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Some dogs have natural ability to predict epileptic seizures: study

EDMONTON - Dogs could potentially save a life by helping to predict seizures in people with epilepsy, according to Canadian researchers.

As many as 15 per cent of dogs may have a natural ability to forecast seizures before they happen, researchers at the University of Calgary report in the June 22 issue of the journal Neurology.

Shane Downton, 12, of Victoria has lived with a severe form of epilepsy most of his life. His seizures are frequent, often violent and, until he got Sandy the dog, were unpredictable.

"Sandy will usually alert us to a seizure one to two hours before he has one," said Shane's mother, Debra Downton. She said the warning time allows them to get prepared, such as making sure Shane is wearing a helmet if he is outside.

Before Shane feels a seizure coming on, Sandy gets agitated, barks and won't leave his side. Sandy is a service dog, trained to protect Shane during a seizure.

Dr. Adam Kirton and his team looked at 62 dogs living in families with children with epilepsy. None of these pets had special training; the researchers wanted to see if the dog could spontaneously develop the ability.

Sue Hoffman of Bolton, Ont. had a dog, Seiko, that anticipated her seizures. She now has her second dog, Cherokee, and has started training the animals for others with epilepsy.

"You can't train a dog to be able to alert somebody to seizures," said Hoffman, who said dogs can learn to protect their owners during an attack.

Scientists don't know what the dogs pick up on, although some speculate it's subtle changes in behaviour. The warning method varies from barking to physically holding a person down to sitting and staring.

Kirton said his study found in dogs that can anticipate, the animals will react before about 80 per cent of seizures. He cautions more research needs to be done.

"We think it's something worth looking into and we're going to pursue that," said Kirton. "In the meantime, people with epilepsy should not be running out buying a dog and expecting it to help them with their seizures."

Posted by thinkum at June 23, 2004 04:01 PM