Seizures: Early Causes
Subject: Epilepsy: Consequence of illness?
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 06:28:50 -0500
From: Barbara Licht
>An owner wrote
>... Some years ago Ali had meningitis with some symptoms of pneumonia (unfortunately at that time there were no good vets around to help). From that time from time to time he has sort of cramps. Can it be epilepsy? Can it be consequence of that illness? Is there a possibility that it can cause some problems in the future?
It is indeed possible that a prior illness could have affected his brain so that he is likely to have seizures. (This would be called "secondary" or "symptomatic" epilepsy.) However, it is hard to know whether his "sorts of cramps" are seizures or some completely different kind of problem. I would need a MUCH more detailed description to be able to make an educated guess as to whether or not they are seizures. For, example, what parts of his body are cramping? Does he act like he is in pain? Does part of his body get stiff or does it make jerking movements? Does he seem know what is happening? Do they occur at certain times, such as right after he has been running hard or right after a meal?
Have you described these "cramps" to your veterinarian? Has he or she examined Ali to see if this might be some other kind of problem?
If these are seizures, but they are not serious and they only occur a few times a year, then you might simply want to keep track of them. That is, you should mark your calendar every time Ali has one and what it was like. However, if these are seizures and Ali is having them frequently (for example, once every 6-8 weeks), you should discuss treatment with your veterinarian. The majority of dogs respond well to Phenobarbital. (Some also require the addition (or substitution) of Potassium Bromide to control seizures.)
Barbara
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Barbara G. Licht, Ph.D. Voice: (850) 644-6272
Department of Psychology EMAIL: blicht@psy.fsu.edu
Florida State University FAX: (850) 644-7739
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1051