Lompoc Health Neurologist Earns Grant to Study Canine Ability to Detect Seizures

Lompoc Health Neurologist Philip Ente, M.D., M.S., has received a two-year grant to scientifically prove that dogs can tell when a seizure will occur.

Dr. Ente, a Clinical Professor and a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurology, was informed of the grant by the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), which funds research demonstrating the positive roles that pets and other animals play in the integrated health of individuals, families and communities.

“There is evidence that odors emitted after a seizure are also present shortly before the seizure begins,” Dr. Ente explained. “This will be done by testing samples of odors taken shortly before seizure onset, on dogs trained to detect the odor present after a seizure occurs.”

Dr. Ente previously received a grant from Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara for a pilot program on this subject.

“In the pilot study, dogs could tell which one is the odor before seizure,” Dr. Ente said. “It was almost 100 percent accurate. People are omitting an odor dogs can recognize. Dogs can be trained to detect seizures, providing a vital service for individuals with epilepsy.”

Dr. Ente said such dogs can warn people to go to a safe place to avoid injury if they’re about to have a seizure or to take anti-seizure medication. Dogs could also be trained to awaken a sleeping person having a seizure, to prevent choking to death. Studies show one of the biggest concerns for people with seizures is that they never know when a seizure will occur. A seizure alert dog could allay these fears.

These ‘seizure alert dogs’ can either be trained to recognize specific scents or behaviors associated with an oncoming seizure or may naturally develop this ability through a strong bond with their owner.

Dr. Ente’s interest in studying canines and epilepsy came following his treatment of a patient with severe seizures. He and his wife observed the dog barking “in a strange way” before the patient had a seizure. During one such episode, the dog bit someone he perceived was trying to hurt the patient while she was on the ground after a seizure, and that dog was euthanized. The patient was able to get another dog, which also exhibited the same barking behavior prior to her having a seizure.

“We have anecdotal data evidence but since there is no scientific evidence, the medical community does not acknowledge this possibility,” he said.

With his background in olfaction, this subject was of particular interest to Dr. Ente. He has assembled a team including a dog trainer with a PhD in dog behavior, Cottage Hospital personnel to collect the odors from patients, a professor of biomathematics and the director of the UCLA seizure clinic.

For the grant, volunteer patients will provide odor samples every 15 minutes and dogs will be shown seven containers with odors, including one taken just before a patient had a seizure.

With each seizure alert dog costing between $20,000 to $40,000 to train, it becomes financially difficult for the majority of patients to have such an animal, he indicated. Currently, insurance companies will not provide payments for such a dog, he said.

“This study will hopefully increase charitable donations and pressure insurance companies to pay for it,” Dr. Ente said. “The evidence supports the value of seizure alert dogs as valuable companions and providing potentially life-saving aids for individuals with epilepsy.”

Medical researchers could also identify the specific volatile organic compounds that constitute the seizure odor, potentially leading to the development of electronic sensors or other technologies.

Dr. Ente now needs to recruit seven inpatients willing to take a cotton swab sweat and breath sample every 15 minutes while in the Cottage epilepsy monitoring unit.

Dr. Ente has previously been a Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Cedars Sinai Hospital. He has been affiliated with UCLA Neurology Group Practice. He conducts research on the brain and brain function. Dr. Ente’s medical career began in 1978 when he graduated from Faculty de Medicine Pierre Et Marie Curie in Paris, France. He completed a residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and then a fellowship in epilepsy at Jefferson Medical School in Philadelphia. He currently sees patients by referral only at Lompoc Health – North Third Center.