Daytime and nocturnal activity in treated dogs with idiopathic epilepsy compared to matched unaffected controls

BACKGROUND: In dogs, antiepileptic drugs (AED) cause lethargy but quantitative data regarding the effects of AED on activity levels are not available, and little is known about how AEDs affect sleep quality. OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively compare activity levels and nocturnal activity in dogs previously diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) receiving AEDs compared to age‐ and breed‐matched control dogs. ANIMALS: Sixty‐two dogs with IE and 310 control dogs. METHODS: This is a 3‐month prospective parallel observational study. An activity monitoring device for dogs was used to measure daily activity levels and sleep scores in all dogs. RESULTS: Dogs with IE treated with AEDs had an 18% average lower baseline activity level compared to control dogs (P = .005; point estimate = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75‐0.90). The combination of phenobarbital and potassium bromide (KBr) was associated with an average 28% decrease in activity in dogs with IE compared to control dogs (P = .03; point estimate = 0.72; CI, 0.62‐0.82). Mean sleep scores were not significantly different in dogs with IE receiving AEDs compared to control dogs (P = .43). However, higher dosages of KBr were associated with lower sleep scores (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Dogs with IE receiving AEDs have lower activity levels, but no difference in sleep scores, compared to controls. The combination of phenobarbital and KBr had the largest decrease in activity between groups. Higher doses of KBr may affect nocturnal activity in epileptic dogs.