Twitch perfect: Making sense of canine episodic events

When a dog suddenly shakes, twitches, stiffens, collapses or starts moving strangely, is it a seizure, a movement disorder or something else entirely? Episodic neurological events are common, yet their fleeting nature can make diagnosis challenging – particularly when the patient is completely normal by the time it reaches the consulting room.

Using plenty of real-life videos, this highly practical session will work through a simple diagnostic algorithm for characterising these events. We will explore the key features that distinguish epileptic seizures from paroxysmal dyskinesia, tremor, myoclonus and other episodic movement disorders, as well as important mimics. The aim is to turn the owner’s mobile-phone video from a diagnostic headache into one of your most useful clinical tools.

• Use a simple, stepwise algorithm to assess dogs presenting with episodic neurological events.
• Recognise the key clinical features that help distinguish epileptic seizures from movement disorders and other mimics.
• Characterise abnormal movements including tremor, myoclonus, dystonia and paroxysmal dyskinesia from owner-recorded video footage.
• Use the history, consciousness during an event, triggers and movement phenotype to guide appropriate investigation and management.