Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) working in collaboration with the University of Cambridge have found that anti-seizure drugs (ASD) increase appetite in dogs with epilepsy. This often results in these medicated dogs becoming overweight or obese. As well as having higher food drive, epileptic dogs on treatment are more likely to be given treats to help administer medication and to be less active. The research will help veterinary teams support owners to avoid these risks from the point they start medication and highlight the importance of helping owners monitor and manage their dog’s weight over time.
Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs and often requires lifelong administration of ASD to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. Even so, treatment rarely leads to seizure freedom, and many dogs undergoing chronic ASD treatment experience adverse effects between seizures. Some of the long-lasting side effects of these medications include decreased levels of energy and increased food intake and weight gain.
Although increased appetite has been reported as a side effect of many ASD in the veterinary literature, this effect had not been quantified or studied in detail. To assess this in greater detail, the research team analysed food motivation through a validated Dog Obesity Risk Assessment questionnaire created by University of Cambridge. The study compared 222 dogs diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy with a control population of 7,086 healthy dogs. The survey was designed to determine if epilepsy and ASD were associated with increased food motivation, weight gain and decreased activity, and to assess if and how caregivers managed weight gain in this population.
Analyses revealed that dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving ASD had significantly higher food motivation in comparison to healthy dogs – they had increased interest in food, were less selective about food, were more interested in food between meals, and wanted more food than usually offered. In response, carers of dogs on medication put greater effort into restricting how much their dogs ate, particularly of human food. Despite this, these dogs had significantly greater fat mass.
More than half of owners of dogs with epilepsy always used treats to administer their dog’s ASD medication (53 percent) and did not compensate for it by reducing the dog’s main food ration (34 percent). Given the epilepsy treatment often involves medication two or three times a day, this has the potential to increase calorie intake substantially, an issue compounded by epileptic dogs also being less active. It is therefore important for vets to advise and support owners to continually monitor and manage their dog’s weight.
Dr Rowena Packer, lecturer in companion animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC, and principal investigator of this research, said: “The findings of this research are key in helping the veterinary team provide greater information and support to pet owners managing their dog’s epilepsy. Although anti-seizure drugs are an essential part of the epilepsy treatment toolkit, ensuring owners are aware of the side-effects and long-lasting impact of these medications is key in treatment decision-making, ensuring a balance between negative side effects such as increased food motivation against potential positive effects such as reduced seizure frequency, to maintain quality of life. Excessive drive to eat can lead to undesirable behaviours such as begging and scavenging, which can also have a negative impact on dog-caregiver bonds. Supporting owners experiencing these side effects in their dog is essential in reducing caregiver burden, which is already documented to be high in this population of caregivers managing dogs with this highly stressful disease.”
The study can be found here. This research was funded by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and Morris Animal Foundation.
