Epilepsy can be inherited in some breeds such as beagles and German shepherds however in most cases there is no family history. Most dogs effected are middle aged or older but juvenile epilepsy can also occur under one year of age.

The classical picture of seizure involves a period of anxiety (preictal phase) prior to the actual fitting episode. This may not be recognized in all cases. Seizures are characterized by loss of consciousness or disorientation, stiffness of limbs often with the head arched backward, involuntary passing of urine and feces, and vomiting or frothing from the mouth. These signs may be evident for only a matter of minutes and are followed by a recovery period (postictal phase) where the symptoms diminish, often fully returning to a normal state within a short time.

Although the symptoms are very alarming to observe they rarely do damage to the animal. Owners should avoid handling their pet during the seizure because of the risk of being inadvertently bitten. Short term treatment using sedatives such as diazepam is generally only initiated if the seizures are prolonged or multiple fits occur. Long term therapy is usually started once the fits occur more than once every six weeks. Phenobarbital is the most commonly used anticonvulsant. Primidone (Mysoline) may also be used as it metabolizes to phenobarbital in the body. Dilantin is commonly used in human medicine however it is not effective on dogs due to its very short period of action. Bromide is used in addition to phenobarbital therapy where the seizures are not being effectively controlled by higher doses of phenobarbital. It should be remembered that anticonvulsant treatment is designed to reduced fitting, not necessarily eliminate them completely.