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Originally Posted by Mitzis Mom  It started about 1 1/2 years ago and it happens every 3 to 8 weeks. The vet told me that meds are not necessary as long as it doesn't get more frequently and the seizures don't last longer. I'll have some blood work done anyway... |
Have you gotten a second opinion from an internal medicine vet? Epilepsy is a progressive disease due to "kindling", a phenomena that actually allows to brain create a path to make the next seizure easier. Repeated seizures lower the seizure threshold.
Q. What is kindling?
A. Kindling is the experimental phenomenon whereby repeated stimulation of the brain can eventually induce a chronic epileptic state that persists after the stimulation is stopped.
The underlying mechanisms of kindling are incompletely understood but involve changes in the electrical behavior of a group of brain cells. This may be related to alterations of chemical receptors (specifically what are called NMDA subtype of glutamate receptors) and changes in how these brain cells connect with each other through structures called synapses.
In a sense, by having repeated seizure the brain "learns" how to have seizures. Think about how a young child learning to write their name has to concentrate when printing each letter. After doing this over and over, we become able to quickly write our name without even thinking about the intricate hand movements involved. Obviously there is some change in our brain that allows this to happen, but it does not have to be a structural lesion.
I think of kindling as something similar. The brain is doing what it is designed to do...learn. It is just learning to do something harmful like have a seizure.
WB Thomas, DVM
Dipl. ACVIM (Neurology)
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
Medication can help stop this progression which can lead to dangerous cluster seizures. With the frequency of Mitzi's seizures, I would be very concerned. When a dog has more than a couple of seizures a year, most vets recommend medication.