all have an idea about clear about epilepsy in humans, either because they know someone with this problem either because it has been discussed extensively in the film ("A spoon so they do not bite your tongue!", etc) but ... what about pets? Can you have this problem? What are the symptoms?
believe it or not, is a relatively common problem in small animal clinic. Between 0.5 and 5% of dogs can have it, and these are not all those with seizures. So first we will see the difference between one thing and another, since all the animals suffering from epilepsy syndromes manifest as convulsive but not all seizures are caused by epilepsy.
A seizure is a disorder of brain function (an abnormal electrical discharge in the action potentials of neurons) which by definition is paroxysmal (appearing suddenly) transient (a brain disorder is not continuous, as could be for example tremors in Parkinson's disease), stereotyped (with a fixed motion pattern, repeated over and over again) and involuntary. The causes are complex but can be summarized in an alteration of neurotransmitters (chemicals that neurons use to communicate with each other) and an imbalance of these with a loss of inhibitory neurotransmitters for the drivers.
seizures alterations at three levels:
-in level of consciousness
-motor-in the autonomic nervous system.
Depending on the magnitude of these problems, and their different involvement in the process, we can observe various types of seizures, from alternating phases of contraction and relaxation throughout the body of the animal, to seizures without muscle movements (which are confused with syncope or fainting), through partial seizures (the animal is moved only a foot) or so-called complex partial alteration in the temporal lobe produces sensory disturbances (sounds strange visions) that If a dog can see how disturbed behavior.
Some poisonings and metabolic problems (eg hypoglycemia in an animal escaped, he has not eaten in several days, or do not eat any other cause) may cause seizures without epilepsy, and so it is easy to confuse this type problems with syncope, or if the animal has a very painful abdominal or column, with the manifestation of this pain. For all this, it is very important that the diagnosis is performed by a veterinarian, since the seizure is a symptom that is warning us that there may be a major problem that must be addressed.
Epilepsy is a syndrome with seizure primary cause (the problem) within the cerebral cortex, and recurrent course, which means that crises occur periodically and is not a single isolated episode.
We distinguish between two types of epilepsy:
-Idiopathic epilepsy or true: Very rare in the cat. When we find no cause.
-secondary or symptomatic epilepsy, caused by congenital malformations (in puppies) head trauma (hit dogs, cats fallen from upper floors ...) infections, tumors, strokes ...
In the first case, the symptoms can be recognized as owners are abnormal animal behavior prior to the crisis, after which the animal collapses (usually sideways) and then a general rigidity of all muscles, which are alternating phases of contraction and relaxation. Furthermore, excessive drooling is a common, or that the animal urinated on himself. The crisis last 1 to 3 minutes, and recovery will be longer depending on the intensity and duration of the crisis.
In the second case, we can see different types of seizures to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the cause and the area of \u200b\u200bthe nervous system is affected.
Treatment aims to reduce the frequency, duration and severity of the crisis, not its demise and unfortunately this is not possible. Sometimes is a lifelong treatment, but depending on the clinical response of the animal, it is sometimes possible to reduce the dose and be phased out. In any case it is very important that the animal is controlled by your veterinarian, and timely compliance with the prescribed controls.
In the case of secondary epilepsy, does not help control seizures if they are not attacking the root cause (tumor, infection ...) as these are only a warning that something is wrong underneath.
Treatment is urgent if observed :
-2 or more crises in a month.
-Crisis in runs (several in one day)
-crisis threatening the life of the animal, even if they are isolated
-Crisis over 5 minutes.
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