Seizures are a growing concern amongst dog parents and one that is understood as little by veterinarians as it is by dog owners. While there is debate on the cause and necessary treatment for seizures in dogs, there’s no doubt that changing your dog’s diet can positively affect the frequency of their seizures.
Humans have been using specialized diets to reduce seizures since the 1920s. So, it makes sense that many would suggest this intervention as it’s shown to be incredibly effective for humans.
Diet changes have shown some improvement for seizures in dogs but there’s been few serious studies on the efficacy of diet changes.1 Some preliminary empirical studies show little to no improvement. However, many pet parents of dogs with seizures stand by the diet change as a solution.
There have been reports of dogs having a reduction of seizure activity when the diet is based on good-quality proteins, carbohydrate levels in their diets are reduced, and there is an increase of fat in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). We have chosen good quality food products and we suggest enriching your dog’s daily diet with this supplemental coconut oil as a source of MCT.2
With the addition of the coconut oil benefits, here are our favorite foods for reducing seizures in dogs!
A Glimpse at Our Favorite Picks in 2023
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Best Overall
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Nom Nom Fresh Dog Food Subscription Service |
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Best Value
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American Journey |
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Orijen Original |
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Check Price |
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Taste of the Wild |
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Wellness CORE |
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The 8 Best Dog Food for Seizures
1. Nom Nom Fresh Dog Food Subscription Service – Best Overall
| Bag Size: | personalized to your dog |
| Other Special Features: | Gluten-free fresh food made with human-grade ingredients |
| Flavors: | Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Beef |
The best overall dog food to improve your dog suffering from seizures condition goes to Nom Nom. Feeding your dog with fresh, premium-quality ingredients is definitely the best you can do to support their health. These recipes are based on real, fresh meat ingredients as a protein source, complemented with vegetables and grains. They are gently cooked in human-grade kitchens to maintain the nutritional value of the premium ingredients. Nom Nom’s complete and balanced diets have been formulated by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists. Being a fresh food, there is no need for additional unnecessary carbohydrates that are normally needed to bind kibble pellets together, making these gluten-free recipes a perfect option to reduce seizure activity.
Nom Nom’s Dog Food is available in four different recipes to improve your dog’s diet, all free from gluten, corn, and soy – a perfect first step on a journey to halt the seizures. This food is personalized to your dog’s individual needs and packed in perfectly proportioned single servings. In addition, these healthy meals are delivered right to your doorstep thanks to their subscription service.
The only downside about Nom Nom is that they are still not available worldwide. All in all, we think Nom Nom Fresh dog food is the overall best dog food for seizures available this year.
2. American Journey Dog Food – Best Value
| Bag Size: | 4, 12, 24-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, High-Protein |
| Flavors: | Salmon & Sweet Potato |
American Journey’s foods feature the right concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to boost brain health for your pup. Additionally, these foods are high-protein and gluten-free, which are both great options for helping to control your dog’s seizures through dietary intervention. This recipe also contains added DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid highly correlated with brain health!
American Journey’s foods are made in America. So, any pet parents who prefer products made in America can rest assured that their dog’s food is made from sources they can trust, and that’s one of the many reasons we chose it as our best dog food for seizures for the money!
3. Orijen Original Dog Food
| Bag Size: | 4.5, 13, 25-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | Gluten-Free, High-Protein |
| Flavors: | Poultry and fish |
Orijen is a great food option for pet parents who have a little extra pocket money to spoil their dogs. This high-quality, high-protein dog food is made in the USA, making it an excellent option for pet parents who like their products made close to home. It also features a freeze-dried raw coating to make it extra tempting for your pup.
This recipe is both grain and gluten-free, making it an excellent option for dogs who have seizures. This food features a high protein content of 85% high-quality animal proteins. Those proteins will go a long way towards keeping your dog’s brain healthy and helping to reduce seizure activity!
