Your Dog Has Epilepsy: Understanding Seizures and What Comes Next

A seizure happens when there's a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Think of it like an electrical storm. During a generalised seizure (the most common and most dramatic type), the whole brain is involved, which is why your dog loses consciousness and their body moves uncontrollably.

Most seizures last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, though they feel much longer when you're watching. After the seizure (the "post-ictal" period), your dog may be disoriented, wobbly, temporarily blind, or excessively hungry or thirsty. This recovery period can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Idiopathic Epilepsy

This means epilepsy with no identifiable underlying cause. It's the most common form in dogs, typically starting between 1 and 5 years of age. Certain breeds are predisposed, including Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, and German Shepherds. If your dog's neurological exam and blood tests are normal, this is the most likely diagnosis.

Structural Epilepsy

Caused by something identifiable in the brain, such as a tumour, inflammation, or a developmental abnormality. Your vet may recommend an MRI to rule this out, particularly if seizures start in a very young or older dog, or if the neurological exam is abnormal.

Reactive Seizures

These aren't true epilepsy. They're caused by something outside the brain affecting it, like low blood sugar, liver disease, or a toxin. Blood tests usually identify these causes.

Not every dog that has a seizure needs medication. The general guidelines are to start treatment when:

• Your dog has had two or more seizures within a 6-month period
• A single seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes
• Your dog has cluster seizures (more than one in a 24-hour period)
• There's a known structural cause

If your dog has had a single, brief seizure with no identified cause, your vet may recommend monitoring rather than immediately starting medication. This "wait and see" approach is not negligence. It's reasonable medicine. Many dogs have a single seizure and never have another.

Phenobarbital

The most established anti-seizure drug. It works well for most dogs and is relatively inexpensive. Side effects in the first few weeks include increased thirst, hunger, and sedation. These typically improve as the body adjusts. Long-term monitoring with blood tests is required.

Imepitoin (Pexion)

A newer option with fewer side effects than phenobarbital. It's a reasonable first choice for dogs with mild to moderate epilepsy. Some dogs respond well to it, others need something stronger.

Levetiracetam (Keppra)

Often used as an add-on medication or for dogs that don't tolerate phenobarbital. It has a good safety profile and minimal liver effects. The main downside is that it usually needs to be given three times daily.

Potassium Bromide

Used as an add-on to phenobarbital when single-drug therapy isn't providing adequate control. It takes several weeks to reach effective levels in the blood.

The goal of treatment isn't necessarily zero seizures. For some dogs that's achievable, but for others the realistic aim is to reduce seizure frequency and severity to a level that's compatible with a good quality of life, without medication side effects that significantly impair that quality of life.

What You Can Do

Keep a seizure diary. Record the date, time, duration, and description of every seizure. This information is invaluable for your vet when assessing whether medication is working or needs adjusting.

Learn seizure first aid. During a seizure: don't restrain your dog, move furniture away from them, turn off bright lights and loud noises if possible, time the seizure. After the seizure: speak calmly, keep them in a quiet space until they recover, offer water when they're alert.

Know when it's an emergency. A seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, or multiple seizures without full recovery between them, is a medical emergency. Have your emergency vet's number saved in your phone.

What Most Owners Find

After the initial shock and adjustment to medication, most owners report that living with an epileptic dog is much more manageable than they expected. The seizures, while never pleasant, become something you know how to handle. The medication becomes routine. Your dog, between seizures, is completely normal.

Most epileptic dogs live full, happy lives. They play, they enjoy walks, they do everything other dogs do. They just happen to have a neurological condition that needs managing.

You'll get through this. Your dog already has.