Tools and techniques for classifying behaviours in canine epilepsy

Abstract

Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common neurological disease in dogs. Similar to humans, dogs with epilepsy often experience behavioural comorbidities such as increased fear, anxiety, and aggression, as reported by their caregivers. Investigations of behaviour in canine epilepsy have yet to untangle interictal and pre and postictal behaviours, prodromal changes, and seizure-precipitating factors. Under-recognition of absence and focal seizures further complicates these assessments. These complex behavioural presentations in combination with caring for an epileptic animal have a significant negative impact on the dog’s and caregiver’s quality of life. Despite the growing recognition of behavioural comorbidities and their impact on quality of life in dogs with epilepsy, few objective research methods for classifying and quantifying canine behaviour exist. This narrative review examines the strengths, limitations, and granularity of three tools used in the investigation of canine behaviour and epilepsy; questionnaires, electroencephalography, and actigraphy. It suggests that a prospective combination of these three tools has the potential to offer improvements to the objective classification and quantification of canine behaviour in epilepsy.

Idiopathic Epilepsy Risk Allele Trends in Belgian Tervuren: A Longitudinal Genetic Analysis

“…Idiopathic epilepsy is distinct from other forms of epilepsy in that it does not stem from a known underlying cause aside from the presumed contribution of genetics [5]. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases in dogs [6][7][8][9], with some breeds, including both the Belgian Sheepdog and Belgian Tervuren, having a combined prevalence estimate of 9.5% [10,11], and Belgian Tervuren alone has a reported prevalence of 17% [12]. This disease represents a pressing issue for dog owners [13][14][15] and animal welfare [16][17][18][19][20][21], as seizing episodes are acutely stressful for the affected dog.…”