Epilepsy in dogs is a disease with unknown causes, which manifest through periodical seizures. The life expectancy of a dog with epilepsy may be normal, provided the dog won’t get injured during a seizure. However, some dogs may die due to an injury that happened during a seizure.
Seizures in Epilepsy
Seizures in dogs with epilepsy may happen several times per month or may occur only a few times per year.
Epilepsy is an idiopathic disease, but researchers believe that the disease may be hereditary. Some dog breeds may also have epilepsy more often than others.
Except for the seizures, which may be scary at times, especially if you are not aware of the dog’s condition, the dog won’t have any other symptoms and health problems.
However, there may be a few problems arising when the dog has seizures.
Epilepsy Life Expectancy
The dog’s life expectancy will depend greatly on his lifestyle, on the frequency of the seizures, his treatment and whether you are able to protect him during his seizures.
As mentioned before, the dog won’t have any other health problems except for the seizures. However, during a seizure, the dog may suffer from an injury, especially if you are not around to offer help and protect him from dangerous objects such as needles, knives or stairs. In some cases, the dog can get badly injured and this will affect his life expectancy.
During a seizure, the dog may also get brain damage, especially if he has a longer seizure and he is not able to breathe for several minutes.
If your dog gets seizure medication (i.e. Phenobarbital), most seizures may be prevented; however, some seizures may still be experienced. It’s important to be able to detect the first symptoms of a seizure and administer help, so that your dog won’t get hurt.
If your dog gets medication and you are constantly monitoring him for seizures, his life expectancy will be normal.
However, if your dog is not under treatment, he may have a shorter life expectancy, due to the injuries or brain damage that may occur during a seizure.
What to Do During Seizures
If you notice that your dog is having a seizure, you will have to pad the dog’s surroundings with pillows or blankets to make sure he won’t get injured.
You can detect if your dog is having a seizure as he may collapse and have sudden spasms; he may be drooling and there will be foam at the mouth.
You should try to figure out what may cause the seizures in your dog. Typically, there are various triggers such as noise or even certain smells. If you detect these triggers, you should ensure the dog is not exposed to these in the future.
Epilepsy and Breeding
Due to the fact that epilepsy may be an inherited disease, dogs that have epilepsy shouldn’t be bred.
Consequently, the dog should be neutered as early as possible (after reaching maturity).