Epilepsy affects many animals, including humans, and always causes the same sets of symptoms and outcomes. The causes are not always exactly the same, however. Canine secondary epilepsy occurs when specific situations exist in a dog's body. In that case, treatment for secondary epilepsy consists of treatment of those underlying causes rather than the epilepsy itself.
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Epilepsy
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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder where a dog's brain malfunctions and affects the entire body. Neurons in the brain normally fire at a set and controlled rate to signal activities like movement, speech and thought. In epileptic dogs, those neurons speed up and fire too often or too quickly. This action brings on a seizure. Epilepsy falls into one of two categories: primary (idiopathic, genetic, inherited, true) epilepsy, in which case there is no definite cause for the disorder, and secondary epilepsy.
Secondary Epilepsy
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According to K9Web, secondary epilepsy refers to "seizures for which a case can be determined." Secondary epilepsy therefore results from concrete factors like degenerative disease, developmental problems, toxins, infections, metabolic disorders, nutritional disorders, tumors and trauma to the brain.
Epileptic Seizures
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Secondary epileptic seizures follow the same patterns as primary epileptic seizures. During the aura, the dog's brain sends signs of an impending seizure. A dog may become insecure, upset, distracted or clingy. Other signs include restlessness, whining, drooling and hiding. During the ictus the dog experiences the seizure--sudden flexion of muscles, which may be specific or general, depending on the dog's epilepsy. During the postictus phase the dog recovers from the seizure, with continued wandering and disorientation. This may last for days.
Types of Seizures
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Seizures may take many forms, depending on the specifics of a dog's epilepsy. Generalized seizures affect a dog's entire body and may result in loss of consciousness. Partial seizures affect only a specific part of the dog's body and may be quite mild. Cluster seizures occur when multiple seizures happen in a short period of time. Status epilepticus may display as a single 30-minute seizure or multiple seizures with no return to normalcy.
Treatments
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Treatment for secondary epilepsy begins with treatment for the causal factor. If nutrition, toxins, infections or tumors are to blame, vets treat those issues in an attempt to eradicate the epilepsy. If issues are untreatable, vets put a dog on anti-epileptic medication to moderate the strength and frequency of seizures, and owners learn to recognize and manage the seizures when they do come along.
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