Living with an epileptic dog CONTINUED FROM PAGE 50
There are many degrees of epilepsy. Some dogs rarely have a seizure but other dogs have a harder time. Some seizures are very mild while others can be severe. Some owners ˇnd that a good support group helps. One of the very best places to turn for help, information, and advice if you have an epileptic dog is Epil-K9, an Internet group. You can ˇnd information about the group and how to join here http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/. Everyone is welcome. You can also ˇnd information about living with an epileptic dog on this site http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/ living.html. There are some basic things that the owner of an epileptic dog should know ñ and some other things that you may not even think about. This page has you covered. You can also get some good advice from the EpiGuardian Angels. On this page http://www.canineepilepsy-guardian-angels.com/what_to_do_seizure.htm these members of the Epi-Guardian Angels tell you what they do when their dogs are having seizures. Lots of great information. You can ˇnd more information from the Epi-Guardian Angels here http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardianangels.com/what_to_do_seizure.htm.
carriers or affected dogs because most people donít even realize that the disease is lurking in the breed. Fortunately there are lots of researchers doing some amazing research today. At the University of Missouri, home of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) http://www.offa.org/, they have been studying canine epilepsy for over 10 years. You can ˇnd out more information about the Canine Epilepsy Project at the University of Missouri here http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/cerc.html. The University of Minnesota is also doing research on canine epilepsy http://www. cvm.umn.edu/vbs/faculty/Mickelson/lab/ie/home.html. You can see some of the breeds participating in the research and the grants that have been given here http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/grants.html. The University of Missouri will soon be working on whole genome sequencing for some breeds affected by epilepsy. This is an expensive study (about $2500 per dog ñ though it used to be much more expensive before the latest equipment). English Setter breeders (with the help of English Setter fanciers and matching funds from other sources) have already raised enough money to have this sequencing done for several dogs that have epilepsy. If you have had DNA collected then you know that it isnít painful. It usually just involves collecting a blood sample and having your vet send it to the researchers. Some breed clubs have DNA collection for dogs at their As usual, every dog is different, but it has been national specialty shows so they can get a good suggested that some dogs with epilepsy can have seizures triggered by stress, changes in representative sample for their breed. the weather, or other things. For many dogs there is no pattern that anyone can see. For Whole genome sequencing is done in the some dogs, the herb rosemary ñ and other essential oils ñ have been widely discussed as lab so the researchers can look at the dogís seizure triggers http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/essential_oil.htm. This entire genome at one time. The hope is that by may not apply to your dog, but they have affected some dogs. looking at the entire genome for dogs affected You may be tempted to try herbal remedies or other alternative therapies for your by epilepsy, the researchers can identify a epileptic dog but please keep in mind that ìherbalî and ìnaturalî donít necessarily mean ìmarkerî that stands out in these dogs. This ìsafe.î Some herbal or natural remedies can be harmful or make your dogís condition would allow breeders to test dogs in the future worse. Their claims are not evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to see if they had the marker or not before and they do not have to follow the same requirements that prescription drug makers breeding ñ and hopefully reduce the chances of follow. Please work with your veterinarian. producing a puppy with epilepsy. By knowing which dogs had the marker for epilepsy, breeders could make better, more informed decisions and not breed two dogs that carried the genes for epilepsy. Epilepsy comes in many forms and itís no picnic for dog Beyond the canine epilepsy research at the University of Missouri or owner. But most dogs can be treated and live a normal and the University of Minnesota, researchers in Finland have recently life. There is every reason to think that you and your made progress with epilepsy in the Belgian Shepherd http://journals. dog can have a very happy life together even if it has plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0033549. epilepsy. We havenít even mentioned the ìbaby and the The implications for other breeds are unclear. And bath waterî issue ñ that is, we should not shun breeding researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK are looking at otherwise good dogs that might be carriers. Most of us new ways to diagnose epilepsy http://www.sciencedaily.com/ have breeds today with small gene pools. We canít afford releases/2014/12/141210100037.htm. to eliminate every dog from the breeding population Currently there is no test to determine if a dog has epilepsy or that is not ìperfectî or we will have too few dogs left to if itís in his or her genes. You donít know unless the dog has seizures. continue breeding. Having a genetic test that could identify a dog as a carrier or The research being done today may lead to a cure in affected before he ever has a seizure would be a game-changer for the future or at least a way to identify genes for epilepsy everyone. Finding a marker can also mean ˇnding new treatments. And, so we can identify dogs that are affected, carriers, and ˇnding a genetic marker in dogs can lead the way to making similar clears. Thatís the best way forward so we can try to breakthroughs in human epilepsy research http://www.biomedcentral. eventually eliminate canine epilepsy but it will still take com/1471-2156/12/38. time and resources.
d
Triggers and Remedies
CONCLUSION
THE DOG NEWS ANNUAL • 56