4. Taste of the Wild Dog Food
| Bag Size: | 5, 14, 28-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | High-Protein, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free |
| Flavors: | Bison & Venison |
If you’re looking for a great option of dog food for seizures, you’ll want to look no further than Taste of the Wild. Taste of the Wild is a relatively new brand for the dog food scene, but their recipes are perfectly suited to the unique dietary needs of seizure-prone dogs.
Taste of the Wild’s recipes feature omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which help regulate brain function and reduce seizures. This food is also made without artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, known aggravators of seizure disorders.
Additionally, this food is grain and gluten-free, two other known aggravators of seizure disorders. So, pet parents who prefer that their foods are made close to the heart can feel safe bringing this into their dogs’ lives!
5. Wellness CORE Dog Food
| Bag Size: | 4, 12, 26-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | High-Protein, Grain-Free |
| Flavors: | Chicken & Turkey |
Wellness CORE is the high-protein version of traditional Wellness foods. They’re all very high-quality, grain-free foods that your pup will love. Wellness CORE features more than just high protein when it comes to controlling seizures. This food also features high concentrations of omega fatty acids to improve brain health.
Additionally, Wellness Core features high concentrations of antioxidants, glucosamine, and other vitamins and minerals that your dog needs to thrive. It’s made without meat by-products, fillers, gluten, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, so it doesn’t have any known food triggers for seizures either.
6. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food
| Bag Size: | 4, 11, 20, 24-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | Grain-Free, High-Protein |
| Flavors: | Chicken |
Like Wellness CORE, Blue Buffalo Wilderness is the high-protein version of Blue Buffalo’s classic recipes. This food features all-natural ingredients, including real meat that will have your pup howling their approval!
Blue Buffalo Wilderness features increased omega fatty acids and LifeSource Bits that will give your pup an extra boost of nutrients with each bite. Blue Buffalo Wilderness is crafted by veterinarians and is sure to help keep your dog in tip-top condition.
7. Merrick
| Bag Size: | 4, 10, 22, 30-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, High-Protein |
| Flavors: | Beef & Sweet Potato |
Merrick is a darling pet food brand beloved by pet parents worldwide. Merrick’s foods are a great low-cost way to introduce your dog to grain-free, high-protein foods. The high-protein content is excellent for supporting body and brain health.
Additionally, this food contains higher-than-average concentrations of healthy fats, which have also been noted for improving seizure frequency. Some pet parents may be wary of this brand since Purina acquired it, but looking at their nutritional information, they’ve thus far kept their promise not to mess with the recipes!
8. Natural Balance L.I.D. Dog Food
| Bag Size: | 4, 12, 24-pound bags |
| Other Special Features: | High-Protein, Grain-Free |
| Flavors: | Salmon & Sweet Potato |
Natural Balance L.I.D. is their Limited-Ingredient recipe line. While these recipes are traditionally targeted at dogs with food allergies, they also make an excellent option for dogs with seizures. The limited ingredient pool helps reduce the number of trigger foods present in the dog’s food and keeps them happy and healthy.
Natural Balance L.I.D. also uses high-quality, natural ingredients; the first ingredient in the list is always a natural meat source! Additionally, these foods are all produced in the USA. So, pet parents can rest assured knowing this food is made close to home!
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Dog Food for Seizures
Basing your dog’s nutrition on a diet formulated with good quality proteins, a reduced level of carbohydrates, and an increased level of healthy fats such as the rich in medium-chain triglycerides coconut oil, can have a positive impact on your dog’s condition and a reduction of seizure activity.
By supplementing a good quality dog food such as the recommended here with coconut oil, you can improve your dog’s condition.
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You can offer your dog 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp of organic coconut oil for every 10 pounds of body weight twice a day.
If you pre-measure it and place it on a tray or a silicone mold with a couple of blueberries, a cranberry, or a piece of any other healthy fruit, then place them in the fridge. The coconut oil will harden and form easy and healthy treats.
Or, if your dog eats right after serving, you can simply mix the oil with it with its food.
Why Do Dogs Have Seizures?
