Giant Schnauzer Health

Owner Advice

During a Seizure

Stay calm, most seizures only last a short amount of time.

Remove any obstacles/furniture/items that may cause injury to the dog, and keep hands away from the dogs mouth to avoid being bit.

If you have another dog, separate them immediately,  until the seizure has ended or you are sure of the other dogs reaction.

Turn off radio/TV and dim lights to minimise anything stimulating.

Monitor the situation, timing the duration of a seizure is helpful to ensure the correct management.

If the seizure continues more than 2 minutes body temperature may rise to a dangerous level, use a fan to keep your dog cool. Placing an ice pack in the small of the back is an old technique thought to shorten a seizure.

Contact your vet if a seizure is prolonged more than 5 minutes, or if cluster seizures occur were there are a number of fits without 24 hours.

Puppy pads/incontinence pads may be useful to ease underneath your dog in case of bladder or bowel emptying during the seizure.

Stay with your dog and give reassurance while they are coming round, a period of disorientation, confusion and apparent blindness may follow the seizure.

Keep Track of Seizures

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) developed an epilepsy tracker app to provide information and facilitate monitoring of seizure activity. The app is free to download from the RVC website

Keep a seizure diary of exactly what happens, when, where, and anything that is common with each seizure. Observe for anything that may trigger a seizure, previously reported triggers include:

• Stress
• Diet
• Puberty/hormones
• Flea treatment
• Worming medication
• Weather
• Vaccinations
• Loud noises
• Full Moon

Identify or Rule Out Any Underlying Cause

If your dog has just started having seizures consult with a vet, where more than one seizure has occurred your vet may want to perform tests to find out if there is an underlying illness or cause. Veterinary investigations may include; neurological assessment, blood tests, urine test and later an MRI scan of the brain and cerebro-spinal fluid analysis.

Rule out any contact with poisonous substances or medications where reactions are known to cause seizures. Different poisons can include:

• Ingestion of medications – e.g. Ibuprofen, antidepressants, decongestants
• Rodent poisons – affected animals can show symptoms anywhere from two days to several weeks after exposure
• Heavy Metals – e.g. lead (which may be in paint), linoleum, batteries
• Poisonous plants – e.g. Azaleas, rhododendrons, Tulip and daffodil bulbs, Eucalyptus, Sago palms; eating just a few seeds may be enough to cause vomiting, seizures, and liver failure
• Household chemicals – e.g. disinfectants, paint thinner, window cleaner, toilet cleaners, air fresheners, fly killer, aerosols, cleaning products
• Scented oils/candles, scented diffusers, essential oil burners
• Garden chemicals – e.g. snail/slug poison, weed killer, fertilizers, insecticides, pool chemicals
• Antifreeze
• Foods – e.g. Chocolate, raisins/grapes, foods containing xylitol sweetener, alcohol, macadamia nuts

There is also limited information that rosemary may trigger seizures in dogs, and therefore worth considering if your dogs regular diet and/or treats contain rosemary as a natural preservative.

Also note if your dog has received any recent medications or vaccinations, including any flea/worming treatments. Several flea treatments such as Bravecto, Nexgard and Simparica now have a warning regarding adverse effects in some dogs. See the FDA Flea/Tick adverse events

Milbemax worming treatment also states muscle tremors, ataxia and convulsions can occur as a rare side effect and is therefore also worth noting if there is any associations with the timing of any medications and seizures.

Long Term Management

Once all underlying causes have been ruled out and/or investigated and treated, if no cause can be found, or an underlying condition cannot be cured, then a long term management strategy will be required.

Your vet/neurologist will determine whether anti-epileptic medication is required depending on the frequency and severity of seizures.

If your dog is prescribed anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), make sure you give medication consistently at the same time every day. There are a number of different AEDs available, do not make changes to medication unless under the guidance of your vet. All dogs respond differently to treatment, and it may take some time to find the right combination to improve seizure severity and frequency.

