Do seizure alert dogs help with uncontrolled epilepsy?

Question

Hello doctor,

My husband is 34 years old and has been living with seizures for almost 6 years now. He's on Levetiracetam 1500 mg BID and lamotrigine 100 mg but still has break through seizures at least twice a month. Often without any warning, which is what scares us the most. Last month, he had a seizure while cooking and burned his arm badly.

His epileptologist has mentioned that his seizures are not fully controlled yet and is adjusting his medications. I have been researching seizure alert dogs and am wondering if they are genuinely reliable or if it is just something people hope will work.

Would a trained alert dog actually help someone like my husband, who has unpredictable tonic-clonic episodes? Do these dogs really sense a seizure before it happens, or is that an exaggeration? I want my husband to regain some independence without me being terrified every moment he is alone.

Please guide me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Some dogs are trained as response dogs to help during or after a seizures. Others are trained as alert dogs to be able to sense when a seizure is coming on, but this is not something every dog can do. Some dogs seem to give a warning before a seizure, but scientific evidence suggests this ability is unreliable and differs between dogs, so it is important not to rely on a dog alone for early warning.

But there are several ways in which dogs can reliably help, such as staying with the person during a seizure, helping to prevent injuries, alerting others or bringing help, and providing comfort and reassurance. Seizures are unpredictable and not fully controlled so it is important to focus ongoing medication, home safety modifications (especially with cooking) and use of seizure alert devices which are generally more reliable than dogs.

The seizure dog can certainly help with increased safety and independence as a response dog, but it should be considered an added form of assistance, not the main way of predicting seizures.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Thank you for reaching out.