Can dog sedation cause epilepsy in nervous dogs? What are the risks?

Question

Hi my dog is having a scan this afternoon between 3/4pm , I am taking him in at about 1 noon they have told me he will be sedated for this which I clearly understand. He is a very nervous dog and if they sedated him from 1 noon to scan will this effect him because his brother had developed epilepsy from similar sedation. Is there different types to prevent this? Thanks. Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Male | unneutered | 10 years and 7 months old

Dr. Strydom, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there. Good question. Dogs don't get epilepsy from the sedation. What happens is that they have already have an underlying tendency towards epilepsy and certain drugs can precipitate that tendency. It is actually a very uncommon occurrence actually. In 13 years of practicing and 4 years of being a certified veterinary technician before that I have only seen one dog seizure after being given sedation. There is really no way to know how a dog will react to any type of sedation so there is no way to prevent it. I'm sure if you have voiced your concerns to your vet they will work to ensure they use the safest drug combination. There are some sedative drugs that are less likely to cause epileptic behavior. That is still no guarantee that Sox won't have a reaction though. When you say his "brother", if you mean that is his real related brother then he may have that tendency too since epilepsy can be a hereditary condition. It is best to work closely with your vet on this issue. Hope this helps.

Can dog sedation cause epilepsy in nervous dogs? What are the risks?

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