Watching your pet have aseizure is one of the most dif-ficult situations to ever expe-rience. You feel totallyhelpless as your pet lays onthe floor shaking uncontrol-lably, salivating and losingcontrol of their bodily func-tions. The violent nature ofseizures causespet owners to ex-perience severeanxiety, nervous-ness, and panic.Seizures are one

of the most fre-quently seen neu-rological problemsin dogs. A seizureis also known as aconvulsion or a fit.Seizures can causeloss or derange-ment of consciousness andchanges in mental awarenessfrom unresponsiveness tohallucinations. Other symp-toms include involuntary uri-nation, defecation orsalivation.Also, seizures can cause

behavioral changes includingnot recognizing the owner, vi-ciousness, pacing and run-ning in circles. Initially,seizures may manifest only asthe dog hiding, appearingnervous, or they may be rest-less, whining, shaking or sali-vating. As the seizuresprogress, all of the muscles ofthe body begin to contractstrongly.The dog or cat usually falls

on the floor and seems para-lyzed. The head will be drawnbackward. Urination, defeca-tion and salivation oftenoccur. If it is not over withinfive minutes, the dog is saidto be in status epilepticus, orprolonged seizure. If your doghas status epilepticus, con-tact your veterinarian imme-diately.There are three distinct

phases of seizures. First, thepre-ictal phase is the periodbefore the seizure and thedog appears nervous or overlyanxious. Their pupils may di-late widely. They may seekout the owner and begin to

whine, shake, and salivate.Pets seem to sense they areabout to seizure. Second, theictal phase is the seizure it-self and lasts from a few sec-onds to five minutes. This isthe time when they experi-ence the classical convul-sions.

Last, the post-ictal phase is theperiod immedi-ately following theseizure and ischaracterized byconfusion, weak-ness, and rapidbreathing. Theseverity of thisphase depends onthe severity of theseizure. Temporaryblindness and total

exhaustion may follow a se-vere episode.There are many, many

causes of seizures. Headtrauma, liver disease, kidneyfailure, poisoning and braintumors are all commoncauses of seizures. However,epilepsy is by far the mostcommon cause. Epilepsy is abrain disorder characterizedby recurrent seizures in theabsence of any known causeor abnormal brain lesion. Theactual cause of epilepsy isunknown. It may be relatedto a biochemical or neuro-chemical abnormality. It isthought to be genetic inmany breeds. It is much morecommon in dogs than cats.A diagnosis of epilepsy is

made by ruling out all othercauses of seizures. A thor-ough history and physicalexam by a veterinarian areessential to help diagnosethe cause. Further diagnostictesting such as blood andurine tests as well as X-raysmay be necessary. Thesetests rule out disorders of theliver, kidneys, heart, elec-trolytes and blood sugarlevel. Additional tests such asbile acids, cerebrospinal fluidanalysis, CT or MRI may berecommended.There are various anticon-

vulsants that may be recom-

mended for your pet once ithas been diagnosed withepilepsy. Since these medica-tions are very potent, treat-ment is usually initiated onlyif your pet has more than oneseizure a month. It is very im-portant to keep a detailedrecord of all episodes to de-termine the frequency ofseizures. Pets that havegroups or “clusters” ofseizures may progress to sta-tus epilepticus and therefore,should start medication. Pro-longed or extremely violentseizure episodes may alsowarrant medication.Phenobarbital is one of the

more common anti-seizuremedications. Usually thismedication must be giventwice a day and for the rest ofthe pet’s life. Initially, bloodtests should be performedevery two to four weeks tomeasure Phenobarbital levelsand determine appropriatedosage. Once the dosage iscorrect, phenobarbital bloodlevels and liver function testswill need to be monitoredevery six months.It is necessary to make

sure your pet’s blood levelsare within the therapeuticrange and to ensure they donot get dangerously high orlow. If the levels are too high,liver failure can develop. Ad-ditional medications such aspotassium bromide may beused in difficult cases. Yourveterinarian will determinethe proper treatment plan foryour pet’s condition.Most dogs do well on anti-

seizure medication and areable to resume a normallifestyle. However, it is notunusual for some patients toexperience periodic “break-through” seizures. Many petsrequire adjustment of theirmedication from time totime. If your pet ever has aseizure or any symptoms ofepilepsy, contact your veteri-narian as soon as possible toensure your pet lives a long,healthy and happy life.

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Seizures can bedevastating to pets

Dr. Jeff Castle

REPRINTS AVAILABLEReprints of photographs appearing in

The Winchester Sun can be purchased online at our website, www.winchestersun.com

AP photoJazmyne Rodriguez, 5, climbs across the playground equipment Thursday at Moreland Park inOwensboro. There were several children playing before the storms moved through town. Thetemerature reached 80 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Hop, hop, hop

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Obama administrationconfirmed Friday that Presi-dent Barack Obama andAfghan President HamidKarzai spoke by phone amidconfusion over Karzai’s de-mand that U.S. forces leaveposts in Afghan villages, akey tenet of the current mili-tary strategy. But the WhiteHouse did not immediatelyconfirm Karzai’s claim thatObama had called him seek-ing clarity, and that Karzaihad reiterated the demand.“He asked, ‘Did you an-

nounce this?’” Karzai toldreporters in Kabul. “I said,‘Yes, I announced it.’”Karzai lashed out at the

United States on Friday, say-ing he is at the “end of therope” following a massacreof Afghan villagers allegedlycarried out by an Americansoldier stationed in a ruraloutpost. The soldier’s lawyerprovided new details of hisbackground, including threetours in Iraq, and claimedthe soldier felt double-crossed by the military whensent to Afghanistan last year.The 38-year-old suspect’sname has not been released.The Obama administra-

tion is seeking to put thebest face on an Afghanistanpolicy called into questionby the announcement fromthe U.S.-backed Karzai gov-ernment, and word from theTaliban insurgent movementthat it was shelving talkswith the Americans.

A senior U.S. official fa-miliar with the discussionssaid U.S. officials presumethat the timing of the Tal-iban announcement follow-ing Sunday’s killings is anattempt to gain greaterleverage over the UnitedStates.Karzai had demanded

Thursday that U.S. troopsleave rural Afghan areasand stay on bases until theyfinish the withdrawal oftroops by the end of 2014.The war effort has been setback in recent days by the16 killings, and earlier bythe inadvertent burning ofQurans by U.S. troops.Although Karzai previ-

ously has said he wanted in-ternational troops totransition out of rural areas,the apparent call for an im-

mediate exit is new. Karzaialso said he wants Afghanforces to take the lead forcountrywide security in2013, which may or may notbe in line with a statementWednesday from PresidentBarack Obama and BritishPrime Minster DavidCameron. They underscoredthat the aim of the U.S. andits allies was to get out bythe end of 2014, but statedfor the first time that inter-national forces would handover the lead combat role toAfghan forces next year.There was confusion

among U.S. military officialsand diplomats about justwhat Karzai was asking, andhow far apart he is from cur-rent U.S. policy. U.S. offi-cials tried to minimize thedifferences.

US puts best face on Afghanpolicy under question

AP photoAttorneys John Henry Browne, right, and Emma Scanlan, sec-ond from right, talk to reporters Thursday in Seattle. Browneand Scanlan will be representing a U.S. soldier accused ofkilling 16 Afghan civilians.