Area dogs with epilepsy help test drug at vet school

CARY -- Jessica Crosby and her 4-year-old dachshund Brent ley were perched on the sofa at home in Cary watching TV one night in April, when Brentley started acting strange.

"He just went stiff and started shaking all over," said Crosby, 24.

Crosby rushed Brentley to a veterinary hospital in Cary. When blood tests didn't offer clues, Crosby's regular veterinarian offered a plausible diagnosis: epilepsy.

Dachshunds are among the breeds most likely to have the chronic neurological condition, which is characterized by recurring seizures.

The most popular breeds in Wake County - Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, beagles and German shepherds - are prone to epilepsy, according to veterinarians at N.C. State University. Since June they have been playing a key role in finding a more effective treatment for the condition.

Goal: better treatment

Brentley is one of 16 dogs being observed at N.C. State's College of Veterinary Medicine as part of a nationwide study to help scientists find a better medicine to treat canine epilepsy. It is among the most common neurological disorders, affecting more than 4 million dogs.

Only one anticonvulsant drug, primidone, is approved for treating the disorder in dogs. . The other option, phenobarbitol, works well for humans, but it isn't approved for dogs. Either drug can cause excessive drowsiness, lack of coordination and, in some instances, toxicity to the liver.

A veterinary pharmaceutical company that the study's administrators declined to name is sponsoring the clinical trial on a new, unnamed dog epilepsy drug, hoping for approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

"This drug has been tested before," said Karen Muñana, a veterinary neurologist at N. C. State and investigator in the trial. "But we still don't know how safe it is in dogs with epilepsy, or really how effective it is."

Several hundred dogs have been enrolled in 30 centers nationwide since the trial began two years ago.

Seizure-free so far

Five of the dogs at N.C. State, including Brentley, passed screening and are taking either the experimental drug or an approved control drug.

During his 12-week observation period, Brentley suffered three seizures. He was placed on medication more than a month ago. Since then, Brent ley has been seizure-free with no side effects.

Enrollment in the trial comes with free diagnostic tests, CT scans or MRIs and up to $330 in services at a veterinary hospital.

Crosby can expect Brentley to be on some sort of seizure daily medication his entire life.

That's fine with Crosby, who already devotes her time to several other dogs.

"Our pets are part of our family, and Brentley's my little baby," she said. "Anything I have to do for him, I'll do it."