Diseases of pets >>>> Epilepsy in an animal - signs and prevention

Epilepsy in an animal - signs and prevention.

All pet owners expect that their pets will always be healthy. But when faced with a number of unpleasant symptoms of the disease in an animal, many pet owners are lost and are not able to provide timely assistance to their pet, which can lead to the death of their pet. Many symptoms of diseases in animals proceed in the same way as in humans, which makes it possible for the owner of the animal to at least intuitively understand what is happening to the animal and navigate the methods of emergency assistance to his pet.

The disease Epilepsy, oddly enough, is quite common among domestic and, especially, among domesticated street animals. Pets belong to living organisms with a highly developed central nervous system, which can fail even such a small, not always intelligent creature. The task of the animal owner is to learn to recognize impending epileptic seizures, to help the animal survive the seizure, as well as to understand what factors can lead to the development of this complex disease, and how it is necessary to protect the animal from the consequences of the trauma that causes Epilepsy.

Suffice it to say that people with this kind of disease are quite capable of leading a normal lifestyle, taking into account the treatment and some features of the lifestyle, the rules of which they follow. But with animals, everything is more complicated, because the pet itself is unlikely to follow a healthy regime and will certainly get involved in a story that can provoke an attack of Epilepsy. It must be borne in mind that, in the case of an animal, Epilepsy becomes a threat to the life of the animal at any time of the development of an attack.

Already developed typical signs of an epileptic seizure in an animal look the same as in a person:

Loss of consciousness,
Loss of stable body position,
Spasms of the limbs (paws, head and even tail),
Foam from the mouth,
Tongue sinking,
No pupil response to light or movement in front of the eyes,
Urination or defecation may reflexively occur,
Breathing may stop for a while, and then it recovers.

Usually the animal itself regains consciousness at the end of the seizure, but during the seizure period it can bite off its tongue (or bite it until it bleeds), choke on frothy saliva or a sunken tongue. In such cases, the task of the owner of the animal is not to get confused, but to provide all possible assistance to his pet:

prevent the animal from falling and try to lay it down slowly on any surface without stones or protrusions (on a flat surface);
try to turn the animal's head to one side so that saliva (or saliva with blood) flows out, and does not flow down the pet's throat;
if possible, hold the pet's head so that the head does not pound at the moment of convulsions on a hard surface;
if possible, insert into the mouth any strong stick (a thick stick that the animal will not bite) across the jaws to open them and prevent the animal from choking on its own tongue or saliva (do not be afraid to do this at the time of the attack, since the animal is unconscious and will not be able to bite you). When the animal regains consciousness, it will itself release the wand from its jaws;
do not panic if the animal has stopped breathing, but continue to perform the necessary manipulations - respiratory activity itself is restored upon regaining consciousness.

These simple techniques will save the animal's life at the time of the developing attack of Epilepsy.

How to recognize an impending episode of Epilepsy in an animal? Unlike a person who realizes that his eyes darken before a seizure, the animal will not show this moment in its behavior. But the pet, with an impending attack, begins to behave in an unusual manner:

A calm animal begins to worry, show motor activity (including erratic), may not find a place for itself, may whine or breathe frequently.
An active animal (for example, in moments of play), on the contrary, becomes apathetic, lethargic, does not respond to the calls of the owner, does not respond to others.

What can cause an epilepsy attack in an animal:

Contrasts between a dark and a light room - for example, keeping an animal in a dark room as a sign of punishment, and then releasing it into a light (illuminated) room, you have every chance of provoking an Epilepsy attack if the animal, by your ignorance, already suffers from this disease, which can and do not show themselves for a long time.
Playing with the animal at dusk or at night with a flashlight that will periodically shine into the eyes of the animal.
Sudden jumps from great heights or jumping over tall objects can provoke a concussion and trigger the development of an epileptic seizure.
Intense head-shaking, active games or exercises involving somersaults or falling of the animal can provoke an epileptic seizure.

Why does the disease Epilepsy occur in an animal? Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system (central nervous system - brain) caused by any trauma: mechanical, chemical, biological. In animals, epilepsy can be congenital or acquired.

Any moderate concussion of the brain can lead to the development of Epilepsy. Toxic poisoning (food or infectious) can be a factor in the development of Epilepsy. A birth injury or a genetic (anatomical) congenital anomaly is quite capable of leading to the disease Epilepsy. A female who receives a blow to the stomach during pregnancy can give birth to a baby with Epilepsy. An animal that has received a blow to the head even once can become a hostage of the Epilepsy disease. An animal that falls unsuccessfully during tricks or games, and hits its head even slightly, can get a concussion and further - Epilepsy. An animal that has had an infectious disease of any origin (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic) may end up with Epilepsy.

The task of the pet owner, who has noticed seizures of unknown origin in his beloved animal, is to contact a veterinarian to diagnose and clarify the causes of a convulsive symptom, since in many cases epileptic seizures can be eliminated by getting rid of just the cause of their occurrence. But in some cases, the Epilepsy disease remains with the animal forever and requires either lifelong treatment or euthanasia of the pet in order to get rid of the painful seizures.

To prevent epileptic seizures and the development of the disease Epilepsy in a pet, it is necessary to adhere to pet food hygiene, avoid too active games with falls and shaking the body and dubious tricks with a pet, carefully monitor the pet's mood changes in order to identify and cure Epilepsy at the stage when it is not threatens the life of a pet.