Epilepsy, a neurological disease that affects 50 million people worldwide, is associated with seizures and convulsions, which can be extremely debilitating for sufferers. Now a Dutch study, published in the journal Neurology, demonstrates how dogs may be able to help reduce these seizures.

Researchers in the Netherlands have turned their attention to the medical virtues of dogs in the management of epilepsy. Although the condition has been recognised since ancient times, treatment options remain unsatisfactory for a large number of patients.

“Despite the development of numerous anti-seizure medications over the past 15 years, up to 30% of people with epilepsy experience persistent seizures,” said study author Valérie van Hezik-Wester of Erasmus University.

As such, predicting epileptic seizures is a crucial matter for the scientific community. “Seizure dogs are trained to recognise seizures and respond when they occur. The tasks that these dogs perform, along with their companionship, may reduce seizure-related anxiety, also potentially reducing incidences caused by stress, the most common trigger for seizures,” the expert explained.

As part of their research, the scientists monitored 20 people suffering from epilepsy, over a three-year period, who had a poor response to anticonvulsant treatment and a high risk of seizure-related injury. The scientists observed them in their daily lives before randomly assigning them a seizure dog.

Participants were asked to record the frequency and type of epileptic seizures they suffered in a diary, and to fill out a follow-up questionnaire every three months. They were asked to evaluate factors such as the severity of their seizures, their quality of life, and their general wellbeing.

The researchers found that people with epilepsy had, on average, 31% fewer seizures when they started sharing their lives with a seizure dog. Seven participants even found that their seizures halved or disappeared altogether.

At the start of the study, the volunteers had 115 seizures over a 28-day period. This figure dropped to 73 with the help of the dogs.

For van Hezik-Wester, these results show that “seizure dogs can help people with epilepsy”, but cannot yet be hailed as a miracle solution. More research is needed to better understand how our four-legged friends can help the medical community in managing epilepsy, though the prospects are encouraging.