EFFICACY OF THE NEW ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS IN DOGS When
recommending a novel treatment, it is helpful if you can provide
information on the expected effectiveness of the treatment,
especially when the treatment involves a considerable investment
of time or money on the pet owner's part. Unfortunately,
extensive data of this nature are not available for the use of
the new antiepileptic drugs in canine epilepsy. Rather, the
information on drug use described above was obtained by
administering the new antiepileptic drug in an open-label
fashion: Dogs with poorly controlled seizures were given a new
antiepileptic drug, and seizure frequency during administration
of the new drug was compared with seizure frequency before the
new drug was initiated. Because the studies were not placebo-
controlled, the information obtained regarding drug efficacy may
be inaccurate. A reduction in seizure frequency during placebo
administration has been documented in people with epilepsy,17
and, in my opinion, a similar phenomenon may o