News
New Research of Epilepsy in Dogs
18 Jul 2025
An international team of researchers from the fields of veterinary medicine and genetics has developed a new survey tool to improve epilepsy diagnosis and research in dogs.
Epilepsy and dyskinesia are neurological disorders in dogs whose clinical symptoms can overlap. An international team led by Professor Andrea Fischer, a neurologist at the LMU Small Animal Hospital, and Professor Hannes Lohi, a molecular geneticist at the University of Helsinki, has now developed a novel multilingual questionnaire that standardizes the description and classification of seizures in dogs and significantly improves the collection of large databases.
This topic is particularly relevant because epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs and has a genetic component. The so-called werewolf syndrome, which was observed more frequently in dogs last year, can also cause neurological symptoms and seizures in the acute phase.
"This survey not only collects high-quality data, it also enables epilepsy to be classified based on practical symptom descriptions and provides owners of affected dogs with clear video examples. This allows us to reach a whole new level in clinical diagnostics and genetic research," says Lohi.
The study is based on data from over 600 dogs of 96 breeds. The results show that owners were able to recognize seizures with extreme reliability—in 90.1% of cases, their assessment matched that of experts. Video support further strengthened the classification in 96.5% of cases. "The survey provides an extremely reliable picture of common and rare forms of epilepsy and dyskinesia in dogs. Seizures are divided into five types based on motor, autonomic, and behavioral characteristics. The survey also allows for the documentation and differentiation of complex courses involving multiple seizure types," explains Fischer.
The new tool supports international research networks and is a key element for epidemiological and genetic studies that rely on reliable data. It helps identify breed-specific differences in seizure types, enabling more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatments. The new questionnaire can now be used worldwide by veterinarians, scientists, and industry partners.
Further information and the questionnaire can be found at www.dogepilepsyresearch.org.