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