Clinical characteristics of epilepsy of unknown origin in the Rottweiler breed

Abstract

BackgroundEpilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions in dogs. Despite that epilepsy appears to be common in the Rottweiler breed, published literature about the phenotype of epilepsy in this breed is lacking. The aim of this questionnaire-based study was to describe the clinical characteristics of epilepsy in the Rottweiler breed including; signalment, pedigree, housing conditions and information about the seizures such as age at onset, seizure type, duration, and progression, as well as number of seizure days (24 h), effect and side effects of anti-epileptic drugs, and potential comorbidities. The diagnosis for epilepsy of unknown origin was based on the following inclusion criteria: ≥2 seizure days, starting between 6 months and 7 years of age, no known history of poisoning or serious head trauma, and (when available), pre-study routine serum biochemical parameters were within the reference intervals.ResultsA total of 37 cases (23 females and 14 males) were included in the study. The median age at onset of seizures was 36 months (range 8–84 months). The dogs suffered from generalized tonic–clonic seizures, and more than 50 % of the dogs had experienced cluster seizures (>1 seizure in 24 h). The dogs commonly started to seizure while resting (23/36) and/or sleeping (20/36). Only 3 of the 36 dogs experienced seizures during activities such as walking or training. All of the 24/37 (64.9 %) dogs on antiepileptic drugs received phenobarbital. Five dogs needed add-on treatment (n = 5), and of these: one dog was on 3 drugs (phenobarbital, potassium bromid and levetiracetam) (n = 1), three dogs were on phenobarbital and potassium bromide (n = 3), and one dog received phenobarbital and imepitoin (n = 1). Seizure frequency did not necessarily improve following antiepileptic treatment, and for six of 21 (28.6 %) of the dogs, seizure frequency increased. All of the Rottweilers in this study had relatives with epilepsy reported.ConclusionsThe Rottweilers suffering from epilepsy in this study presented with generalized tonic–clonic seizures, and their response to antiepileptic treatment was variable. More than 50 % of the dogs had experienced cluster seizures (>1 seizure in 24 h).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-015-0168-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Quality of life in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and their owners with an emphasis on breed—A pilot study

“…Up to 50% of all young male BCs are euthanized before the age of two as they do not respond to the ASM's ( 30 , 31 ). Similar observations have been noted for Australian Shepherds ( 32 ), Italian Spinone ( 33 ), and Rottweiler ( 34 ). When there is a breed specific response to ASM's, there is usually also a breed specific QoL score for both dog and owner.…”

Clinical characteristics of Idiopathic Epilepsy in Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs in Switzerland

“…Dies ist ähnlich wie bei den Italienischen Spinoni (3,2 Jahre) 10 , Belgischen Schäferhunden (3,3 Jahre) 4 , Dalmatinern (3,2 Jahre) , Englischen Springer Spaniel (3 Jahre) 30 , Ungarische Viszlas (3 Jahre) 31 und Rottweilern (3 Jahre). 15 Im Vergleich dazu ist der Zeitpunkt des ersten Anfalls bei den Rassen Berner Sennenhund mit 2,2 Jahren 23 und Border Collie mit 2,37 Jahren 19 deutlich früher.…”

“…Minimierung von auslösenden Faktoren kann unter Umständen ebenfalls helfen die Anfälle zu kontrollieren. 12 Clusteranfälle treten beim GSSH (50%) seltener als beim Rottweiler (54%), 15 Italienischen Spinone (73%), 10 Border Collie (94%), 19 aber häufiger als beim Australian Sheperd (48%) 36 und bei der Französischen Bulldoggen (25%) 8 auf. Status epilepticus (41,6%) konnte ebenfalls im Vergleich zum Border Collie (53%), 19 der Französischen Bulldogge (62,5%) 8 und Australian Sheperd (60%) 36 seltener beobachtet werden, häufiger jedoch als beim Italienischen Spinone (21%).…”

Neuronal current imaging: An experimental method to investigate electrical currents in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

“…The diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in dogs is based on exclusion of other potential causes of seizures. Although in the majority of humans, structural inborn errors of brain maturation, insults during brain maturation, or acquired cerebral lesions are responsible for epileptic disorders, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has identified structural abnormalities only in 2.2% of dogs <6 years of age with seizures 1‐5 . Unfortunately, less than one‐third of seizuring dogs show abnormalities during short time scalp electroencephalography (EEG) recording 6‐9 .…”

“…Although in the majority of humans, structural inborn errors of brain maturation, insults during brain maturation, or acquired cerebral lesions are responsible for epileptic disorders, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has identified structural abnormalities only in 2.2% of dogs <6 years of age with seizures. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 Unfortunately, less than one‐third of seizuring dogs show abnormalities during short time scalp electroencephalography (EEG) recording. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 These negative findings hamper appropriate syndromal classification, and the differentiation of movement disorders is sometimes challenging.…”