Epilepsy & Lafora
Please be aware that the following information is designed to be informative only. It is not a medical or clinical paper, the sole purpose is to allow you as a beagle owner/or prospective beagle owner the opportunity to be aware of health issues that could occur. As always, it is recommended that you contact your vet and discuss any concerns that you have. If you are looking to purchase a puppy, ask questions like: What genetic testing do you do? Remember a genetic test is different from health testing puppies.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that can affect both dogs and humans. It can be misunderstood as not all dogs that have seizures have epilepsy but all dogs that have epilepsy will have seizures.
Before Epilepsy is diagnosed your beagle should have undergone other tests to rule out other causes such as brain tumors, infection, inflammation, or poison.When all other factors have been ruled your vet may start to look at Epilepsy as the cause of your Beagle’s seizures.
What is the difference between Lafora and Epilepsy?
While epilepsy can occur at any age, Lafora will usually occur after the age of 5 years. Before the first seizure, your Beagle is most likely to have been symptom-free. Using DNA testing available breeders of today have the opportunity to breed away from this form of epilepsy. How? By eliminating those beagles that show as being “Affected” in the breeding program of planned litters.
What does a seizure look like?
Beagles having a seizure can collapse, display jerking, stiffening, twitching muscles, lose consciousness and drool. You may also see foaming around the mouth. They may fall to the side with a paddle motion being made with their legs. Loss of awareness of surroundings and bodily function may also occur. Depending on the severity of the seizure, your beagle may only show mild symptoms.
What do I do?
Although it seems silly to say, you need to try to be as calm as you can be. Make sure that your beagle is safe (no furniture, stairs, etc where they could hurt themselves), time how long the seizure lasts, and what is happening, and talk to them in a calm, soft voice. If you have another person with you, a video of the seizure is another way to help your vet understand what was happening. It is important that you take your beagle to the vet as soon as possible.
What happens next?
Your vet will want to do a thorough examination. This is where any video footage, notes or verbal information will be vital. Any information you can pass on to your vet will help them in the diagnosis and treatment of your beagle.
Is there treatment available to stop the seizures?
If your beagle has either epilepsy or Lafora, treatment can be provided in the form of medication. Medication will control the symptoms, but will not cure the disease. Once a medication regime has been put in place to control the seizures, you and your beagle will return to a new ‘normal’. It is important to identify any triggers and then eliminate them as much as possible. Most beagles go on to live a long life with their families.
More information can be found in the following places:
- Beagle Health & Genetics Facebook Group
- BEAGS (Beagle Epilepsy Awareness Group)