Some info from
causes_&_treatment on a canine epilepsy website.
Diet:
Diet plays an important role in the management of Canine Epilepsy. It is very important to feed a kibble that is preservative-free. Preservatives such as ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA should be avoided as they can cause seizures. Many "supermarket" foods are loaded with chemical dyes and preservatives. Buy a high quality kibble made from "human grade" ingredients or better yet, cook for your dog. Many recipes can be found in Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. PLEASE NOTE: If your dog is taking potassium bromide, be very careful when you switch dog foods. Try to make sure the sodium content is the same as the previous food. Change over very slowly, whether it is the same sodium content or different, so that the absorption rate of the potassium bromide remains constant.
SUSAN WYNN, DVM, on the canine diet: "Dogs evolved from Canis lupis - the wolf. Wolves eat caribou or the like, but if they are forced, they will eat smaller game (rarely). They have been observed to graze on grass, eat berries, etc, but only when they need to. This is our lesson in canine nutrition - they are omnivores who do well with fresh meat, the vegetation they get in a caribou stomach (which is mostly green, unless the beast is eating from baited fields), and a smattering of other stuff if they are hungry.
"Food companies have, in the main, revolutionized pet nutrition by eliminating major nutritional deficiencies and providing optimal nutrition for the average pet. Our concern, however, is not for the average pet. It is for the sick pet. If epileptic animals have a disease with even a small nutritional component, wouldn't we want to deal with it? Is your epileptic animal showing other signs of allergies? If s/he is chewing feet, scratching ears,
having anal gland problems, vomiting bile seasonally, etc. one may want to consider dietary changes, including hypoallergenic diets, if appropriate.
"I think that the main benefit of feeding real food - meat (raw or cooked) raw or steamed veggies, cooked grains - is to provide stuff that is killed in the kibble extrusion process. If you or I were to eat a diet of Wheaties, yogurt, VegAll, and Spam day after day for 20 years, would this be enough? I don't know, but it makes me uncomfortable. I think our pets need a more varied diet and a fresher one than we can give them with commercial kibble. So I do recommend supplementing pet food with lean meat and vegetables."
PS. Dr. Wynn is a graduate of the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a clinical internship in Washington, D.C. and a fellowship in viral immunology at the Emory University School of Medicine. After 20 years of clinical practice, she now serves as a clinical resident with the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Wynn also writes, teaches and speaks on the subject of clinical nutrition.