Dogs experience a lot of different health conditions. There are dogs that are healthy throughout their life and there are some that deals with various health problems.
Dog seizure is one of the most common neurological conditions in dogs. It is also one of the most unsightly conditions as the muscles will move uncontrollably.
Most pet owners would use the prescription medications provided by their vets. The most common prescription medications for dogs with seizures are potassium bromide and phenobarbital (PB).
However, it is not advisable to give prescription medications to dogs for a long time. It is the same with humans. It will have a negative effect on their liver so a natural approach would be a better idea.
Let’s take a closer look at dog seizures and how diet and dog food can affect this condition.
Top 5 Best Dog Foods For Seizures
1. Purina HA Hydrolyzed Dog Food
Purina Pro Plan HA Hydrolyzed Dog Food is one of the best in the market. Basically, it is not only meant for dog seizures because it offers a wide range of health benefits.
It is a complete and balanced meal that can provide the required nutrients and minerals that your dog needs. This is very important because a healthy dog is less likely to experience seizures.
This is suited for dogs with food allergic gastroenteritis or dermatitis. Dog seizures can be triggered by allergic reactions to food so this is a great choice for dogs with seizures.
The ingredients include Corn starch, Dicalcium Phosphate, vegetable oil, hydrogenated canola oil, hydrolyzed soy protein isolate and more.
2. Salmon Bites Zesty Paws
This is one of the best dog foods on the list and it can be used as a supplement or a treat for dogs. What makes it very popular is the fact that this soft chew is actually very delicious and dogs love it.
It is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids that are needed to help lessen the occurrence of seizures and it has 6 EPA fatty acids that can help provide a healthy heart and strong immunity.
If you are worried about the ingredients, they are made from all natural and fresh ingredients. It also contains a lot of different vitamins and minerals that would help lessen the occurrence of seizures.
It has biotin that can revitalize dry and itchy skin. You will never go wrong with these salmon bites.
3. Instinct Raw Boost Dry Dog Food
This is the most recommend dog food in the market when it comes to seizures because it contains a lot of nutrients and minerals that would help keep your dog healthy and strong.
A strong and healthy dog can prevent seizures from occurring so you need a dog food that is complete with all the vitamins and minerals that your dog needs.
This dog food is made up of high protein and grain free kibble and it is made from cage-free chicken.
It is made from real meat and whole food ingredients. Some dog foods are made from animal byproducts, but this is different. It is made from whole food ingredients and real, raw meat.
4. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Ultamino Dry Dog Food
If you are looking for dog food, you do not simply buy something nutritious. You need to know what your dogs want.
Even if you buy extremely expensive and nutritious dog food, if your dogs won’t eat them, it won’t be a good idea to spend money on that.
It is composed of digestible proteins, prebiotics as well as EPA and DHA that will support the digestive health of your dogs and also provide neurological benefits to them.
If you want to reduce the seizures of your dogs, you can try this dog food. You will see a big difference in just a short time.
5. Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain Salmon Recipe
Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain Salmon Recipe is definitely one of the best on this list simply because it is formulated to provide the important nutrients that the dog needs to make their body strong and healthy.
The main ingredient of this dog food is fresh salmon and it is rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Just these 2 nutrients will already provide a significant improvement in the condition of your dog.
It also contains chicken meal or what they usually call as supplemental chicken fat. It will make sure that your dog will have enough energy throughout the day. Your dogs will surely love the salmon taste of this dog food.
Choosing a Dog Food for Seizures
The cause of idiopathic epilepsy is unknown, which means that it is very hard to determine the nutrients that your dogs are lacking.
Usually, health conditions in dogs are related to nutrient deficiencies so we tend to look for foods that are high in certain vitamins and minerals to deal with the health problem.
Dog seizures are different because you don’t have any idea what they need. The best thing to do is to look for a complete meal for your dogs.
Before you choose a dog food, here are some of the things that you have to look at.
1. High Quality and Natural Ingredients
If you are going to buy dog food, make sure that you only consider brands that offer high quality and natural ingredients. For any seizure disorder, you need the right nutrients and the best ingredients.
2. Plenty of Animal Fats
Health fats will be able to provide a source of energy for your pets and this concentrated source of energy will be able to offer neurological benefits, which is what your pets needed.
