Idiopathic epilepsy in dogs: owners’ perspectives on management with phenobarbitone and/or potassium bromide

Abstract

From the owners' perspective, adequacy of seizure control is determined by the balance between "the dog's quality of life", "adequate seizure frequency" and "acceptable side effects of antiepileptic drugs". A frequency of less than one seizure every three months is associated with the perception by owners of adequate seizure control.

Comparing the effects of first‐line antiepileptic drugs on the gait of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

“…Dogs treated with PB were shown to have a significantly higher variability in their lateral paw placements (pelvic paw distance and thoracic paw distance) and stance, suggesting an inability to coordinate their paw positioning whilst walking when compared with the imepitoin-treated dogs and control dogs. This finding supports the authors’ initial hypothesis, and provides objective support for the observation that PB causes ataxia in dogs with IE, as previously reported by owners and clinicians (Dayrell-Hart and others 1991, Chang and others 2006, Tipold and others 2015). In comparison, the imepitoin-treated groups had very similar CV values to the control group.…”

Quality‐of‐life aspects in idiopathic epilepsy in dogs

“…These comorbidities in dogs include increased fear/anxiety, defensive aggression, abnormal perception, inattention, excitability/impulsivity, and show remarkable similarities to its human counterpart resembling anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Shihab and others 2011, Jokinen and others 2015, Packer and others 2016). The carer commonly assesses non-metric aspects like neurobehavioral changes and QoL aspects based on their perception (Lord and Podell 1999, Chang and others 2006, Shihab and others 2011, Muñana and others 2012, Packer and others 2016). The carer's perception of their dog's QoL may be biased, but with this in mind the carer can serve as surrogate.…”

Monitoring side effects of antiepileptic drugs

“…In a survey of owners of epileptic dogs, the side effects of AEDs were one of the major concerns. The other two main concerns for the owner were the dog's quality of life and whether the frequency of seizures was acceptable (Chang and others 2006). …”