Canine epilepsy affects millions of dogs worldwide, causing distressing seizures and requiring careful long-term management to maximize quality of life.
Canine epilepsy imposes welfare costs during seizures, in the post-ictal recovery period, and through the chronic burden of medication side effects. The seizure itself involves profound neurological disruption — loss of voluntary control, confusion, and physical exhaustion. The post-ictal period (lasting minutes to hours) involves anxiety, disorientation, and sometimes temporary blindness. Phenobarbital — the most commonly used anti-epileptic — causes sedation, increased appetite leading to obesity, and liver toxicity with long-term use. Poorly controlled epilepsy progressively worsens in many dogs, with seizures becoming more frequent and severe. Owner anxiety and the unpredictability of seizure timing creates a chronic quality-of-life burden extending beyond the seizures themselves.