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We offer you and your veterinary surgeon a complete medical assessment, treatment plan and a life-long support for your pet.
Seizures (fits) may have a genetic cause (idiopathic epilepsy), may be symptomatic (secondary epilepsy) or cryptogenic. In symptomatic epilepsy we can identify the underlying cause for the seizures. Cryptogenic epileptic seizures are believed to have an underlying cause that cannot be identified by diagnostic tests.
We have to do several investigations and tests to find out whether your pet suffers from one of those causes. What kind of investigations and tests might we recommend to investigate your pets seizures?
At first we will take a complete history about your pet. The history is one of the cornerstones of diagnosing epilepsy and will be analysed by experienced neurologists who have been working for years in the field of epilepsy research.
We will ask
you questions like: 
(For more details see questionnaire).
We will then have a closer look at your pet and perform a physical and neurological examination. This helps us to identify clinically which parts of the body and of the brain might be involved.
Depending on our results further blood tests and imaging might be required. In the blood we might look at blood cell distribution and count, electrolytes (such as calcium) , liver and kidney enzymes. We might also perform liver function tests such as a bile acid stimulation test.
The imaging
of choice in a lot of epileptic animals is magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI). The MRI provides us with a window of the brain and lets us detect
things like structural brain abnormalities, signs of inflammation or
infection. After the MRI we will perform a spinal fluid examination,
which might provide us with further evidence of the underlying cause.
Following these tests we
will discuss the results with you and the available treatment options for your pet.
Epilepsy Clinic These pages maintained by the Epilepsy Clinic Contact: epilepsy@rvc.ac.uk
