What is a seizure dog?
A seizure dog is a dog that has been trained (or has learned), to respond to or warn of an impending seizure in someone who has epilepsy. (Read our original feature story on seizure dogs.)
Is seizure dog the official name?
It's the one that's most often used. Some people distinguish between dogs that respond to someone who is having a seizure (seizure response dog) and dogs that appear to know when a seizure is going to occur (seizure alert dog).
What do seizure dogs do?
A response dog might be trained to bark when a child has a seizure so that family members know what is happening, or might lie next to someone having a seizure to keep them from harm, or might even be trained to activate some kind of pre-programmed device such as a pedal that rings an alarm.
A seizure alert dog might go through a number of actions that are different from its usual activities if it senses that its owner is going to have a seizure. Pawing, running in circles, coming and sitting close by, even barking directly at the person have been reported.
Can any dog do this?
Dogs who are easily trained as companion animals can probably be trained to respond in a certain way during or after someone has a seizure. Only a few dogs seem to be able to sense a seizure before it begins. One researcher has suggested that about 1 in 10 may have this innate ability. Until there is further research there's no way to tell whether some breeds are better at this than others.
How do people teach a dog to recognize a seizure in advance?
One research report describes developing this skill in some dogs by pairing them up with people who have frequent seizures and then giving a reward to the dog every time its human partner has a seizure. After a while, if the dog has the special sense, it will start looking for its reward before the seizure happens, thus warning the individual. Other dogs seem to develop this skill on their own, just by being in the company of an owner who has seizures.
How does a dog know that someone is going to have a seizure?
Nobody knows how the dog is able to detect an oncoming seizure. Some people have suggested that there may be a change in the owner's behavior or scent before a seizure happens and that is what the dogs are responding to, but it's still a mystery.
How can someone get a seizure dog?
It depends what your goals are. If you are looking for a seizure response dog, you can discuss what you want the dog to do and work out a plan with a trainer. Getting a dog with the special skill of recognizing seizures in advance is another matter. Any claims by trainers that they can produce this type of behavior in a dog should be looked at very carefully, especially when the training is expensive. While some people report success, others have been disappointed. More research is needed to further learn what dogs can and cannot do, whether there are differences between breeds, and how best to develop this unique skill. At this time, getting a dog for companionship and seeing whether the skill develops may be the least expensive route to follow, remembering that the only research study that reported on the percentage of dogs with this ability estimated it to be no more than one in ten.
Do dogs have seizures?
Yes. Like people, some dogs develop epilepsy and experience seizures. They are usually treated with some of the same medicines that people use and can continue to enjoy active lives.
A MIRACLE!
Henna was 2 years old when she was admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury. She had been thrown against a concrete wall by her biological father for crying too long. She had two depressed skull fractures, old blood on the brain from previous abuse, a lacerated liver, collapsed lung, suspected sexual abuse, and shaken baby syndrome. Henna coded while on the way to the hospital via helicopter and was brought back to life only to go into surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. She was not expected to live through the night. Henna was in a coma for one month hanging on to life. Then the miracle happened! Henna woke up and was able to move all her limbs and speak, shocking all of the medical professionals. We took Henna into our home and shortly after her arrival she started having seizures.
Henna's journey continues as we try to control her seizures. She received the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) on Feb. 4, 2011 at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. The VNS will send an electrical impulse to Henna's brain every 3 minutes for 30 seconds to interrupt her seizures. Over two months we have increased the electrical current and we have seen no change in her seizure activity. It looks as though Henna is in the third of children who receive a VNS that sees no relief from the VNS. We are very disappointed! We have started her on a new medication in addition to her current medications. Maybe it will help.
Henna's journey continues as we try to control her seizures. She received the Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) on Feb. 4, 2011 at Children's Hospital in Washington, DC. The VNS will send an electrical impulse to Henna's brain every 3 minutes for 30 seconds to interrupt her seizures. Over two months we have increased the electrical current and we have seen no change in her seizure activity. It looks as though Henna is in the third of children who receive a VNS that sees no relief from the VNS. We are very disappointed! We have started her on a new medication in addition to her current medications. Maybe it will help.
On August 6th, 2012, Henna had a full corpus callosotomy. This surgery is for people who have generalized seizures with no focal point. The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers located deep in the brain that connects the two halves (hemispheres) of the brain. It helps the hemispheres share information, but it also contributes to the spread of seizure impulses from one side of the brain to the other. A corpus callosotomy is an operation that severs (cuts) the corpus callosum, interrupting the spread of seizures from hemisphere to hemisphere. Seizures generally do not completely stop after this procedure (they continue on the side of the brain in which they originate). However, the seizures usually become less severe, as they cannot spread to the opposite side of the brain.
Henna received a white Labradoodle, Leo, from 4 Paws for Ability in Oct. 2010. We sent 4 Paws 2 shirts a week to help train her dog. One shirt was when Henna had a seizure and they used it for her dog to smell the chemical change during her seizure. The other shirt was when Henna had NOT had a seizure. This helped her dog differentiate between the two scents. It's a fascinating process. We trained for 10 day in Ohio with Leo and a trainer before bringing Leo home.
Leo had been going to school with Henna but started to bark and growl at different people when they came into her classroom. We worked with Leo's barking and growling when people would knock on the door and for a while he seemed better. He is very protective at home also. He then barked and growled at some boys who came into Henna's classroom and had to be removed from school. The trainer at 4 Paws said that some dogs bond so closely with their child that they become protective. Leo took on Henna's classroom as another home and felt he had to protect her. Sadly, because of his aggressive behavior, Leo can no longer be a service dog. The trainer said Leo would behave lthat way with any child he bonded to. Just his nature. We will keep Leo as a pet. Leo LOVES being just a pet. He still alerts to Henna's seizures and lives to get his hot dog reward!
Henna now has Snoball, a beautiful Golden Retriever. Snoball was born June 3, 2011. She is so sweet and a bundle of energy! Sno is doing an excellent job alerting to Henna's seizures BEFORE she has them! She is alerting up to one hour before Henna has a seizure. Sno goes to school with Henna and proudly wears her school ID badge. Snoball will be a great seizure alert dog and will serve Henna well.
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