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MASTIFFS and EPILEPSY
General Information and FAQ

by Kristen Dixon with Dr. Anita Oberbauer Ph.D
Contributions and Editing by: Dr. Frank Capella DVM

This article is presented to you as information about Mastiffs and Seizures, in particular Epilepsy. The MCOA is helping to fund a multi-breed Epilepsy study with the Canine Health Foundation and UC Davis. The Mastiff Community has surpassed expectations for participation in this study. We are off to a good start with a large sampling of both affected and healthy dogs, thanks to caring breeders and owners.

This committee changed its name from Epilepsy to Seizures Disorders, because it is important for owners to recognize that there ARE other medical conditions that can commonly cause seizures in dogs, and must be ruled out by the treating veterinarian before a diagnosis of Epilepsy is made (additional information can be found in Knowles, K. 1994. Seizure disorders in the "Pediatric Animal Patient," Sem. Vet. Med. Surg. (Small Animal) 9:108-115).

First some very basic facts about Mastiffs and Epilepsy will be presented. This will be followed by recommendations for diagnostic testing procedures to find the cause of the seizures. First, lets dispel a common myth. Mastiff puppies, like other giant breed dogs, do grow rapidly. Fast growth does NOT cause seizures, nor will a puppy outgrow seizures. It is NOT normal for any Mastiff puppy to have seizures. All seizures have a medical cause whether it is Epilepsy or another serious medical condition.

Epilepsy Seizure Description

Mastiffs with Epilepsy generally present subtle to severe signs of seizures under the age of five years, and most often under the age of three years. Often subtle, strange behavior changes may foreshadow seizures in later months; some owners notice these behaviors but do not know what to make of them. Some of the behaviors include depression and/or aggression, whining, sudden fears of normal every day things, and excessive running in sleep.

With regard to the running during sleep, of course dogs have dreams and can bark, whine, jerk, and kick in their sleep. This is perfectly normal and should not be confused with the type of running referred to with typical epileptic Mastiffs. Many times epileptic Mastiffs will mildly seize in their sleep with all 4 legs come together in full force as seen in a dog running at full speed in the yard. This is a very fast, heavy, thrashing motion, and is very different from doggie dreams. Many owners are not aware of this phenomenon and dont think about it until later when their Mastiff has an obvious seizure, and they look back at the hard running in sleep their dog did months before and it clicks. There is no question that there is a big difference between normal dreams and mild seizures in sleep. Dr. Dennie OBrien at the University of Missouri states that dogs that are seizing when they are asleep cannot be woken up easily whereas dogs just dreaming are easily awakened.

Mastiffs seize any time of day, but nighttime seems to be most common. With a severe night-time seizure, the Mastiff will typically awaken from his sleep and show pre-ictal (pre-seizure) signs before having a grand mal. Some of these signs may include ataxia (loss of motor function), pacing, panting, heavy drooling, whining, strange stare from the eyes, clinginess, or strange movements with a paw that include batting the face or digging. Every dog is different in the patterns of their pre-ictal and post-ictal phases. The actual seizure lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes and may include some or all of the following: loss of consciousness, thrashing or paddling of the legs, stiffening of the legs, arching of the neck backward, loss of urine or bowel control, extreme foaming at the mouth, shrieking as if in pain, chomping of the teeth. Sound horrible? Trust me when I tell you it is more horrible in person.

Seizures are Serious Business

Now, I need to make a very important point here that I hope you remember should you ever be presented with a seizing Mastiff. Do not under any circumstance go to the head of your dog to comfort him during or right after the seizure, even though this might be your first reaction. Do not get near the mouth of a seizing Mastiff. There is an old adage out there that instructs a bystander to wedge something between a human epileptics teeth so they dont choke on their tongue. Any attempt to do this with a seizing Mastiff will result in at least a serious bite and quite likely some crushed hand bones. Remember the dog is not conscious of its behavior and most Mastiffs come out of the grand mal seizures having extreme delirium. Owners often report their dogs cannot see for hours, or just want to sleep, or are very disoriented. And there are some that become vicious, without intending to do so.

It is very important to watch the dog from a safe distance at first to get a handle on what your dog is going to do with each individual seizure, as behavior patterns do change from seizure to seizure. During this time, if you can do so safely, give your Mastiff a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It seems to shorten the length of time of the postictal phase, possibly in the cases where low blood sugar is responsible for the seizures (generally not the case in Mastiffs). However, it cant hurt, and a shot of scotch for the owner at that point probably wouldnt hurt either.

In Mastiffs, this post-ictal phase generally lasts from several hours to a day or two. Knowing this, you can imagine what the outcome must be for the Mastiff that presents aggression with Epilepsy. It is a very difficult decision for owners to make, but people do need to remember that a dog this size can cause great injury with epileptic aggression. Owners with children need to be especially careful, and I always recommend to owners with children that their epileptic Mastiffs NOT be allowed with the children until the seizures have been controlled for at least a month with medication.

Treatment

Phenobarbitol is the medication of choice for all breeds with Epilepsy. However, many Mastiffs do not control the seizures with this drug alone; it should also be noted that some dogs suffer extreme side effects from this drug, while others have none. It may be preferable to add Potassium Bromide to the Phenobarbitol after the veterinarian has established the Phenobarbitol levels. Over several months time, the levels are monitored with bloodwork, and the Phenobarbitol is decreased and Potassium Bromide is increased until the best levels for the dog are reached. This process does take months, and unfortunately many epileptic Mastiffs do not make it through the process as their seizures have become so severe that they have to be put down while some other epileptic Mastiffs go into what is called status, which is one long continuous seizure.

