Modificazioni comportamentali in cani con epilessia: Uno studio pilota = Behavioural changes in dogs with epilepsy: A pilot study

Introduction and aim: Epilepsy, a chronic brain disease characterised by the recurrence of epileptic seizures, is the most com mon neurologicalproblem in dogs. In human medicine, epilepsy appears to be linked to the development of neurobehavioral changes, such as depression, anxiety; attention-deficitj Iryperactivity, mood disorders, and psychosis: There are few studies in dogs on this topic. The pilot study aims to analyse the behaviour of a sample of dogs suffering from epilepsy and to evaluate its evolution over time. Materials and methods: Twenty five dogs with idiopathic epilepsy were included in the project. Questionnaires collecting behav ioural data were administered to the owner of each subject, who underwent a neurological examination at the reference veterinary clin ic, at time 0, and after 1, 3, and 6 months. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: No changes were found overtime for exploratory behaviour, playing, stealing objects, licking body parts, response to com mands, and recalls. Aggressive behaviour was reduced over time (p[removed]