Living with a dog with epilepsy raises quality of life questions that require ongoing assessment. Achieving good seizure control is the foundation of welfare, but the full picture is more complex.
Quality of life for epileptic dogs depends on more than just seizure frequency. Dogs between seizures can be entirely normal and happy, enjoying full lives. However, medication side effects including significant lethargy, weight gain from increased appetite, and ataxia from sedation compromise daily welfare independently of seizures. The caregiver burden on owners from medication compliance, monitoring, emergency management planning, and emotional stress affects the quality of care they can provide over time. Holistic welfare assessment for epileptic dogs includes evaluation of inter-ictal behavior, medication side effect burden, and owner wellbeing alongside seizure control.