My journey started earlier this year as I searched for a different approach to medication to help my Son who was diagnosed with
idiopathic epilepsy in November last year.
The most common form of epilepsy, which affects 6 out of 10 people, is known as
idiopathic epilepsy.
More than 60 percent of dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy can have their symptoms controlled using phenobarbital at therapeutic dosages.
The term
idiopathic epilepsy refers to a seizure disorder that has an unknown cause despite a thorough diagnostic evaluation.
While uncommon in young puppies,
idiopathic epilepsy is possible, where no cause is identifiable.
If no other cause can be found, the disease is called primary, or
idiopathic epilepsy.
While
idiopathic epilepsy is a common cause of seizures in younger dogs, brain tumors, trauma, and toxins should also be ruled out.
In the Cane Corso
idiopathic epilepsy usually starts at about 2 years but it can begin as early as 9 months or as late as 5 years.
Idiopathic epilepsy also occurs in the Cane Corso.
With
idiopathic epilepsy the cause is unknown.
Deciding when to treat
idiopathic epilepsy is just as important as how to treat.
Usually a dog with
idiopathic epilepsy is between 1 - 3 years of age.
In most cases of
idiopathic epilepsy we are able to achieve this goal, at least initially.
A ketogenic diet based on medium chain triglycerides (MCT) has recently been shown to improve seizure control and reduce behavioral comorbidities in some dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy when fed as an adjunct to antiepileptic drug treatment.
Generalized, or tonic - clonic, seizures are typically associated with
idiopathic epilepsy.
Beagles, Keeshonden, Irish Setters, Belgian Tervurens, Siberian Huskies, Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds may be genetically predisposed to
idiopathic epilepsy.
Sometimes, as in the case of
idiopathic epilepsy, the cause of seizure activity is unknown.
Most German Shepherds with
idiopathic epilepsy experience their first seizure between the ages of one and five years.
Dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy are typically normal between seizures and have a normal neurological examination, as determined by your veterinarian or a veterinary neurologist.
Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures in dogs.
Idiopathic epilepsy is diagnosed by ruling out all of the other causes of seizures inside and outside of the brain.
Dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy typically experience their first seizure between one and five years of age.
An abnormal neurological examination suggests that
idiopathic epilepsy is less likely.
For example, dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy typically have a normal neurological examination between seizures.
The third broad category of causes of seizures in dogs and cats is
idiopathic epilepsy.
However,
some idiopathic epilepsy is tied to genetics.
It's recommended that felines suffering with genetic or
idiopathic epilepsy be neutered or spayed to avoid passing on the trait.
If no cause of the seizure can be identified, the condition is diagnosed as primary
idiopathic epilepsy (epilepsy of no known cause).
The most common cause of a Yorkie seizure is
the idiopathic epilepsy.
If your Yorkshire terrier has three or more seizures within the first week of onset, the veterinarian will probably consider other diagnosis than
idiopathic epilepsy.
After performing these diagnostics, your pet may be diagnosed with
idiopathic epilepsy (seizures of unknown origin
In cases where the cause of the seizure is unknown, it is typically called
idiopathic epilepsy.
However, grand mal seizures advanced to cluster seizures in 29 (19.9 %) of the affected Irish wolfhounds, which is a large number considering that only 27 % of all dogs referred for the treatment of cluster seizures suffer from (primary)
idiopathic epilepsy 29.
The purposes of this study were to document
idiopathic epilepsy and define the mode of inheritance in the Irish wolfhound.
Of the affected dogs that died, 62 % succumbed to disorders of quality of life issues directly attributable to
idiopathic epilepsy.
Idiopathic epilepsy was diagnosed in 146 (18.3 %) Irish wolfhounds from 120 related litters containing 796 dogs.
Genetic studies in humans and mice with
idiopathic epilepsy have revealed a number of causative genes for specific forms of epilepsy 31.
Irish wolfhounds with
idiopathic epilepsy had a life expectancy that was decreased by two years in comparison to the general Irish wolfhound population14.
Over the years a variety of medications have become available for the treatment of
idiopathic epilepsy in humans but only a handful have been tested and approved for use in the dog 10.
Idiopathic epilepsy is the predominant diagnosis in dogs with generalized, recurring seizures.
The diagnosis of
idiopathic epilepsy in the 146 affected dogs was based on a history of more than two seizures in the absence of other medical problems, as defined by normal physical and neurological examinations, as well as normal hematological, serum biochemical, and urine analyses.
Occasionally, some dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy may only experience focal seizures or may even retain consciousness during the seizure.
In the German shepherd and in the keeshond,
idiopathic epilepsy was thought to have a simple autosomal recessive basis 3, 20 - 22.
We suspect that a similar mechanism is responsible for the phenotypic appearance of
idiopathic epilepsy in the Irish wolfhound.
A representative portion of the larger pedigree illustrating the inheritance of
idiopathic epilepsy is shown in Figure 3.
(see Figure 3 at left: Small portion of the much larger pedigree of Irish wolfhounds with
idiopathic epilepsy.)
In our study, an 18.3 % incidence of
idiopathic epilepsy was found among related Irish wolfhounds with a high heritability of 0.87 for the trait.
Idiopathic epilepsy is also known to occur in the breed.
Dogs with
idiopathic epilepsy generally begin seizing at between one and three years of age.
After performing these diagnostics, your pet may be diagnosed with
idiopathic epilepsy (seizures of unknown origin).