Update (June 19, 2026): Antiseizure Drugs Increase Food Motivation and Adiposity in Dogs - Large Questionnaire Study

TL;DR

A large questionnaire study found dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving antiseizure drugs had significantly higher food motivation and greater adiposity than healthy dogs, despite owners reporting more effort to restrict food, identifying weight gain as a manageable but under-appreciated treatment effect.

What just dropped

• Using a validated obesity-risk questionnaire, investigators compared food motivation in 222 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and 7,086 healthy dogs (Morros-Nuevo 2024, https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC11639269).
• Dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving antiseizure drugs had significantly higher food motivation than healthy dogs.
• Their caregivers reported significantly greater interventional effort and food restriction, yet the dogs still had significantly higher adiposity.
• Within the epileptic group, antiseizure-drug use had the largest modeled impact on food motivation, with an effect size of 32%; the authors concluded that antiseizure drugs increase food motivation, resulting in greater adiposity.

Context

Increased appetite and weight gain are long-recognized clinical observations with antiseizure therapy, but this study quantifies the behavioral driver in a large population. The sample size did not allow the team to separate the effect of individual drugs, and the data were caregiver-reported, so the finding describes a class-level association. It complements comparative outcome work showing that, although owners report a favorable quality of life on monotherapy, the adverse-effect burden differs by drug and is part of the trade-off discussion at treatment initiation (Gristina 2023, https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/7/javma.22.10.0469.xml).

What this changes in epilepsy counseling

Our potassium bromide and canine epilepsy review (https://www.thevoyage.ai/forvets/knowledge/potassium-bromide-dogs-idiopathic-epilepsy) covers the chronic management of antiseizure therapy. This study supports proactive weight and body-condition counseling at the start of treatment: owners should be told that heightened food-seeking is a drug effect, not simply a behavior problem, and that structured feeding and monitoring may be needed even when seizures are well controlled. It reframes weight gain as an expected, addressable consequence of therapy rather than an incidental finding.

References

1. Morros-Nuevo A, Packer RMA, Regan N, Raffan E. 2024. Caregiver-reported increased food motivation and adiposity in dogs receiving antiseizure drugs. Vet Rec 195(12):e4907. https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC11639269
2. Gristina BR, Waldron RJ, Nettifee JA, Munana KR. 2023. Comparison of caregivers' assessments of clinical outcome in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy administered levetiracetam, zonisamide, or phenobarbital monotherapy. J Am Vet Med Assoc 261(7):1020-1027. https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/7/javma.22.10.0469.xml

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Related reads

• Potassium Bromide (KBroVet) for Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy: FDA Full Approval and Clinical Evidence
• Zonisamide for Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy: Efficacy, Tolerability, and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring