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Dog Health News Articles
Page: 1
| Posted: 9th August 2004 |
| Epilepsy in the Dog |
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by T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM
Epilepsy in dogs, including grande mal seizures, are one of the most terrifying scenes a pet owner can witness. Once seen, it will never be forgottenEpileptic episodes are quite common in dogs and actually show up more often in certain breeds of dogs than in othersFor unknown reasons, epilepsy in cats is rather rareWhen seen in a cat, epileptic episodes may have more serious underlying mechanisms than when present in dogs. Let’s explore this disorder a bit and we will gain a better understanding of just what is going on during an epileptic episode.
First we need to know the terms…
EPILEPSY is defined as a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, recurring attacks of muscular, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures.
A SEIZURE refers to the involuntary contraction of musclesSeizures can result from abnormal electrical activity in the brain brought on by tumors, blood clots or scar tissue, or from chemical imbalances such as low blood sugar or nerve stimulating drugsTetanus toxin poisoning can stimulate muscles to contract resulting in a seizureA seizure may involve all the skeletal muscles or be localized to spasms in a single bundle of musclesWhen we see an athlete fall down, stretch and massage the calf muscle during a muscle cramp… those calf muscles are in a state of seizure due to lactic acid buildup from changes in oxygen availability within the muscle.
A GRAND MAL SEIZURE refers to severe, widespread cramping of the body’s skeletal musclesSkeletal muscles in general are those that attach to bones and allow for body movement; there are special smooth muscles that don’t attach to bone that usually are unaffected during a seizureThese smooth muscles reside mainly in the intestinal tract, blood vessels and specialized organ tissues. The heart muscle is actually different from either skeletal muscle or smooth muscle. |
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