Epilepsy is defined as a disease of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures. This definition is usually practically applied as having at least two unprovoked epileptic seizures >24 h apart. Idiopathic Epilepsy refers to epilepsy in which the nature of the underlying cause is as yet unknown and with no indication of structural epilepsy¹

Dogs with epilepsy are among the commonest neurological patients in veterinary practice¹. As a result these patients present a frequent clinical challenge to first opinion vets. Epilepsy is a very emotive condition for pet owners so clear communication and confident management of these cases are essential to ensure owner compliance and effective long term management of these, often tricky, cases.

Effective management of epileptic cases will ideally include accurate seizure records, good clinical and neurological exams, thorough work up, clear communication between vet and pet owner, regular check-ups and serum monitoring and a good understanding of how to select and use antiepileptic medications to their best effect.