Feline seizure control

摘要

Feline seizure control should be considered a separate entity from its canine counterpart. The etiologies and clinical manifestations of seizure activity in cats are also different from those seen in dogs. Primary epilepsy implies recurrent episodes of seizure activity associated with a primary functional (i.e., having a physiological or biochemical genetic basis) cerebral disorder. This is a difficult diagnosis to prove; therefore, it becomes one made by exclusion of other causes. The physical and neurological examinations of these animals are normal, and there are no abnormalities on any tests including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and advanced imaging. In dogs, primary epilepsy is the most common cause of seizure activity, but its prevalence in cats seems to be far less significant. Secondary epilepsy implies recurrent episodes of seizure activity associated with an underlying structural disorder such as inflammation, trauma, or neoplasia. These causes seem to be more common in cats than in dogs. As structural cerebral abnormalities are most often associated with partial motor seizures, with or without generalization, this type of seizure activity is commonly seen in cats. If generalization is seen in feline seizure cases, these seizures tend to be extremely violent versions of the canine classical generalized tonic-clonic seizure description. Generalization may not occur such that the cat will demonstrate partial motor disturbances, often of the facial muscles, which is frequently asymmetrical; this activity is often in the presence of normal mentation. This activity can progress into status epilepticus, which more often remains nonconvulsive in cats than in dogs.