It was on a Sunday afternoon that you decided to play with your dog. After several rounds of fetch, you noticed how he immediately fumbled to the ground and is not moving. As a compassionate pet owner, you panicked into thinking that it may be due to a cardiac arrest. You called your veterinarian, and he told you that your beloved pooch has type 2 narcolepsy. If you don’t have any idea about type 2 narcolepsy or how to cure sleeping disorders in dogs, this article aims to guide you.
What is Narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy and type 2 narcolepsy is categorized as a brain disorder. It affects both humans and furry dogs. Narcolepsy occurs when a dog suffers from an imbalanced sleep and wake time cycles. Moreover, this disorder can lead to a sudden loss of energy and a brief moment of unconsciousness. Most of the time, both type 2 narcolepsy and narcolepsy affects cats and young dogs. If you have a dog that is more of a couch potato than you are, episodes of any narcolepsy type might slip under your nose. However, more active ones can be seen and may cause both panic and confusion to the owner.
A more severe narcolepsy type is identified as cataplexy. Cataplexy, on the other hand, is similar to narcolepsy. However, it has more disturbing symptoms. In cataplexy, there is consciousness, yet it is followed by muscle paralysis. Although several narcolepsy types are present, it is not deemed as deadly or life-threatening. Most likely, you’ll have brief and sudden episodes where your dog lies down entirely still, and you have to snap your pooch out of it.
Fun fact! Narcolepsy occurs to people as well. However, such condition needs immediate diagnosis, treatment and medications. Humans experiencing narcolepsy are vulnerable to life-threatening instances.
What are the Symptoms of Narcolepsy?
The good thing about type 2 narcolepsy or any narcolepsy type is that underlying conditions are rarely present. Although narcolepsy is a nervous system concern that is closely related to sleep disorders, your veterinarian will conduct several physical examinations to assess neurologic and physical responses. Even this health concern is not as fatal as other diseases; you, as a responsible pet owner, should be aware and alert should a narcoleptic episode occur. To snap your pooch out of an episode, external stimuli must be present. You can either pet him, call out his name, or wait it out. The most common symptoms of narcolepsy are the following:
- Your pooch collapsing to the ground
- Sudden loss of consciousness
- Loss of body coordination leading to a tumble, whimpering, manic eye movements, and muscular twitching
- Muscle paralysis (torso, head, and limb) occurs during episodes
What are the causes of narcolepsy?
A dog having narcoleptic episodes can stem from unknown, uncommon, or undefined reasons. As veterinarians would put it, there are a lot of factors riding in such an abrupt disorder. However, here is a breakdown of the most common causes of narcolepsy in dogs:
- Hereditary to dog breeds such as poodles, dachshunds, Doberman pinschers, and Labrador retrievers
- Doggies that are sedentary or inactive, obese and immune system concerns have higher risks of narcolepsy
- Another probable cause is the involvement of nerve disorders
- Last but not least, a veterinarian may deem the cause as idiopathic or unknown.
How is narcolepsy diagnosed?
As we mentioned earlier, narcolepsy, unlike other chronic brain diseases, isn’t life-threatening. However, your vet needs to diagnose the concern to help you and your pooch manage life with narcoleptic episodes. The veterinarian must rule out possible underlying conditions. Be prepared for the following tests as it is quite expensive on your part.
- Neurologic and physical exams
- Blood chemical profile
- Urinalysis
- Electrolyte panel
- Complete blood count
It would also help your veterinarian if you had footage of the narcoleptic episode. If a video isn’t available, you can thoroughly describe what your dog was doing before the incident and what you did as an intervention. There are instances where a pattern is determined. If there’s a stimulus involved with a narcoleptic episode, your veterinarian might instigate the incident and a solution is derived after.
Can Narcolepsy be Cured?
The good thing about narcolepsy is that you and your pooch can both live a happy, meaningful, and fun-filled life with it. It doesn’t progress as the dog ages, and for mild symptoms, there’s no need for medical intervention. For more severe cases, the veterinarian may recommend sleep medicine to cure sleeping disorders or at least minimize its effects.
As an example, your trusted veterinarian may prescribe imipramine to minimize the symptoms of narcoleptic episodes. Another prescription that may come along is physostigmine to lessen the frequency of narcoleptic events. There are oral antidepressants that can help manage sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness.
You should always keep in mind that when your beloved pooch undergoes a narcoleptic episode, he is not in pain. Unless he falls or stumbles on a hard object that can injure your pooch, such incidents you can supervise.
How do my dog and I live with narcolepsy?
If you’re worried that your dog is not having the time of his life because of narcolepsy, you don’t have to fuss. It is not life-threatening, and your pooch can still enjoy doggy things that make him happy. What you can do as a responsible pet owner is to adjust and guard Fido for any activities that can hurt him when he falls from the ground.
When your veterinarian deems a particular activity as an instigator for narcoleptic episodes, you can minimize its frequency by calming your pooch. For example, if cases of sexual activity or playing without a leash leads him to a narcoleptic episode, you can put him on a leash or put him in an enclosure when breeding.
Living with narcolepsy may not be how you imagine life with a pooch. However, with the help of your veterinarian and your commitment to making your pooch comfortable makes life for the both of you happy.
