Today's Veterinary Practice

MAY-JUN 2017

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

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77 A special section to Today's Veterinary Practice | May/June RESEARCH V eterinarians in companion animal practice are familiar with canine idiopathic epilepsy, a neurologic condition that affects an estimated 1 in 111 dogs. 1 Companion animal practitioners are also familiar with the shortcomings of current therapeutic approaches, which include medication side effects and breakthrough seizures. While the precise cause of canine idiopathic epilepsy is unknown, the effect in the brain has been documented as a rapid, uncontrolled discharge of neurons within the brain's cerebral cortex that leads to seizures. 2 Epilepsy appears to be a heritable condition in dogs; while any dog of any breed can develop the condition, some breeds are predisposed. These include Labrador retrievers, Belgian shepherds, petit Basset Griffon vendeens, boxers, Irish wolfhounds, English springer spaniels, vizslas, Bernese mountain dogs, standard poodles, border collies, Australian shepherds, and border terriers. 3 The condition is also more common in males than females, with neutering having no effect on this predisposition. 2 Anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) such as phenobarbital and potassium bromide are commonly used for canine epilepsy. 2 Patients typically have their first seizure between 1 and 3 years of age 4 and begin treatment with one of these medications, with others added if and when treatment results are unsatisfactory (a 50% reduction in seizures is considered a successful response 5 ). The challenge: two-thirds of affected dogs continue to suffer from seizures in spite of medication, 6 and 20% to 30% remain poorly controlled. 7–9 Meanwhile, AEDs themselves are associated with side effects, including Neurologic Breakthrough in Canine Nutrition Jason Gagné, DVM, DACVN Director, Veterinary Technical Marketing | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Dr. Jason Gagné is a board- certified veterinary nutritionist employed by Nestlé Purina as a Director, Veterinary Technical Marketing. Jason works closely with innovation and renovation, development of clinical trials, and the Sales and Marketing departments of the Purina ® Pro Plan ® Veterinary Diets Brand. Prior to, and throughout his residency at Cornell, he served as an Associate Veterinarian in a small animal practice in Syracuse, New York. Jason has authored a number of publications in veterinary journals and textbooks, given scientific presentations at the regional and national level, taught a series of courses at Cornell, and serves as a scientific reviewer for leading journals. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jason Gagné, DVM, DACVN A HERITABLE CONDITION While any dog of any breed can develop epilepsy, some breeds are predisposed: boxers, Labrador retrievers, Belgian shepherds, petit Basset Griffon vendeens, Irish wolfhounds, English springer spaniels, Australian shepherds, Bernese mountain dogs, standard poodles, border collies, and border terriers. shutterstock.com/Garry Quinn

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