Last week Rover came in. I first met the labrador a year ago, during a late-night emergency call out.

Rover had suffered an epileptic fit. For dog or cat owners who have never experienced epileptic fits in their pets, the first experience can be quite frightening.

Rover is a chocolate brown labrador with a marvellous character. Deeply loved by his owner, you can tell at a glance that the feeling is mutual.

Rover was only two years old at the time of his first seizure. Labradors are just one of the many breeds that can suffer from seizures; yet this medical condition is not only limited to pure breeds. In some instances, it has even been known to be a hereditary condition that runs in certain blood lines.

Epileptic fits usually start to occur in the first five years of age, with an incidence in dogs being quoted as high as three per cent and with male dogs slightly more prone to suffering from seizures than females. This confirms that epilepsy in dogs cannot be considered to be a rare condition.

The word epilepsy comes from the Greek word epi, meaning close upon, and the Greek word leptos, meaning seizure. Epileptic fits may occur at any time of day, but they are known to happen more often while your dog is at rest or asleep.

Typically, when a dog is about to suffer a seizure, it may seem disorientated and upset. The epileptic fit itself usually lasts barely more than a minute, but when it happens, the dog falls on his side, its muscles go rigid and contract uncontrollably, the neck is extended, the jaw makes unconscious and repeated biting actions and the limbs go into a cycling motion. Full recovery may be instantaneous or may take up to 24 hours.

If your dog suffers a fit, the most important thing you should do is place some form of cushioning under its head to ensure it does not injure itself. The dog is not in a position to bite you, but you must be careful of his mouth because of the involuntary biting action brought on by the seizure.

If you get bitten, remember that your dog does not mean it. Dim the light in the room and make as little noise as possible not to startle your pet. Speak to your dog in soft, gentle tones – the sound of your voice will soothe your frightened dog. Rub your dog’s back gently as this may help to calm him down.

Your veterinarian will perform a thorough examination of your dog, including performing blood tests. He is also likely to ask you many questions about what you observed in the lead-up to the seizure as well as during the fit.

This will help your vet establish whether your dog is suffering from true epilepsy or whether it is some other medical condition which may have brought on the fit. True epilepsy is caused by a problem in the central nervous system (that is, within the brain).

A fit brought on by other factors could include kidney disease or metabolic diseases involving glucose or calcium imbalances. A complete evaluation of what your dog eats should also be evaluated.

Epileptic fits may occur in clusters or at regular intervals. The frequency of the fits is also a very important aspect, including whether or not it has happened before, and how often it has occurred. True epileptic fits usually repeat themselves in similar fashion. If you have the presence of mind, a good idea may be to take a video of the seizure with your mobile phone which you can then play back to your veterinarian.

Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, your veterinarian will recommend a treatment programme depending on the frequency and intensity of the epileptic fits. The dosage and the medications used will also depend on the age and size of your dog. There are some traditional treatments as well as some newer drugs which are registered for this purpose.

After an epileptic fit, speak to your dog in soft, gentle tones, which may help to calm him down

As with humans, regular check-ups for epileptic dogs are extremely important due to the potential long-term effect of these medications on the body. If managed well and if the epileptic fits are not too intensive in magnitude, your dog’s life expectancy should not be shortened.

Rover is now doing very well. His fits were diagnosed as true epilepsy and he was given the appropriate medication. The fits are now fewer and far in between and have reduced in intensity.

Thanks to the ongoing love and care that his owners give him coupled with regular check-ups, all things considered, Rover’s prognosis is very good.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.