Ranno Viitmaa

Abstract Background:Idiopathic childhood epilepsies with benign outcomes are well recognized in human medicine, but are not reported in veterinary literature. We recognized such a neurologic syndrome in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. Animals: Twenty-five Lagotto Romagnolo puppies from 9 different litters examined because of simple or complex focal seizures and 3 adult Lagotto Romagnolo dogs exhibiting similar clinical signs were used. Methods: Clinical and diagnostic evaluations of affected dogs were conducted, including electromyography, electroencephalography, and other testing. Results: Seizures in puppies began at 5 to 9 weeks of age and usually resolved spontaneously by 8 to 13 weeks. Those with the most severe seizures also had signs of neurologic disease between these seizures, including generalized ataxia and hypermetria. There were no abnormalities in routine laboratory screenings of blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Electromyography, brainstem auditory-evoked potentials, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no specific and consistent abnormalities. Fourteen of 16 (87.5%) affected puppies and 2 of 3 (67%) adult dogs revealed epileptiform activity in the electroencephalogram. Histopathologic examination in 1 puppy and 1 adult dog revealed lesions of Purkinje cell inclusions and vacuolation of their axons restricted to the cerebellum. Pedigree analysis suggests an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: This disorder, with simple or complex focal seizures and cerebellar lesions, represents a newly recognized epileptic syndrome in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic childhood epilepsies with benign outcomes are well recognized in human medicine, but are not reported in veterinary literature. We recognized such a neurologic syndrome in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs. ANIMALS: Twenty-five Lagotto Romagnolo puppies from 9 different litters examined because of simple or complex focal seizures and 3 adult Lagotto Romagnolo dogs exhibiting similar clinical signs were used. METHODS: Clinical and diagnostic evaluations of affected dogs were conducted, including electromyography, electroencephalography, and other testing. RESULTS: Seizures in puppies began at 5 to 9 weeks of age and usually resolved spontaneously by 8 to 13 weeks. Those with the most severe seizures also had signs of neurologic disease between these seizures, including generalized ataxia and hypermetria. There were no abnormalities in routine laboratory screenings of blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Electromyography, brainstem auditory-evoked potentials, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed no specific and consistent abnormalities. Fourteen of 16 (87.5%) affected puppies and 2 of 3 (67%) adult dogs revealed epileptiform activity in the electroencephalogram. Histopathologic examination in 1 puppy and 1 adult dog revealed lesions of Purkinje cell inclusions and vacuolation of their axons restricted to the cerebellum. Pedigree analysis suggests an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This disorder, with simple or complex focal seizures and cerebellar lesions, represents a newly recognized epileptic syndrome in dogs.

Background: Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) parameters of healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy have not been determined. Objective: To determine if EEG can provide specific characteristics to distinguish between healthy dogs and dogs with epilepsy. Animals: Sixteen healthy and 15 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy. Methods: A prospective clinical EEG study performed under medetomidine sedation. Blinded visual and quantitative EEG analyses were performed and results were compared between study groups. Results: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep and sleep spindles were a frequent finding in a majority of animals from both groups. The EEG analysis detected epileptiform activity in 3 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy and in 1 healthy Finnish Spitz dog. Epileptiform activity was characterized by spikes, polyspikes, and spike slow wave complexes in posterior-occipital derivation in dogs with epilepsy and with midline spikes in control dog. The healthy dogs showed significantly less theta and beta activity than did the dogs with epilepsy (P < .01), but the only significant difference between healthy dogs and dogs with untreated epilepsy was in the alpha band (P < .001). Phenobarbital treatment increased alpha, beta (P < .001), and theta (P < .01), and decreased delta (P < .001) frequency bands compared with dogs with untreated epilepsy. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep could be easily misinterpreted as epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity in Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy seems to originate from a posterior-occipital location. The EEG of dogs with epilepsy exhibited a significant difference in background frequency bands compared with the control dogs. Phenobarbital treatment markedly influenced all background activity bands. Quantitative EEG analysis, in addition to visual analysis, seems to be a useful tool in the examination of patients with epilepsy.

Abstract Background: Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) parameters of healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy have not been determined. Objective: To determine if EEG can provide specific characteristics to distinguish between healthy dogs and dogs with epilepsy. Animals: Sixteen healthy and 15 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy. Methods: A prospective clinical EEG study performed under medetomidine sedation. Blinded visual and quantitative EEG analyses were performed and results were compared between study groups. Results: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep and sleep spindles were a frequent finding in a majority of animals from both groups. The EEG analysis detected epileptiform activity in 3 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy and in 1 healthy Finnish Spitz dog. Epileptiform activity was characterized by spikes, polyspikes, and spike slow wave complexes in posterior-occipital derivation in dogs with epilepsy and with midline spikes in control dog. The healthy dogs showed significantly less theta and beta activity than did the dogs with epilepsy (P &amp;lt; .01), but the only significant difference between healthy dogs and dogs with untreated epilepsy was in the alpha band (P &amp;lt; .001). Phenobarbital treatment increased alpha, beta (P &amp;lt; .001), and theta (P &amp;lt; .01), and decreased delta (P &amp;lt; .001) frequency bands compared with dogs with untreated epilepsy. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Benign epileptiform transients of sleep could be easily misinterpreted as epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity in Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy seems to originate from a posterior-occipital location. The EEG of dogs with epilepsy exhibited a significant difference in background frequency bands compared with the control dogs. Phenobarbital treatment markedly influenced all background activity bands. Quantitative EEG analysis, in addition to visual analysis, seems to be a useful tool in the examination of patients with epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: An association between the occurrence of calcified discs, visible on radiographic examination (CDVR), and disc extrusions has been suggested in published literature over the past 10-20 years, mainly from Nordic countries. It has also been postulated that dogs without CDVR would not develop disc extrusions. Furthermore, inheritance of CDVR has been calculated and it has been postulated that, by selecting dogs for breeding with few, or no CDVR, the prevalence of disc extrusions in the Dachshund population may be reduced. METHODS: The prevalence of radiographic detectable intervertebral disc calcifications was calculated from one hundred surgeries for disc extrusion, performed in 95 Dachshunds, in order to determine if the disc causing clinically significant IVDD, had radiographic signs of calcification at the time of confirmed disc extrusion. Inclusion criteria, for each dog, included a complete physical, orthopedic and neurologic examination, radiographs of the entire vertebral column, a myelogram or magnetic resonance imaging examination indicating extradural spinal cord compression, and finally a surgical procedure confirming the diagnosis of a disc extrusion. In addition to descriptive statistics, age correlation with number of calcifications visible at radiographic examination and with CDVR at the surgery site was examined. RESULTS: We found that disc extrusions occur as frequently in discs that are found to have radiographic evidence of calcification as those discs that do not have signs of radiographic calcification, and that IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) requiring surgery does occur in the absence of any calcified discs on radiographic examination. We found that calcified discs were more frequent in our Dachshund population compared to previous studies suggesting that disc calcification might be a serious risk factor for developing disc extrusion. Further studies are needed to show, conclusively, if selection of breeding dogs based on CDVR in the Dachshund will reduce the incidence of IVDD. The presence of the calcifications of intervertebral disc should be evaluated with caution, as only part of the calcifications will be detected and the real extent of the disc degeneration may be underestimated.