New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has shown, for the first time, that changing the fat profile of the diet of dogs with hard-to-treat epilepsy can, not only improve their seizure control, but also their cognitive abilities, such as combatting memory problems.
Epilepsy is the most common brain disease in dogs, which is very distressing for both dogs and their owners. Current treatments focus on managing the condition by primarily reducing how often seizures occur, however, recent research suggests that comorbidities such as anxiety and cognitive impairments are common in dogs with epilepsy. Subsequently, there is an urgent need for new epilepsy management options which help to, not only better control seizures, but also improve behavioural and cognitive comorbidities.
Led by canine behaviour and welfare scientist, Dr. Rowena Packer from the RVC, and veterinary neurologist, Professor Holger Volk from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo), alongside RVC PhD student Dr. Benjamin Andreas Berk, a team of researchers tested the effects of an oil supplement on seizure frequency in dogs with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Multiple studies from the RVC have shown that medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oils-enriched diets can improve seizure control in difficult to treat, drug-resistant dogs with epilepsy. This rigorous, controlled clinical study used non-invasive cognitive tests and a validated psychometric tool to show that dogs had improved spatial and working memory when treated with MCTs.
Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at RVC, said: “Our ground-breaking research into the behavioural and cognitive comorbidities of canine epilepsy was the first to identify cognitive impairments in this population. We have now gone one step further and found a promising way to boost the impaired memories of these patients and reduce their seizure frequency, by a simple dietary change.”
The full paper is available in Epilepsy & Behavior
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