I have to be upfront: this is a deeply challenging and sensitive topic to write about, because it touches on both medical science and the Holy Scriptures (the Bible).
I understand people hold vastly different beliefs. However, if you are someone who fundamentally rejects the existence of God, Jesus Christ, or demons, and your sole intent in visiting this page is to leave a mocking or offensive comment – please, don’t!
Comments of that nature serve no constructive purpose and I will block such users without hesitation!
If you a member of another faith and find this subject intriguing, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Let’s begin to unpack this hidden reality …
Can Demons Possess Animals?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any medical explanation regarding the connection between demons and animals (a case study is an “impossible mission” at this point). Why? All attention is focused on human demonic possession.
Modern medicine attributes alleged possession cases to neurological or psychological conditions.
I came across an interesting Freud’s interpretation that states the following: “Cases of demoniacal possession correspond to the neurosis of the present day …. What are thought to be evil spirits to us are evil wishes, the derivatives of impulses which have been rejected and repressed…. We have abandoned the projection of them into the outer world, attributing their origin instead to the inner life of the patient in whom they manifest themselves.” [1]
While researching this topic, I encountered claims on the Paranormal Academy’s website stating that animals can indeed become possessed (just like humans).
They reference documented cases involving cats, dogs, and other creatures allegedly overtaken by evil spirits, often linked to occult rituals using animals like chickens or goats.
According to them, this phenomenon is tied to black magic. [2]
What the Gerasene Swine Tells Us About Possessed Animals?
The Bible does provide an answer to this question, and there is one specific event that clearly demonstrates demons can possess animals. This occurs in the Gospels (Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39, Matthew 8:28–34), where Jesus encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons.
When he had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. “If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”
“Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. [Matthew 8:28–34]
God forbade His people from eating the meat of an animal torn apart by predators (that meat must be given to the dogs).
You must not eat the meat of a mauled animal found in the field; throw it to the dogs. [Exodus 22:31]
The logical conclusion is that demons exist and can possess a dog(s).
In the end, I would like to emphasize that it is not good to have the Lord as an enemy, to attack His people or an individual who is according to His will.
Above all, I mean those who believe in the Lord and His son Jesus Christ, and confirm it by their deeds.
Samuel told Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the Lord. This is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘I witnessed[a] what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them along the way as they were coming out of Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.'” [ 1 Samuel 15:1-3]
Can a Dog Have an Epileptic Seizure?
Yes, epilepsy is possible in dogs, and science has proven this to be true. It is a brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures without a known cause or abnormal brain lesion (brain injury or disease). [3]
There are two main groups:
- The first is idiopathic epilepsy, sometimes referred to as primary epilepsy, which occurs without any detectable underlying cause and is generally believed to have genetic origins.
- The second type is symptomatic epilepsy, characterized by identifiable physical abnormalities in the brain such as hydrocephalus, tumors, strokes, or meningitis, or alternatively caused by metabolic issues including liver/kidney disorders or toxin exposure. [4]
I will not delve into details, such as symptoms and treatment, because I am not qualified to write about it. I deeply value scientific achievements because here only evidence and facts matter!
It has been established that this is an illness similar to what occurs in humans. When we talk about dogs, it can probably be controlled with medication or even completely cured – I truly don’t know about that.
However, it is clearly stated that this has nothing to do with demons but is an illness.
What Does the Bible Say?
As far as I know, nowhere in the Bible will you find a verse that directly links epilepsy – dogs – demons. We need to take it step by step.
When someone mentions “epilepsy” in relation to people, my first association is foaming at the mouth and convulsions. The very thought of it seems frightening.
The Bible clearly states that humans have authority over animals!
Then God said, “Let us make man[e] in[f] our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl[g] on the earth.” [Genesis 1-28]
You made him little less than God[d][e] and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. [Psalm 8:6-8]
Demon possession
Now, we will see how Jesus Christ cast out demons from a man – but what’s far more important for our topic are the symptoms of spiritual sickness in that moment.
Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” [Mark 9:17-18]
When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before him. “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures[f] and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” [Matthew 17:14-16]
The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he’s my only child. A spirit seizes him; suddenly he shrieks, and it throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; severely bruising him, it scarcely ever leaves him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t. [Luke 9:37-40]
Is there a similarity between epileptic seizures and demonic possession? I’ll let you decide for yourself …
Experiment
In the end, we come to the real question – is the dog owner the cause of all problems? I don’t want to judge anyone because we’re all imperfect beings, but our life habits and wrong choices can make our pets suffer. When we talk about epilepsy in dogs, I suggest this experiment:
Temporary Placement: Give the dog to a family for a set period – 15 days, 3 months, or 6 months. The ideal candidate would be someone who:
- Lives according to what’s written in Scripture;
- Understands theology well.
Group Gathering: Bring together multiple dog owners whose dogs have epilepsy in one place. Set these conditions for the trial period:
- No internet use;
- No sexual relations/masturbation/watching pornography;
- No using drugs or intoxicants;
- No contact with the outside world.
The most important rule: During the entire experiment, the dog must not receive any epilepsy medication!
I believe the results would be surprising, in the sense that epilepsy’s true cause may actually be lifestyle habits and the poor choices of pet owners or certain family members living under the same roof.
Author’s Note: The experiment proposed in this section is based on spiritual truths and a theological understanding of the connection between humans and animals. While these insights are rooted in Scripture and long-term study, I am not a veterinarian. This is an experimental proposal intended to explore the spiritual roots of behavior and health; it should not be taken as a clinical recommendation to stop prescribed treatments. Owners should always consult a licensed veterinarian for medical care!
Real Cause of the Disease?
Science has provided answers to many questions – identifying potential causes, symptoms, and treatments for countless diseases.
Yet, when it comes to conditions like hip dysplasia in dogs, even modern medicine struggles to pinpoint an exact cause. Like epilepsy in canines, it’s often attributed to genetics, but ask a scientist, “Which gene(s) are responsible?” and you’ll rarely get a clear answer.
But Scripture reveals what science cannot. The Bible clearly states who sends every disease and that man’s body is God’s temple.
Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? [1 Corinthians 6:19]
The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” [Exodus 4:11]
The Lord will make pestilence cling to you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought,[d] blight, and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. [Deuteronomy 28:21-22]
The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured. The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion. [Deuteronomy 28:27-28]
The Lord will afflict you with painful and incurable boils on your knees and thighs—from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. [Deuteronomy 28:35]
But he gave a double[b] portion to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving. Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving. [1 Samuel 1:5-6]
I will strike them with a plague and destroy them. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are. [Numbers 14:12]
This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of King Asa of Judah but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you, the Lord is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction. You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your intestines come out day after day because of the disease.” [2 Chronicles 21:12-15]
Conclusion
If you still don’t believe that demons don’t exist or the possibility that animals can be possessed by them that’s okay.
However, we all have a conscience, an inner mechanism that clearly distinguishes good from evil!
By consistently making the wrong choices, through a series of bad decisions, we increase the risk that the ultimate price (the consequence of sin) will be paid by our pets in the form of severe illness. Like it or not, there is a connection between the dog and its owner.
Look at the negative characters in movies – the ones who own dogs. Are they ever portrayed with calm, gentle pets? No. They almost always have aggressive dogs with menacing stares!
I’ll end this article with a well-known saying: “There are no bad dogs, only bad owners.”
Sources:
- HISTORICAL, RELIGIOUS, AND MEDICAL PERSPECTIVES OF POSSESSION PHENOMENON – more information
Can my pet become possessed? – more information
Epilepsy in Dogs – more infomration
- Canine Epilepsy: Demystifying The Myths – more information
