Thank you both for your comments and suggestions regarding this previous question. I totally agree with both of you that underlying medical causes such as an ear infection or something causing pain should definitely be ruled out before behavioral causes are pursued. In this particular case, the questioner mentioned that she had already been to her regular veterinarian as well as two specialists so I assumed in her case that she had already had a very thorough workup ruling out possible medical causes. Static electricity is a good suggestion and not one that we may normally think of, and it may contribute to sensitizing a dog to being pet on the head if it happened frequently. HERE IS THE PREVIOUS QUESTION AND ANSWER REFERRED TO IN THE TWO COMMENTS ABOVE: “ASK THE VET For the past few months my 8 year old Corgi reacts to someone or something reaching over her head. It is like something is going to strike her and she falls back on her rear legs. She shakes her head a lot. I have taken her to my vet, to an ophthalmologist and a neurologist, but they cannot see what is causing this. Sometimes she jerks while sleeping. Can you advise me where to take her or if you are familiar with this problem. Can you suggest any special tests. Thank you. ANSWER Well, it sounds like you have already had her thoroughly examined to make sure this is not a medical problem if you have been to not only your regular veterinarian, but also to two specialist. This may be a behavioral issue. There are many dogs which are “head-shy”, meaning they do not like people touching or petting their head. In the dog world this is a very dominant thing to do and can be intimidating. Dogs who have been abused in the past also frequently will balk when someone tries to touch or pet their head. The strange thing in your dog’s case is that this behavior has just developed in the last few months. You may want to try to remember back to a few months ago to see if something happened or changed in the environment that may have coincided with her new behavior. To try to get her to stop over-reacting, you can try desensitizing her to the motion of having someone pet her head. First, start by just reaching in the direction of her head slowly. Do not actually touch her and do not reach your hand all the way over her head – maybe just to the level of her nose. Try to do it calmly enough that she does not fall back on her rear legs. Every time that she reacts calmly without falling back, reward her appropriate response with affection or a small treat – but be sure you do not reward inappropriate behaviors. Repeat the process daily for a week before increasing the intensity. In the second stage, reach your hand over her head – again do not touch her head, and again reward only her positive responses and repeat the process daily for a week. In the next stage, actually touch her head – just once, and very lightly. In the final stage, pat her on the head like you would normally. If she still appears to be having a problem accepting your hand over her head or if she shows signs of aggression toward you, consult a behavior counselor or dog trainer to help you further.”  [less]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions regarding this previous question. I totally agree with both of you that underlying medical causes such as an ear infection or something causing pain should definitely be ruled out before behavioral causes are pursued. In this particular case, the questioner mentioned that she had already been to her regular veterinarian as well as two specialists so I assumed in her case that she had already had a very thorough workup ruling out possible medical causes. Static electricity is a good suggestion and not one that we may normally think of, and it may contribute to sensitizing a dog to being pet on the head if it happened frequently. HERE IS THE PREVIOUS QUESTION AND ANSWER REFERRED TO IN THE TWO COMMENTS ABOVE: “ASK THE VET For the past few months my 8 year old Corgi reacts to someone or something reaching over her head. It is like something is going to strike her and she falls back on her rear legs. She shakes her head a lot. I have taken her to my vet, to an ophthalmologist and a neurologist, but they cannot see what is causing this. Sometimes she jerks while sleeping. Can you advise me where to take her or if you are familiar with this problem. Can you suggest any special tests. Thank you. ANSWER Well, it sounds like you have already had her thoroughly examined to make sure this is not a medical problem if you have been to not only your regular veterinarian, but also to two specialist. This may be a behavioral issue. There are many dogs which are “head-shy”, meaning they do not like people touching or petting their head. In the dog world this is a very dominant thing to do and can be intimidating. Dogs who have been abused in the past also frequently will balk when someone tries to touch or pet their head. The strange thing in your dog’s case is that this behavior has just developed in the last few months. You may want to try to remember back to a few months ago to see if something happened or changed in the environment that may have coincided with her new behavior. To try to get her to stop over-reacting, you can try desensitizing her to the motion of having someone pet her head. First, start by just reaching in the direction of her head slowly. Do not actually touch her and do not reach your hand all the way over her head – maybe just to the level of her nose. Try to do it calmly enough that she does not fall back on her rear legs. Every time that she reacts calmly without falling back, reward her appropriate response with affection or a small treat – but be sure you do not reward inappropriate behaviors. Repeat the process daily for a week before increasing the intensity. In the second stage, reach your hand over her head – again do not touch her head, and again reward only her positive responses and repeat the process daily for a week. In the next stage, actually touch her head – just once, and very lightly. In the final stage, pat her on the head like you would normally. If she still appears to be having a problem accepting your hand over her head or if she shows signs of aggression toward you, consult a behavior counselor or dog trainer to help you further.”  [less]

Epilepsy usually requires lifelong anitconvulsant treatment to manage the symptoms so it is not surprising that the symptoms returned following discontinuation of the medication. However, a diagnosis of epilepsy can only be confirmed after all other causes for seizure activity have been ruled out. This usually requires a comprehensive battery of testing ultimately resulting in consultation with a veterinary neurologist specialist and an MRI of the brain. However, for people who do not have the financial capability for this level of testing, often treatment is started based on the most likely cause based on the clinical symptoms, the age of the dog and some routine tests, such as bloodwork, to rule out another underlying disease that can mimic epilepsy.  [less]