Canine Seizure Disorders and Idiopathic Epilepsy: NAVLE Study Guide

Seizures are one of the most common neurological presentations in dogs, and the NAVLE tests them with a consistent pattern: give you an age and signalment, expect you to build the right differential, then test whether you know your antiepileptic drugs cold. Get the age-based differential right, know phenobarbital monitoring, and know the KBr-in-cats trap. That covers most of what the exam throws at you.

Seizure Classification and Phases

Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures are the most common type tested on boards. The dog loses consciousness, shows bilateral tonic stiffening followed by clonic paddling, hypersalivates, and may urinate or defecate. Focal (partial) seizures affect one body region – fly-biting, facial twitching, or unilateral limb jerking – and can secondarize to generalized seizures.

Every seizure has three phases. The pre-ictal phase (aura) is a behavioral change just before the seizure: restlessness, attention-seeking, hiding. The ictal phase is the seizure itself, typically lasting 1–3 minutes. The post-ictal phase is the recovery period – disorientation, temporary blindness, hypersalivation, ataxia – and can last minutes to hours. Post-ictal blindness is frequently tested: it resolves on its own and does not indicate permanent vision loss.