This is not a specific disease. Epileptiform seizures may be localised to one area of the brain 'petit mal' or affect the whole brain 'grand mal'.

During petit mal seizures, dogs may stand still looking blank, shake a little or twitch one leg. A grand mal seizure usually occurs when a dog is at home, at rest. The dog falls on his side with the legs rigid and paddling, the eyes are open and staring, the lips pulled back whilst the jaws make a chewing motion.

He may defecate or urinate. Most fits last from 2 to 5 minutes. As the fit subsides the dog appears unstable and confused but should regain normality within ¹/₂ hour.

Continuous fits are known as status epilepticus and require immediate veterinary attention.

Causes may be infection, trauma, tumours or metabolic disease and in these cases fitting will stop when the cause is removed.

In other cases the cause is within the genetic make-up of the dog, this is ideopathic (primary) epilepsy, which usually does not manifest itself until the dog is 18 months to 3 years old (sometimes later). This condition is well documented in many breeds and the conclusion from extensive research is that ideopathic epilepsy be considered inherited. The mode of inheritance is not clear but suggests an autosomal recessive trait or a threshhold/polygenic trait. The condition is usually controlled by drug therapy, the aim to prevent a fit without sedating the dog. It often takes some time to determine the most effective drug and the dosage for a particular individual who will probably need treatment for the rest of his life. Withdrawing the medication could precipitate a fit.