Seizures in dogs are not well understood, even in the veterinary field. There is currently no accepted standard of judging the severity or frequency of seizure activity in dogs; we’re not even sure that what they’re experiencing are true “seizures” in the medical sense. Naturally, that means that understanding seizure disorders—if that’s what they are—is even scarcer amongst veterinarians.
Unfortunately, that means there are no universally accepted treatments for seizure activity in dogs. There is experimental evidence for dietary changes helping control seizure activity. There is also evidence for the use of anti-seizure medications. However, there has been limited clinical study treating seizures in dogs.
Does a Ketogenic Diet Help Reduce Seizure Activity in Dogs?
When humans take on a ketogenic diet, many find that it drastically reduces their seizure activity. Many even achieve complete remission of their seizures with just a ketogenic diet. The exact reason this diet has such a profound effect on seizure activity is not fully understood.
One running theory is that the lower sugar and higher fat contents reduce the amount of glutamate in the brain. Doing so will reduce the “excitability” of the brain, so to speak, and reduce seizure activity.
Other theories posit that the ketones produced by the ketosis metabolic state of when the body fuels on fat rather than on carbohydrates, increase the synthesis of the compounds that help prevent seizures while decreasing the number of compounds that cause seizures.
However, dog bodies do not as readily enter ketosis as human bodies do. Because their bodies do not respond to the ketogenic diet the same way, empirical study shows little to no improvement when introducing a ketogenic diet to dogs.
While some anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise, it’s safe to say that you don’t have to go and find your dog a ketogenic food to reduce their seizure activity based on our current knowledge of dog biology. But they could benefit from supplementing with MCT oils.
Do Raw Diets Help Dogs with Seizures?
There is anecdotal evidence for introducing raw food diets for dogs with seizures, like ketogenic diets. For seizure activity, supporters of raw food diets suggest a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fats and protein, similar to the ketogenic diet but generally more flexible.
Supporters of raw diets for dogs with seizures point out that raw food diets have higher concentrations of L-Taurine and L-Carnitine, which can help reduce seizure activity in dogs. While you can add these amino acids to kibble, supporters of raw food diets argue that raw foods are a more bountiful source of nutrients than their processed counterparts.
What Nutrient Profiles Are Most Appropriate for Dogs with Seizures?
A handful of nutrients are shown to help reduce seizure activity when it comes to nutrients. There are also a handful of additives that are shown to trigger seizure activity in those already prone to them.
High Protein
Protein supports brain health and function. Additionally, protein supports the nervous system. So, theoretically, a high-protein diet should help reduce seizure activity by bolstering support to the brain and nervous system.
B Vitamins
There is evidence that a deficiency in B vitamins can increase seizure activity. So, getting your dog food fortified with B vitamins or adding some extra B vitamins to their food may help decrease seizure activity.
High-Quality
Low-quality foods can contain trigger foods or other irritants that increase seizure activity. Investing in high-quality food with more rigorous processing procedures can help save you from the headache of potential cross-contamination or unknown sourcing.
What Foods Should Dogs with Seizures Avoid?
Dogs with seizures should avoid several foods and additives that trigger attacks in humans and dogs alike. BHA, BHT, xylitol, ethoxyquin, and artificial flavors, dyes, and preservatives correlate with higher seizure activity in dogs and people. So, avoiding these trigger foods can help reduce seizures in dogs.
Additionally, there is some evidence that seizure activity increases when dogs eat gluten. So, gluten and grain-free foods should also help reduce seizure activity.
As always, you should avoid any foods that are toxic for dogs like chocolate, anything containing theobromine, garlic, onions, or caffeine as these can trigger fatal seizures, or your dog may die from toxicity.
Conclusion
Seizures in dogs are a severe affliction that requires much attention for your dog’s health and safety. Changing your dog’s diet may help reduce seizures, so we chose Nom Nom Fresh Dog Food for our best overall dog food for seizures. In our opinion, the best dog food for seizures for the money is American Journey. Pet parents with a bit of extra spending money can rely on our choice for the best premium dog food for seizures, Orijen Original!
Featured Image Credit: Przemek Iciak, Shutterstock
