MCT - Pre-StudyQ: Investigating the effects of dietary supplements on canine epilepsy |
Introduction
What is this survey about?
Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder in first opinion practice for domestic dogs. Diet is increasingly recognised as having an impact upon the seizure activity and behaviour of dogs with epilepsy. We are interested in the effects of oil dietary supplements on your dog’s epilepsy.
Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder in first opinion practice for domestic dogs. Diet is increasingly recognised as having an impact upon the seizure activity and behaviour of dogs with epilepsy. We are interested in the effects of oil dietary supplements on your dog’s epilepsy.
This survey will explore your dog's eligibility to enrol into our 6 month clinical trial investigating the effects of medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil supplementation on canine epilepsy. Our decision about your dog will depend on current health status, clinical history and daily diet.
Why get involved?
Medical advances in prevention, detection and treatment of diseases in veterinary and human medicine depend on clinical trials. Clinical trials are essential to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Our study is looking at the effects of a daily oil supplement added to your dog's usual diet on their seizure activity and behaviour.
What we would like from you as part of the trial
What we would like from you as part of the trial
1. A complete clinical history of your dog’s epilepsy.
2. Willingness to give your dog a small amount of oil twice daily and keep a seizure diary.
3. Willingness for your dog to undergo several non-invasive behavioural tests to measure their side effects.
4. You are able to make three appointments at the Queens Mother Hospital at the RVC in Hertfordshire at day 1, then 3 and 6 months later.
What do I get out of it?
1. A free veterinary check up with clinical and neurological examination at each appointment
2. Free clinical tests at each appointment including haematology, biochemistry, and serum AED levels
3. A refund of £25 x 3 to cover the costs of your drive to each appointment
2. Willingness to give your dog a small amount of oil twice daily and keep a seizure diary.
3. Willingness for your dog to undergo several non-invasive behavioural tests to measure their side effects.
4. You are able to make three appointments at the Queens Mother Hospital at the RVC in Hertfordshire at day 1, then 3 and 6 months later.
What do I get out of it?
1. A free veterinary check up with clinical and neurological examination at each appointment
2. Free clinical tests at each appointment including haematology, biochemistry, and serum AED levels
3. A refund of £25 x 3 to cover the costs of your drive to each appointment
We are interested in the recruitment of dogs diagnosed with epilepsy. We invite owners of dogs with epilepsy aged over 6 months, of all breeds and cross-breeds to complete this survey.
N.B. If you are selected for enrolment in the study we will contact you after completion of this survey using the contact details provided. If you are not selected we will contact you to let you know why your dog was not eligible, or if they are eligible and have been added to a waiting list.
We would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire, which is estimated to take 20 minutes. We very much appreciate your help in this study. If you have any queries regarding the questions asked or details of the trial, please contact Dr Benjamin-Andreas Berk (bberk@rvc.ac.uk).
This study is supported by the American Kennel Club.
Data Protection and Consent
The data collected in this questionnaire will be collated and stored at the Royal Veterinary College in London (RVC). Your completion of the questionnaire indicates your consent to participate in this study. We would appreciate it, if you could give your contact details at the end of this survey, so that we can inform you about our result.
Your data will be anonymised as appropriate, and your contact details will be used only to contact you, if we need clarification of the answers to any questions forming part of this questionnaire or inform you about our decision.
Your personal information will be held and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and will not be disclosed to any unauthorized person or body.