My name is Noodle. I am an 11 1/2 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback and I have epilepsy. My mum did not realise that until 3 years ago when I had a grand mal (seizure) and rushed me to the vet. It appears that the cause of my epilepsy was a blow to the head. I was playing silly buggers and crashed into a pergola post and knocked myself out when I was about 12 months old. Since then, I have been having absence/focal seizures (trances). That is where I act like a cat about to pounce, but in slow motion. I quiver, stare, dribble and basically go into a daze.

Believe it or not, it is common in dogs. My mum knows of over 800 dogs through the two Epilepsy Lists she belongs to on the Internet. Some of the breeds on these lists are Golden Retrievers, Dalmatians, German Shepherds, Akita, Labrador Retrievers, Shetland Sheepdogs, Collies, English Setters, and range in age from puppy to senior. Epilepsy though does not just affect or favour purebred dogs, mixed breed can also suffer. There are various ways in which epilepsy can be contracted such as mine, a bump on the head, hereditary, brain infection etc. And there are many ways in which to treat this disease. I take Rescue Remedy, a herbal medication made for humans, and it works well for me, most of the time. There have been times where I have had to have a sedative though. The most common medications for treating epilepsy available are Phenobarbital (PB) and/or Potassium Bromide (KBr) and Gabapentin. There are some other meds used for dogs, as it is in humans, but most of them have not proved as beneficial as PB and KBr.

So far, I have only had about 6 grand mals, but I can suffer up to 10 petit mals (the absence seizures) a day. Some of my friends have 12 or more grand mals a day, some might only have one a month. It all depends on the severity of the disease. I often have my seizures when I lie out in the sun and "fry my brain". Heating the brain can also cause seizures, but does not necessarily mean that an animal is epileptic. In summer, I love to lie right in front of the fan to cool my head down.

High pitched sounds also upset me, like the smoke alarm, telephone pagers and even the television remote control. When I get stressed, I can also have seizures, for instance, when my partner, Kelly, passed away last year. Even cats, horses and other animals can have epilepsy. I have also had seizures due to my cardio-myopathy due to my huge temperature rises. Now, a few words from my owner, Sharyn.

Epilepsy has no cure, but it is able to be controlled. Noodle leads a normal life, and is quite happy and contented, and extremely spoiled. I hope that he will be around for many more years yet, he certainly still acts like a puppy and has just been neutered. A must for epileptic dogs. Noodle also had an active show life, making it to Australian Champion in 1991. He has also been obedience trained, as have many of the other epi-dogs I know.

If you see your dog have a seizure, please take it to a vet. It may not necessarily be epilepsy, it could be one of many other problems. Tests will be carried out ranging from blood tests to MRI – yes, they even have them for animals. If it is epilepsy, then talk to your vet thoroughly before you make a decision on whether to treat the animal or have it put to sleep. A dog with canine epilepsy can live a long and happy life. Idiopathic epilepsy (seizures with no clear explainable cause) usually begins in dogs before the age of 2, but can start at any age. Epilepsy that is untreated can become progressively worse and lead to death. Extensive research is being done in the field of epilepsy from mode of inheritance to studies on various anti-convulsant drugs.

There are also people like those who care for senior dogs and abused dogs, who would also be willing to care for that dog, even if you can’t. You also have the support of all of us with epi-dogs, and as I mentioned, there are several groups on the Internet who are there for dog owners like me. Some of the web sites you might like to visit are:

http://www.schips-r-it.com/k9epi.html

Last revised: May 01, 2003.

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