Many dog owners add dietary supplements to their epileptic pet’s diet without consulting a veterinarian. Erin Y. Akin, DVM, DACVIM, shares information excerpted from a recent study on supplement use by owners of epileptic dogs.
. . . less than one-fifth of owners sought advice from a clinician . . . clinicians need to actively engage with owners in discussion about epilepsy management, including not only long-term anticonvulsant medications but nutrition and dietary supplements as well.
Source: Clinician’s Brief, February 2019. Link. Key pearls to put into practice:
- This study showed that surveyed owners sought clinician consultation for information on diets and dietary supplements less than half of the time.
- In epilepsy cases, the veterinary team should include questions about diet and dietary supplement use when acquiring patient history.
- The potential interactions between dietary supplements and anticonvulsant medications are still being investigated.
INSIGHTS: Veterinary teams need to consider this information and include supplement screening in health checkups for epileptic dogs and all pets in general.