Dietary Changes & Considerations

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) did some interesting research into adding MCT oil to the diet. The MCT oil used in the research was a commercially available dietary supplement suitable for human consumption containing 50%-65% octanoic acid (C8) and 30%-50% decanoic acid (C10). Overall, the RVC research found that dogs had significantly fewer seizures with MCT oil, and an improved quality of life. The research article can be found on the following link: A multicenter randomized controlled trial of medium‐chain triglyceride dietary supplementation on epilepsy in dogs. Talk to your vet/neurologist about the possible benefits of adding MCT oil to the diet.

• Lowering carbohydrates or eliminating them completely from the diet may be beneficial for some epileptic dogs. Commercially prepared kibble is often very high in carbohydrates, and a number of Giant Schnauzer owners have reported a reduction in seizure frequency after changing to a raw food or home prepared diet, alternatively commercially prepared raw or wet foods may be lower in carbohydrates. Case studies in dogs have also shown a correlation between food allergies and epilepsy in some dogs, in which case an elimination hypoallergenic diet may be beneficial. Any sudden change in diet should be discussed with your vet/neurologist if your dog is receiving anti-epileptic drugs, as it may have an affect on the uptake/effects of medication.

• Taurine –  is present in the brain and involved in many functions and is often thought to have a protective effect on the brain by inhibiting the firing of neurons.  It may be useful to discuss the appropriateness of dietary supplementation with your vet/neurologist. Taurine is naturally found in most meats, especially beef, lamb, dark chicken meat, eggs, sardines, tuna, salmon and organ meat such as liver and heart.

• Vitamin B complex – help to maintain the health and proper functioning of the brain and other nerves. Deficiency can result in convulsions among many other symptoms. B vitamins can be given as a supplement and also found in natural food sources such as, liver, lean pork, salmon, grass-fed beef, mackerel, eggs, chicken, sardines, offal, organ meats.

• Vitamin E –  is a fat-soluble vitamin but it is still essential for a dog’s mind to work properly. It acts as an antioxidant to allow normal brain function and protects against cellular damage. Vitamin E for dogs is needed in small amounts. Natural, high-quality foods (beef liver, egg, halibut, haddock, sardines, heart, kidney, brain, chicken meat) have just the right amounts.

• Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) – Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils are thought to decrease the excitability of neurons in the brain, and are obtained solely from the diet. Omega-6s are pro-inflammation, and omega-3s are anti-inflammatory. Whilst inflammation plays an essential role in the recovery from infection and injury, it can also cause damage and contribute to disease when chronic or excessive. There should be a balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3, it is thought by a number of nutritionists that some diets, as well as treats, may contain too much Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3.

• Probiotics and Omega-3 fats work together, probiotics can increase the absorption of Omega-3 fats and increase their tissue amounts. They also increase the levels of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA in the brain. The American Kennel Club Health Foundation (AKCHF) started a study in 2019 to investigate whether there is an association between Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy and inflammatory gastrointestinal gut dysbiosis with considerable attention focused on the bacteria Helicobacter and Lactobacilli. The researchers hypothesize that dogs with idiopathic epilepsy have alterations in the gut microbial population associated with epilepsy development and outcome. An article relating to people, published by Neuroscience 2019 (Dysbiosis may be involved in epilepsy drug-resistance) concluded that probiotics; Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, could be considered as a protective factor in epilepsy.

Avoid High Glutamate Foods

High glutamate foods can increase the excitotoxicity in the brain, avoid these excitatory amino acids by avoiding the following foods:

• • Grains: Wheat, barley, and oats are highest in glutamine. Rice is lower
  • Dairy Products: All cows milk products are high in glutamine. Goat-based dairy is much better
  • All Soy Products
  • Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, and others are also high in glutamine, though less than wheat and dairy
  • Peanuts: These are very high in glutamine
  • Meat is generally a healthful food, rabbit and turkey are the highest in glutamate, while lamb and eggs are the lowest as well as chicken.

