04/03/2013Posted : March 04, 2013
RVC epilepsy diet trial needs more dogs

The RVC is calling for help recruiting patients for a new trial looking into the effect of diet on canine idiopathic epilepsy.

Staff at the college’s Clinical Investigation Centre and the Epilepsy Clinic have recruited half the sample size they need to test a newly developed diet and are calling on vets and nurses in practice to put forward any patients they believe could be suitable.

RVC lecturer and clinical director at the centre Holger Andreas Volk said: “The influence of diet on epilepsy severity and quality of life is established in humans, with many diets having been shown to improve seizure control.

“However, there is little data to support the use of diets in veterinary medicine. A new diet has been developed that could improve the management of epileptic dogs, not only by reducing seizure frequency, but especially by improving quality of life and decreasing the level of side effects seen with standard antiepileptic drugs."

He added: “We need your help to recruit more dogs. The food is very well tolerated and liked by the dogs on the study.”

To be included in the study dogs must:

• Be in good general health with an unremarkable interictal neurological examination for a dog on antiepileptic drug treatment.
• Be suspected of having idiopathic epilepsy, including unremarkable MRI.
• Be aged between six months and 11-years-old.
• Have a seizure frequency of at least three seizures in the last three months.
• Be receiving at least phenobarbital.

According to Dr Volk, client incentives include free investigations and diagnostic testing by the RVC clinical team and a six-month supply of the diet being tested.

For more information on the trial, contact the RVC team on 01707 666 605 or email the Clinical Investigations centre.