My friends Husky [Nova, Orion and Scouts dad] suffers from Seizures, they take excellent care of him and he's only about 1 and a half years old. Should I be concerned this could be genetic? I'm worried that one of my beloved babies could fall ill and it'd break my heart. Is this rare case or do other Huskies deal with it? Any info would be appreciated!

Quote :

Idiopathic epilepsy (seizure of unknown origin) is most commonly seen in otherwise healthy animals, between the ages of 1 and 5 years, and may be inherited in certain breeds. Beagles, Keeshonden, Irish Setters, Belgian Tervurens, Siberian Huskies, Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds may be genetically predisposed to idiopathic epilepsy.*

*Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, 8th, edition.

I found this in a quick search - I have never dealt with a dog who had seizures directly. I'd contact your vet to see if there is anything that you can do to try and find out if it is actually Idiopathic or if there is a cause (there's a number of causes)

Thanks I will definitely ask at their next appointment. I was aware when I got them but didn't remember to ask when we last took them. I hope it's something I can prevent from becoming an issue.

I can't help you with Huskies and seizures but I can tell you that our Golden, Seven, suffered from epilepsy from the age of 2 on. She lived to be 13 and was an amazing friend. The seizures are not easy for anyone but we learned how to adapt. Hopefully your huskies will be unaffected, but know that even with it, they can live a long, happy life

Thank you. I'm sorry for your loss, but it's comforting he lived so long with those health problems.. Its great he was able to live a fulfilling life.

You're welcome Hopefully they'll be okay .

If the seizures are genetic then it won't be anything you can prevent but you can manage.

Quote :

What causes seizures?
Seizures can be caused by numerous things - poisons, skull injury, brain tumor, viral and bacterial infections, congenital malformations, heat stroke, parasites, fungal infections, low blood sugar (diabetics), and so on. By doing a physical exam and blood work, most causes can be eliminated.

Also found that to help out.

FWIW, I have heard from not only my holistic vet, but also a coworker that acupuncture can really help with seizures.

Depending on what's causing the seizures it can be genetic.

HuskyMom wrote:

My friends Husky [Nova, Orion and Scouts dad] suffers from Seizures, they take excellent care of him and he's only about 1 and a half years old.

Wait a minute - Nova is 11 months and Orion is 2 1/2 months old right? Their father is only 1 1/2???
So the father sired his first litter at something around 7 months old??!!

...

Yikes.. two strikes.. you don't breed dogs with epilepsy and you don't breed dogs under 2, much less under 1.

hides............

Damnit, every time I say something you people break out the popcorn, lol. I'm just being honest. Breeding a 7 month old male is pretty sad and even worse when he has epilepsy.

I agree with you heather, and everyone else. Breeding any dog at 7 months is too young. Now dogs with health issues is even worse.

Knowingly supporting the people doing the breeding is just as bad if not worse.

(this is a general statement)

What's done is done- he was bred, you have your pups, yes it is possible they may have seizures or anything else you are unaware the dog may have in it's genepool- I get these are yours dogs and you love them regardless 'of where they came from', but you should tell your neighbor to chop it's dogs jewels off to prevent the possibility of producing more unneeded dogs that could have epilepsy or anything else that would show up in his testing he can't get until he is 2 and realize breeding a baby is a very sad thing to do.

ETA: Yes, I realize this post is not to make any judgements and is to educate yourself on this disease, but you do have to realize this is a dog forum where people have very passionate beliefs and are going to assert those when they see something they find irresponsible. I am not going to sit here and make you feel guilty about your dogs, but I will speak out saying that your friend needs to do their research and really has to be something else to take his 7 month old dog who has epilepsy and not old enough to health test to breed- for no good reason.

ruhruoh..
he suffers from seizures and they don't take him to get in to get tested...


We need a red flag emotion tori

Seizures most certainly can be genetic. It can be managed with diet and medication of course.

If dad is epileptic I would really discourage you from breeding your dogs (regardless if they show signs) but there has been some studies which show it's best to leave epileptic dogs intact to help control the seizures. So if it does come about some of them are affected- there are a few routes to take.

Niraya wrote:

HuskyMom wrote:

My friends Husky [Nova, Orion and Scouts dad] suffers from Seizures, they take excellent care of him and he's only about 1 and a half years old.

Wait a minute - Nova is 11 months and Orion is 2 1/2 months old right? Their father is only 1 1/2???
So the father sired his first litter at something around 7 months old??!!

glad i did not have to point that one out....

i hope you take your pups in to be tested/checked and good luck. talk to your friend as well, has Nove sired any other litters?