Management of Refractory Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy

Description: The guideline is intended to demonstrate the first use of the OpenClinical platform in Veterinary Medicine.

Publet Introduction:

Canine idiopathic epilepsy is one of the most common chronic
neurological diseases in veterinary medicine, with a prevalence of 0.62% in 1st
opinion veterinary practice[1]. A third
of dogs with epilepsy become refractory to treatment[2] and
‘despite the frequency in occurrence and a plethora of published studies,
clinicians remain puzzled regarding…[management] and when treatment adjustments
are necessary’[3]
in order to successfully care for these patients.

This pathway for management of dogs presenting to 1st opinion
veterinary practice with Idiopathic Epilepsy refractory to 1st line treatment,
aims to provide decision support to vets responsible for the care of these
patients. The pathway addresses adjunctive drug choice, dosage changes,
associated clinical tests and client communication support. The guidance is
evidence based and draws primarily on the International Veterinary Epilepsy
Task Force consensus proposal: medical treatment of canine epilepsy in Europe, published
in 2015.

The OpenClinical version has not yet been peer reviewed, and
hence should not be used for actual patient care.

Prepared by Katie Fox, Final Year Veterinary Medicine Student,
University of Cambridge

 


[1]
Kearsley-Fleet etal. 2013

[2]
Clare Rusbridge, Veterinary Ireland Journal, Volume 6, Number 5

[3] Holger A. Volk, Veterinary
Record, April 2016

 

 Information
Guideline Objectives

Management of canine Idiopathic Epilepsy, refractory to 1st line treatment.

Target SettingGeneral 1st Opinion Veterinary Practice
Target Users
  • Author
  • Release Date 07/01/2020
Overview

The guideline offers decision support to vets for the care of dogs presenting with Idiopathic Epilepsy refractory to 1st line treatment +/- other existing anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). It offers advice on adjunctive drug choices and dosage changes, taking into account particular drug combinations alongside the clinical status of the patient. The pathway also guides the clinician through the clinical tests associated with decision making in this context and offers appropriate client communication support.

The guideline does not provide advice on emergency seizure management.

Provenance7.No provenance has been assigned (default value)
Management

Management of canine Idiopathic Epilepsy, refractory to 1st line treatment.

Safety CaseNone developed
Sources
  • International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force consensus proposal: medical treatment of canine epilepsy in Europe Bhatti et al. (2015)
  • Clinical evaluation of a combination therapy of imepitoin with phenobarbital in dogs with refractory idiopathic epilepsy. Neßler J, et al. (2017)
  • Advice from Clinical Neurology team at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge
References