Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Seizure occurrence in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK: prevalence and risk factors.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Erlen, Alexander et al.
- Affiliation:
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the occurrence of seizures in dogs receiving primary veterinary care in the UK, analyzing records from over 455,000 dogs. It found that about 0.82% of dogs had at least one seizure in a year. Certain breeds, like Pugs, were more likely to have seizures compared to Labrador Retrievers, and male dogs had a higher risk than females. Additionally, younger dogs (between 3 and 6 years old) and heavier dogs (over 40 kg) were also found to be at greater risk. This information can help veterinarians better understand and diagnose dogs that may be experiencing seizures.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary-care veterinary clinical records can offer data to determine generalizable epidemiological data on seizures occurrence in the dog population. OBJECTIVES: To identify and examine epidemiologic characteristics of seizure occurrence in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK participating in the VetCompass™ Programme. ANIMALS: 455,553 dogs in VetCompass™'. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis estimated the 1-year period prevalence and risk factors for dogs with seizures during 2013. RESULTS: The overall 1-year period prevalence for dogs having at least one seizure during 2013 was 0.82% (95% CI 0.79-0.84). Multivariable modelling identified breeds with elevated odd ratios [OR] compared with the Labrador Retriever (e.g. Pug OR: 3.41 95% CI 2.71-4.28, P < 0.001). Males had higher risk for seizures (Male/Entire OR: 1.47 95% CI 1.30-1.66; Male/Neutered OR: 1.34 95% CI 1.19-1.51) compared to entire females. Age (3.00 - ≤ 6.00 OR: 2.13 95% CI 1.90-2.39, P < 0.001, compared to animals aged 0.50-≤ 3.00 years), and bodyweight (≥ 40.00kg, OR: 1.24 95% CI 1.08-1.41, P = 0.002, compared to animals weighing < 10.0 kg) were identified as risk factors for seizures. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Seizures are a relatively common clinical finding in dogs. The results for breed, age, sex and bodyweight as risk factors can assist veterinarians in refining differential diagnosis lists for dogs reported with behaviors that may have been seizures. In addition, the prevalence values reported here can support pharmacovigilance with baseline data from the overall population.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30216557/