Neurology
Current Studies
Appointments for The Epilepsy Clinic can be made via the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder in dogs and cats. The term "epilepsy" simply refers to the state of recurrent seizures. Seizures are caused by an electrical short-circuit of one or more brain areas which might be followed by contractions of skeletal muscles. In the normal brain, neurons communicate using electrical and chemical signals. Those signals can either be excitatory (activating) or inhibitory. A balance between those two types of signals determines whether neurons will be activated or inhibited. If it is not balanced and neurons are getting more activated more and more neurons fire at the same time, an electrical short-circuit develops and your animal might show seizures.
Epilepsies can have a genetic cause (idiopathic epilepsy), can be symptomatic (secondary epilepsy) - meaning we can identify the underlying cause for the seizures or be cryptogenic. Cryptogenic epileptic seizures are believed to be due to an underlying unidentified brain disease.
Metabonomic Study in Epileptic Dogs
Samples are being collected from dogs with Idiopathic Epilepsy to look for a metabonomic indicator of epilepsy.
It is hoped that information from this study will refine treatment of this disease.
This study is being run alongside the current epilepsy clinic.