Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

370 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
however, develop a tolerance to the sedative effects within a few weeks. In
some dogs, it can cause liver damage. Potassium bromide can also be used to
treat epilepsy. More dogs respond to phenobarbital than to potassium bromide
alone, but potassium bromide has no potential to cause liver damage. Rarely,
it will cause hind leg stiffness, but this is reversible if the drug is stopped.
Many dogs are best controlled by a combination of phenobarbital and potassium
bromide. A few dogs are well controlled on potassium bromide alone.
If seizures cannot be controlled with phenobarbital and potassium bromide,
other drugs, such as Clonazepam, Valproic acid, Clorazepate, and many others
can be added. The dosages and rates of action of all anticonvulsants are variable.
Regular monitoring of serum drug levels is essential—both to control
seizures and to avoid toxicity. Liver enzymes are monitored as well. The two
common causes of treatment failure are not maintaining adequate drug levels
and not giving the drugs as often as directed. A missed dose of an anticonvulsant
can precipitate a seizure. It is important to work closely with your veterinarian.
Acupuncture and dietary changes may also help to reduce the number and
extent of seizures.
Research is under way to identify the defective gene or genes responsible
for epilepsy so that dogs can be identified as carriers before being bred.
Affected dogs may not have their first seizure until 3 to 5 years of age, by
which time they may have already been bred. No dog known to seizure from
suspected epilepsy should be bred.
NARCOLEPSY AND CATAPLEXY
Narcolepsy and cataplexy are uncommon disorders of the sleep mechanism in
which a dog is excessively sleepy all day (narcolepsy) or experiences sudden
muscle paralysis and collapse (cataplexy). Between attacks the dog is completely
normal. Narcolepsy can occur without cataplexy, and vice versa,
although narcolepsy alone is difficult to recognize in dogs.
A dog may have one or many episodes of collapse in a day, each lasting a
few seconds or up to 30 minutes. The attacks can usually be reversed by petting
the dog or making a loud noise.
Treatment: There are several effective drugs available to prevent narcolepsy
and cataplexy. Dogs afflicted with the inherited form (mainly
Doberman Pinschers, Dachshunds, and Labrador Retrievers) often improve as
they grow older. This is an autosomal recessive problem in these three breeds.
OptiGen has a DNA test to identify carriers before dogs are bred.
COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS
There are some unusual behaviors in dogs that may, in fact, be partial seizures.
These include fly biting and tail chasing/spinning. In the fly biting situation