CBD Oil

A number of owners have found that CBD oil has helped in reducing seizure activity, discuss this with your vet/neurologist.

Calming Remedies

Where the trigger is caused by stress or anxiety, some owners have found herbal calming remedies to be helpful e.g. Scullcap & Valerian, Bach Flower Remedies. Talk to your vet/neurologist.

Vaccinations and Preventative Flea/Worming Medications

Vaccinations and preventative medications should only be given to a healthy dog, seizures have been reported following vaccinations and a number of flea medications carry a warning regarding their use in dogs having seizures. Therefore any future vaccinations and preventative medications should be carefully considered, and the risks discussed with your vet/neurologist.

Advice for Puppy Buyers

Unfortunately there are currently no health screening schemes available that test whether a dog is genetically affected or carrying epilepsy, and it can also occur at any age. However the breeder should be aware that it may occur, and be able to talk to you about epilepsy and what measures have been taken to avoid it in their breeding plans.

Advice for Breeders

Epilepsy is a difficult condition about which to give breeding recommendations. It is currently not possible to determine the mode of inheritance, however it appears to be inherited in a complex manner, with potential environmental and non-genetic risk factors in some, but not all, cases. For complex conditions, breeding decisions in many ways become about risk management. At the very least it would be unwise to repeat a mating which has produced puppies that have gone on to be diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy.

The KC website provides general guidance for complex inherited diseases where no test is available such as some forms of epilepsy. The guidelines may be useful in formulating an action plan as a way forward, however whilst the information may help reduce the risk of producing affected puppies, it cannot be used as a guarantee.

A summary of the guidelines is provided below:

Breeding from an affected dog

• Not recommended

Breeding from an unaffected dog that already produced affected puppies

• Do not repeat a mating that produced affected offspring
• If the dog is unaffected themselves if choosing an alternative mate, ensure there is no record of the condition in their line, paying particular care to immediate relatives

Breeding from an unaffected dog with affected siblings or parent

• Only consider breeding later on in life, ensuring the dog does not become affected later.
• Choose a mate where there is no record of the condition in their line, paying particular care to immediate relatives.

Breeding from an unaffected dog with affected distant relatives

• Choose a mate with no record of the condition in their line, paying particular care to immediate relatives.

Unaffected dogs with no history of affected relatives

• Low risk

Regarding breeding later on in life to ensure the dog does not become affected later,  information provided by the Giant Schnauzer seizure study analysis may be useful in determining the minimum age after which the risk of developing epilepsy may begin to reduce. In females the incidence appears to reduce slightly after the age of 2 years and in males after the age of 3 years, in both males and females the risk is reduced further after the age of 6 years. However, the statistics also show that seizures have been known to occur beyond these ages in some cases and therefore provides no guarantee. Consideration should also be given to dogs producing epilepsy when mated to more than one breeding partner, and whether it is wise to continue breeding from a dog associated with multiple instances of epilepsy.

The inbreeding coefficients of affected Giant Schnauzers vary from as high as 20% in a number of dogs down to 0.6%. This shows that utilising a breeding strategy based solely on a low inbreeding coefficient may not necessarily suffice. Consideration for the health status of dogs on both sides of the pedigree is also required in order to manage the risk, even though breeding mates may appear to be unrelated.

If you Own an Affected Dog

Inform the breeder as soon as possible, and keep them up to date with your dog’s progress, the breeder will need to be aware for future reference and breeding decisions.

We are currently monitoring cases of Epilepsy, please complete the Epilepsy/Seizure Study on the link below.

*Take part in the Epilepsy/Seizure Study*

If you own a Giant Schnauzer with epilepsy, please take part in the Epilepsy/Seizure Study.

In this way the incidence of health conditions can be monitored and any emerging problems identified.

Contact the Breed Health Co-ordinator email: bhc@giantschnauzerhealth.org.uk 

Make a Donation to the GSHF

The purpose of the GSHF is to provide monies for research into inherited health problems in the Giant Schnauzer. All donations gratefully received.

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