E
pilepsyisfarandawaythemostcommoncauseof
seizuresindogs.Whileitisaninheriteddiseaseinsome
breeds,itcanoccurindogsofallbreeds,shapesand
sizes.Dogswithepilepsytypicallyexperiencetheirfirst
seizurebetweenoneandsixyearsofage.Epilepsyisa
“rule-outdiagnosis,”meaningthereisnospecifictestto
definethatadoghasit.Rather,thediagnosisismadeafter
rulingoutotherknowncausesofseizures.
Themainstaytherapyforcanineepilepsyconsistsof
anti-seizuremedications,usingoneoracombinationof
drugs.Theimpactofnutritiononseizurecontrolwas
discussedinarecentarticleintheJournaloftheAmerican
VeterinaryMedicalAssociation.Herearethehighlights.
Ketogenicdiets.
Dietsthatcausethebodytoproduce
anabundanceofketones(anacetone-likeproductmade
whenfatisusedastheprimaryenergysource)havebeen
usedtotreatepilepsyinpeople.Theseketogenicdiets
areveryhighinfat,lowincarbohydratesandarecalorie
restricted.Typically,theratiooffattocombined
carbohydratesandproteinis4:1or3:1.
Itisuncertainhowketogenicdietsprovidebenefitfor
somepeoplewithepilepsy.Itisknownthat,inastateof
starvation,ketonesaretheprimarysourceofenergyforthe
brain.Anincreasedconcentrationofketonesonaregular
basisappearstodiminishseizureactivity.Additionally,
higherlevelsofomega-3andomega-6polyunsaturatedfatty
acidsmaysubdueseizuresbydecreasingtheexcitability
ofnervoustissueandalteringlevelsofbrainchemicals
calledneurotransmitters.
Approximatelytwothirdsofhumanswithepilepsywho
consumeaketogenicdietexperienceareductionintheir
seizures.Thesedietsdohavetheirdrawbacks.Notonlyare
theyhighlyrestrictive,creatingissueswithpatient
compliance,theycanbeassociatedwithadversesideeffects.
Forthesereasons,ketogenicdietstendtoberecommended
forpeoplewithsevereepilepsywhofailtorespondto
traditionaltherapy.
Whetherornotketogenicdietsbenefitdogswithepilepsy
hasnotbeenadequatelystudied.moresothanpeople,dogs
aresomewhatresistanttodevelopingketosis(highblood
levelsofketones).Potentialcomplicationsassociatedwith
feedingketogenicdietstodogsincludedietarydeficiencies,
nutritionalimbalancesandissuescausedbyahighfatdiet,
suchaspancreatitis,gastrointestinaldiseaseandobesity.
Phenobarbital,adrugcommonlyusedtotreatcanine
epilepsy,notoriouslycausesincreasedbloodlevelsofafat
calledtriglycerides.Addtothisadietconsistingof80-90
percentfat,andonemaybecreatingarecipefordisaster.
Effectofbodycomposition.
Althoughnotstudied
indogs,theauthorsofthispapersuggestthatthenormal
metabolismofanti-seizuremedications(howlongadrug
lastsinthebodyafteritisadministered)maybealteredin
dogsthataresignificantlyoverorunderweight.Lossof
seizurecontrolmayresultbecauseofmedicationlevelsin
thebloodstreamthataretoolow.Conversely,medication
levelsinthebloodstreamthataretoohighcancausedrug
overdosesymptoms.
Theauthorsofthisarticleemphasizedthatmaintenance
ofanidealandstablebodyweightisimportantfordogs
withepilepsy.Thiscanbeachallengingpropositiongiven
thatincreasedappetiteisoneofthemostcommonside
effectsformanyanti-seizuremedications.
EffectofdietandurinepH.
Therateatwhich
anti-seizuremedicationsareeliminatedviathekidneyscan
30
www.pbgv.org
Winter2014
ISaberTails
IPBGVHealthReport
byNancyKay,DVM
NutritionalManagementofCanineEpilepsy
PhotobyJaneSwason