Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Epilepsy in dogs five years of age and older: 99 cases (2006-2011).
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Ghormley, Tara M et al.
- Affiliation:
- VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at 99 dogs aged five years and older who were diagnosed with epilepsy, which is a condition that causes seizures. The researchers wanted to understand the causes of epilepsy in these dogs and whether certain abnormal findings during a neurological exam could help predict if their epilepsy was due to another underlying issue, like a brain tumor. They found that a significant number of dogs had primary epilepsy, meaning it wasn't caused by another disease. The study also showed that just because a dog has a normal neurological exam doesn't mean there aren't serious problems in the brain, so they recommend using MRI scans and other tests for any dog starting to have seizures at this age. Overall, the findings suggest that many older dogs with seizures have primary epilepsy, but further testing is important to rule out other causes.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To classify the etiology of epilepsy and evaluate use of abnormal neurologic examination findings to predict secondary epilepsy in dogs ≥ 5 years of age. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 99 dogs with epilepsy. PROCEDURES: Medical records were reviewed to identify client-owned dogs evaluated for seizures at ≥ 5 years of age with a diagnosis of primary or secondary epilepsy. Dogs were stratified by age; prevalence of primary and secondary epilepsy and the proportion of dogs with secondary epilepsy that had a diagnosis of neoplasia (on the basis of MRI findings) versus other disease were evaluated. Sensitivity and specificity of abnormal neurologic findings to detect secondary epilepsy were determined. RESULTS: 7 of 30 (23%) dogs 5 to 7 years of age, 13 of 29 (45%) dogs 8 to 10 years of age, 13 of 33 (39%) dogs 11 to 13 years of age, and 2 of 7 dogs ≥ 14 years of age had primary epilepsy. Prevalence of primary vs secondary epilepsy did not differ among age groups. The proportion of dogs with neoplasia at 5 to 7 years of age was lower than that of dogs in other age groups. Abnormal neurologic examination results had 74% sensitivity and 62% specificity to predict secondary epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A substantial proportion of dogs ≥ 5 years of age had primary epilepsy. Results indicated that lack of abnormalities on neurologic examination does not exclude the possibility of intracranial lesions, and MRI with CSF analysis (when applicable) should be recommended for all dogs with onset of seizures at ≥ 5 years of age.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25632819/