3. Check for Animal Proteins
You have to remember that animal proteins can provide 10 essential amino acids for your dogs and it is very important for muscle building.
4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
You need to look for dog foods that are rich with Omega-3 Fatty acids.
If you are ready to buy dog food for your dogs that are suffering from seizures, let’s check out some of our top picks.
Q&A Dog Food for Seizure
Let’s talk about dog food and its possible effects on seizures. We will answer some of the frequently asked questions about the proper diet for dogs and we will suggest some of the best dog food that you can feed to your dogs to help lessen seizures.
Read more: Best Dog Foods for Hypothyroidism
What Causes Dog Seizures?
The most common type of seizure to dogs is idiopathic epilepsy. This is actually an inherited disorder and the main cause is unknown.
As a matter of fact, even a perfectly healthy dog can suffer from seizures. It may sometimes be a random occurrence, but there are instances where it will appear when something is triggered.
Is Dog Seizure Painful?
The condition itself is not painful and you don’t need to put anything in their mouth in case they bit their tongue.
They might feel panic and confused, but there is no pain involved. However, external factors can cause pain, especially if they accidentally hit any part of their body to the items around your house.
If your dog suddenly suffered a seizure on the floor, you don’t need to worry. Just remove the things that may fall off and hit them.
Is Dog Seizure Treatable?
Since the main cause of the seizure is unknown, it is near impossible to cure the condition. However, you can prevent them from experiencing seizures.
You cannot completely prevent it, but you can lessen the occurrence. Dog food is one of the things that can help lessen seizure.
Can you Treat Dog Seizure with Dog Food?
The answer is No. Dog seizure is usually hereditary and idiopathic epilepsy has an unknown cause. It is almost impossible to treat a certain condition if you don’t know where it is coming from.
As of now, dog seizure doesn’t have any cure or treatment. The only thing that these dog foods can do is to lessen the occurrence of seizures to your dogs.
You have to remember that frequent seizures can cause a lot of problems for your dogs. Even if they don’t feel pain, it has a significant impact on their overall health.
Can Food be a Trigger for Seizure?
Most of you are probably asking if there are specific dog foods that can actually trigger a seizure. It depends on the condition of the dog.
It is hard to determine what can cause a seizure to your dog unless you will monitor them when they are eating. You will know the foods that your dog has eaten before the seizure occurred.
Also, there is a chance that the food might not be the trigger. It can be environmental factors. Getting too hot or too cold can also be a trigger.
If the diet of your dog has too much salt or sodium, there is a chance that it can trigger a seizure. Food allergies can also be a trigger so you have to monitor your dogs when they are eating.
Can Dog Seizures be prevented by a specific diet?
A lot of people have been asking about a specific diet meant for reducing the occurrence of seizures. This is a case to case basis. A certain diet might work for a certain dog and it may not have any positive effects on the other.
Most of the information on the Internet claims that the ketogenic diet for humans actually worked for dogs that are suffering from seizures.
Basically, this diet is made up of foods that are high on fats, low carbs, moderate protein and it has restricted calories. The goal is to lessen the intake of sugar and carbohydrates.
A lot of pet owners tried it and they got amazing results. There are also some who did not get any positive results after trying this specific diet.
Can Supplements Reduce the Instances of Dog Seizures?
There have been a lot of clinical trials about the use of the supplement for dog seizures, but until now, there are no clear results.
However, the reduction of dog seizures will always be related to the overall health of your dogs. If they are healthy, you can definitely reduce the occurrence of seizures.
Giving supplements to your dogs can be a good start. There are a few amazing supplements on the market that can provide complete nutrition for your dogs.
Conclusion
Dog seizures are very alarming indeed and it is not something that you can ignore just because your dogs are not experiencing any sort of pain during the attack.
Although the damage is not seen physically, it will damage the brain of your dogs and it can affect their overall health.
The use of natural and homemade food can be a good choice, but if you don’t have the time and you want to make sure that your dogs can get all the nutrients that they can get, you can go with branded dog foods.
The dog foods mentioned above provide the nutrients that your dog needs to be healthy. There are no specific nutrients required to deal with dog seizures as the exact cause of the condition is unknown.
You just need to look for dog foods that can improve the brain health of your dogs and you are good to go.
