure, sometimes called a focal seizure, the electrical impulses are only running through a part of the brain. That means that the dog will usually only have some of the symptoms that are associated with a seizure, or may have completely different symptoms. Either way, canine epilepsy may be partially treatable if you talk to your veterinarian.
