Epilepsy affects a significant proportion of dogs. Effective seizure management and welfare-focused monitoring improves quality of life for both dogs and their owners.
Epilepsy welfare encompasses the seizure events themselves and the interictal quality of life affected by medication side effects and owner anxiety. The seizure moment is frightening but dogs are not conscious of pain during tonic-clonic events. The welfare concern lies in seizure frequency, severity, and the chronic medication burden. Dogs maintained on phenobarbital require regular liver monitoring; side effects including sedation and increased appetite affect daily quality of life. The welfare goal is the lowest effective medication dose that achieves acceptable seizure control without unacceptable side effects.