You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Dogs can be trained to alert epileptic owners in advance of them having a fit so that the owner can take preventative precautions

It has been known for many years that dogs (and other animals) can sense when a person is going to have a seizure. These anecdotal reports were based upon observed changes in an animal's behaviour in the period immediately prior to an owner having a fit.  In a recent study (Strong V et al (1999) Seizure 8,62-65) six dogs belonging to owners who have epilepsy were specially trained to warn their owners when they sensed that they were going to have a fit. The dogs were trained to do this in six different ways, by :

• Barking
• Barking and jumping up
• Jumping up and pawing
• Lying down and not moving for variable periods of 10-45  minutes (the time was different for each dog)

when they sensed that their owner was due to have a seizure.

The results of this study were remarkable because the human patients were given sufficient warning that they were able to take medication and so reduce the frequency of their seizures.

Updated October 2013