[Idiopathic epilepsy in the dog]

The clinical research results on idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in the dog performed at the Institute of Animal Neurology in Berne between the years 88-95 are presented. Special emphasis was placed on the genetic and electroencephalographic aspects obtained from large, uniform dog populations. We showed that IE affects all dogs of different ages. Although the clinical manifestation of seizure activity included different seizure types, a breed-specific seizure expression was found in the Retriever dog. Furthermore the use of interictal electroencephalography in the confirmation of IE was demonstrated. The results of a long-term treatment study with Phenobarbital in 46 Labrador Retrievers with IE are reported. In addition, the genetical and epidemiological aspects of the disease in each a large Golden and Labrador Retriever dog population were analysed.