A cure for Epilepsy??????

[FourteenLegs]

Just read in the Sunday paper ("Telegraph" - Sydney - can't find a web-link) about world-first surgery performed on a terrier-cross named "Bundy" whose owner had been advised that he be euthanised as he was having up to 12 fits a day.

The vet, Dr Charles Kuntz from the Southern Animal Referral Hospital in Melbourne, performed a "brain splitting" procedure. This is surgery performed on humans with severe epilepsy and it has an 85% success rate. Bundy is alert, up and eating just 24 hours after surgery. It is expected it will take him up to 6 weeks to fully recover.

Dr Kuntz is going to present his findings to a Scientist's conference in June.

Good news!!!

[shaynapug]

Wouldn't that be wonderful!!!

[Kiadli]

Wow! That would be fantastic. Mind you I'd be too afraid to put my Molly through all that. Double edged sword!

[Snifter]

Wow! That would be fantastic. Mind you I'd be too afraid to put my Molly through all that. Double edged sword!

True, though in this case it seems that the only other option was putting the dog to sleep.

It would still be a hard call, of course, since nobody would want to put a much loved pet through some really serious surgery unless there was a good chance of success.

[ViralMD]

This is surgery that's done in people as a last resort, cutting the corpus callosum for uncontrollable seizures. Callostomy, as it's called, is not without serious effects however, because normally this structure, which is ENORMOUS, is the main means of communication between the two sides of the brain. While it sometimes (not always) helps the seizure disorder, it always results in 'split-brain' problems. What are these problems? Not being able to process information that enters one side of the brain (as in one part of one eye), difficulty in controlling impulses, etc. And others...some subtle, some not. As I said, it's a last resort.