Some owners may not want their dogs to suffer the side effects of the drugs and may try homeopathic medicine instead. This does possibly give the dog in the short term a better quality of life, but in my experience and research with the Mastiff, it does not adequately prevent future seizures.

Owners need to realize the more seizures the dog has, the more they will have in the future, which creates a situation for more and more brain damage. For this reason, I always recommend seeking veterinary help and medication for the Mastiff at the onset of the first seizure, even before a diagnosis is made. No matter what the cause of the seizures, if they are not controlled early on with the Mastiff, death is often right around the corner. I apologize if I sound so grim, but that is the way it is.

This breed does not, and cannot, endure epileptic seizures the way smaller breeds can. Smaller dog breeds are often able to live a longer life with medication. This is the exception rather than the norm with Mastiffs, and to date I am aware of only 3 Mastiffs that have survived to 6 years of age with Epilepsy. All 3 of these dogs were started on Phenobarbitol at first onset of seizures (age 2-3), and 2 of the 3 dogs have had many bouts of cluster seizures, and one has been near death several times. Their owners have been able to financially go above and beyond what most owners can do with regard to veterinary treatment, and even with the 2-4 drugs the dogs are on, I hear of their cluster seizures too often.

Living with an Epi-Mastiff

Any owner of an Epi-Mastiff will tell you that the disease changes your life. Should you go on a trip, you cannot board your Epi-Mastiff for fear of stress causing more seizures, and the thought of that is dreadful. At the same time, you cannot have the neighbors come watch the dog either, for fear of something terrible happening should the dog turn aggressive. You sleep with one eye open because, as I said before, it is typical for the Mastiff to seize at night. Your finances may become strained because Epilepsy is not an easy diagnosis and other medical conditions need to be ruled out first.

Is it Epilepsy?

So, when owners are presented with their Mastiffs first seizure, what should they do? I will share my opinion based on my own experience dealing with my own and others seizing Mastiffs. Please note though, that I am not a veterinarian, and it is always best to consult a veterinarian with experience in treating epilepsy. I always tell owners to take their Mastiff to the vet as soon as they can to have the following medical conditions examined and ruled out:

1. A full CBC and Chemistry Screen is in order to rule out infection, or problems with the liver or kidney.
2. A full thyroid panel from MSU is needed to rule out thyroid disease. Thyroid disease is a common cause of seizures in many breeds, though I have only heard of one case in Mastiffs thus far.
3. Ask the vet to listen to the heart, but to be honest, this is kind of useless if they dont hear anything, because many heart conditions go un-heard by a vet, and an EKG or sonogram of the heart is best. For this, you may need to ask for a referral to the area veterinary cardiologist.
4. Other bloodwork to rule out toxicity from poison, ricksettial diseases, bacterial infections, viral infections, and anything else your vet deems necessary.
5. A bile acid test should be done this is another blood test that tests liver function.
6. Some vets may want to do a blood sugar test, especially if it is a young dog or puppy. The most accurate way to perform this test is to leave the dog at the vet for 5 + hours and have the levels checked in between small feedings.
7. A urinalysis may be helpful if there is a kidney infection or other related disease.
8. A CT Scan or MRI may be done (at a cost of $1000 to $2000) to rule out a brain tumor. Because of the cost, most owners elect to not do this, understandably. Id like to note that brain tumors are extremely rare in puppies and young dogs. Although uncommon in general, when they do occur, it is generally with the geriatrics and is accompanied by behavioral changes.

When the veterinarian is comfortable with all of the rule-outs, a diagnosis of Idiopathic Epilepsy is made. Idiopathic means unknown cause, and some will argue that it means not hereditary, which is simply untrue. Make no mistake that we are seeing multiple generations of affected siblings in our breed, and more and more dogs from the same families are being diagnosed with Epilepsy.

DNA Research

Most epileptic Mastiffs die under the age of 3 years, and often times within several months of the onset of seizures because, as noted above, seizures are very difficult to control in this breed. This disease is devastating for the dog, the family, and for the breed, and for this reason, I ask of any breeders that know of epileptic Mastiffs in their line, to please order and submit confidential cheek swab kits. Epilepsy in the dog is clearly an inherited disorder although how it is inherited varies amongst the breeds. The confidential information and swab kits will allow us to characterize how Epilepsy is inherited in the Mastiff. That will allow us to find the gene for this disease and breed around it.

One very important point that needs to be made... this research to find the gene for Epilepsy is NOT being done with the intention to point blame at any one dog, line, or breeder. This work will give us tools to make informed breeding decisions to better our dogs. Many breeders have spent years developing their particular bloodline. No bloodline will become extinct when the gene is found, but instead the affected lines will be able to be maintained, free of Epilepsy.

Conclusion

Epilepsy is financially and emotionally draining for Mastiff owners. It is also a serious safety issue because of the size of the dog. Lets work together to minimize the spread of this debilitating disorder. We are very fortunate to have the funding for this study provided by the AKCs Canine Health Foundation, and our Mastiff breed club. Dr. Anita Oberbauer and Dr. Tom Famula who are well known for their expertise in canine genetics are doing this study at UC Davis. To help put a fast stop to this disease, you can request a confidential kit at http://cgap.ucdavis.edu or directly email Dr. Oberbauer at amoberbauer@ucdavis.edu or phone at (530) 752-4997. Please dont wait.