About The Webinar
Paroxysmal dyskinesias (PDs) are episodic movement disorders in which abnormal movements are present only during attacks. Although increasingly being recognised they are often poorly characterised in the veterinary literature and are commonly mistaken for an epileptic seizure, both by owners and by vets.
The term paroxysmal indicates that the signs occur suddenly against a background of normality. The term dyskinesia broadly refers to a movement of the body that is involuntary, which means that your dog has no control the movement and remains fully aware of its surroundings. Between attacks, dogs are neurologically normal and there is no loss of consciousness during the attacks, though some dogs find the episodes disconcerting and do not respond normally. The attacks can last anything from a few minutes to a couple of hours and can sometime occur in clusters.
In veterinary medicine, PD have been described in a number of breeds (Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Border terrier, Cairn terrier, Scottish terrier, Dalmatian and Norwich terrier, Boxer, Bichon Frise, Pugs, Chinook, Labrador retriever and JRT in which they have been ‘labelled’ as breed-specific entities. This presentation discusses current state of knowledge of PD in veterinary medicine.
