A complete record of every test performed to systematically exclude non-idiopathic causes — structural, metabolic, infectious, toxic, endocrine, genetic, and nutritional. Idiopathic epilepsy is a diagnosis of exclusion; this is the documentation that supports it.
Chronological record of all diagnostics performed. Each row documents what was tested, where, the result, and which seizure causes that test ruled out.
| Date | Test | Lab / Provider | Result | What it Ruled Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/15/25 | CBC + Chemistry (in-house) | Animal Hospital of West Chester · Catalyst One/ProCyte | All values within normal limits | Acute metabolic/organ dysfunction at presentation; uremic encephalopathy; hepatic encephalopathy; hypoglycemic seizure |
| 7/15/25 | Heavy Metal Panel | IDEXX → Michigan State University | All below toxic thresholds. Lead <1, Mercury <5, Arsenic 2, Cadmium <1, Thallium <1 ppb. Selenium 482 ppb (slightly elevated, dietary) | Lead poisoning; mercury, arsenic, cadmium, thallium toxicity; selenium toxicity |
| 7/17/25 | 4Dx Plus | IDEXX | Heartworm, Ehrlichia, Lyme, Anaplasma all negative | Heartworm disease; ehrlichiosis; Lyme disease; anaplasmosis; tick-borne CNS infection |
| 7/17/25 | Thyroid Panel 12 with Cholesterol | IDEXX | TT4 1.3, fT4 1.0 ng/dL, cTSH 0.15 normal; TT3 39 (low) | Primary hypothyroidism (low T3 attributed to non-thyroidal illness from seizures) |
| 7/22/25 | Thyroglobulin Autoantibody | IDEXX | 17% (negative) | Autoimmune thyroiditis |
| 7/24/25 | Cortisol (resting) | IDEXX | 9.9 µg/dL (elevated, peri-anesthesia) | Cushing's not seriously suspected; elevation attributed to anesthesia stress |
| 7/24/25 | MRI Brain | MedVet · Dr. Baron-Chapman, DACVR | No significant abnormalities. Incidental partial absence of septum pellucidum (anatomic variant); mild retropharyngeal LN heterogeneity (insignificant) | Brain tumor (primary or metastatic); meningioma; gliomas; hydrocephalus; congenital malformation; vascular event/stroke; granuloma; structural epileptogenic lesion |
| 7/24/25 | CSF Tap with Cytology | IDEXX · Dr. Fisher, DACVP | Nucleated cells 0/µL; no infectious agents; no neoplastic cells. Protein 89.3 mg/dL (elevated; ref 0–35) — open question | Active CNS inflammation (cellular); CNS infection (bacterial, fungal, protozoal); CNS lymphoma; meningitis (cellular). Not fully ruled out: MUE/GME, early or treated meningoencephalitis (due to elevated protein) |
| 9/26/25 | CBC + Chemistry | IDEXX | All WNL except BUN 29 (slightly high — likely dietary), K 3.4 (slightly low) | Ongoing organ dysfunction; persistent metabolic derangement |
| 9/26/25 | Aspergillus Galactomannan EIA | MiraVista Diagnostics | 0.18 (negative; positive ≥0.5) | Aspergillosis (CNS or systemic) |
| 9/30/25 | Histoplasma Urine Antigen | MiraVista Diagnostics | None detected (negative) | Histoplasmosis (CNS or disseminated) |
| 9/30/25 | Blastomyces Urine Antigen | MiraVista Diagnostics | None detected (negative) | Blastomycosis (CNS or disseminated) |
| 9/30/25 | Repeat Thyroid Panel | Michigan State University | TT4 20 nmol/L, fT4 16 pmol/L, TSH 0.33 normal; TT3 0.5 (low end); TgAA 6% negative | Hypothyroidism (confirmed sick-euthyroid pattern); autoimmune thyroiditis |
| 1/23/26 | Embark Genetic Panel (273 health variants) | Embark | Clear for LGI2 Juvenile Epilepsy, DIRAS1 Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, all other neurodegenerative variants tested. One copy ATP7B (copper toxicosis carrier — uncertain significance in GSD) | Juvenile Epilepsy (LGI2); Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (DIRAS1); Lagotto Storage Disease; Alaskan Husky Encephalopathy; Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures; Spinocerebellar Ataxia with Seizures (KCNJ10); GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses; Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses; L-2-Hydroxyglutaricaciduria; Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency; Episodic Falling Syndrome; Paroxysmal Dyskinesia; Degenerative Myelopathy |
| 2/23/26 | Total Health Profile (CBC + Chemistry) | IDEXX | ALT 49, ALP 23, AST 33, GGT 5 all normal; ionized Ca 1.27 normal; SDMA 9 normal; albumin/globulin/protein normal; bilirubin normal | Liver dysfunction (per enzymes; bile acids not done); kidney dysfunction; hypocalcemic/hypercalcemic seizure; hepatic encephalopathy (per enzymes only) |
| 2/23/26 | Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) | IDEXX | 608 ng/L (normal; ref 284–836) | B12 deficiency-related neurological dysfunction; cobalamin malabsorption; methylation deficiency from low B12 |
| 2/23/26 | Folate (Vitamin B9) | IDEXX | 9.8 µg/L (normal; ref 4.8–19.0) | Folate deficiency; methylation deficiency from low folate; small intestinal dysfunction (low folate pattern) |
| 2/23/26 | Trypsin-Like Immunoreactivity (TLI) | IDEXX | 19.7 µg/L (normal; ref 5.0–35.0) | Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency |
| 2/23/26 | Vitamin D (25-OH) | VDI Lab Services | 163 ng/mL (elevated; sufficient is 100–150) | Vitamin D deficiency (not a seizure cause here); flagged for diet review |
| 2/23/26 | Repeat Thyroid Panel + TgAA | Michigan State University | TT4 29 nmol/L, fT4 20, TSH 0.39, TgAA 7% all normal; TT3 1.0 (low end) | Hypothyroidism (sick-euthyroid pattern persistent and stable); autoimmune thyroiditis |
Comprehensive summary of seizure causes systematically excluded by the workup above. Idiopathic epilepsy remains the working diagnosis by exclusion.
Testing B12 and folate together is more informative than either alone. The pattern of "normal B12, normal folate" rules out cobalamin malabsorption (which would show as low B12, sometimes high folate from bacterial overgrowth), small intestinal disease, and the methylation cofactor deficiencies that can lower seizure threshold.
So while the test was framed as part of the GI workup, it also incidentally addresses several neurological-relevant deficiencies.