Risk Factors for Survival in a University Hospital Population of Dogs with Epilepsy

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough a common neurological disorder in dogs, long‐term outcome of epilepsy is sparsely documented.ObjectivesTo investigate risk factors for survival and duration of survival in a population of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy or epilepsy associated with a known intracranial cause.AnimalsOne hundred and two client owned dogs; 78 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and 24 dogs with epilepsy associated with a known intracranial cause.MethodsA retrospective hospital based study with follow‐up. Dogs diagnosed with epilepsy between 2002 and 2008 were enrolled in the study. Owners were interviewed by telephone using a structured questionnaire addressing epilepsy status, treatment, death/alive, and cause of death.ResultsMedian life span was 7.6 years, 9.2 years, and 5.8 years for all dogs, and dogs with idiopathic epilepsy or dogs with epilepsy associated with a known intracranial cause (P < .001), respectively. Survival time for dogs with idiopathic epilepsy was significantly (P = .0030) decreased for dogs euthanized because of epilepsy (median: 35 months) compared to dogs euthanized for other reasons (median: 67.5 months). Neutered male dogs with idiopathic epilepsy had a significant (P = .031) shorter survival (median: 38.5 months) after index seizure compared to intact male dogs (median: 71 months). Treatment with two antiepileptic drugs (AED′s) did not negatively influence survival (P = .056).Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceDogs with idiopathic epilepsy can in many cases expect a life span close to what is reported for dogs in general. In dogs where mono‐therapy is not sufficient, the need for treatment with two AED′s is not linked to a poor prognosis.

Quality‐of‐life aspects in idiopathic epilepsy in dogs

“…It appears that the frequency but not their temporal density was important to carer-perceived QoL of their dog. It would appear reasonable to assume that cluster seizures and status epilepticus impact on the perceived dog's QoL, given that the occurrence of cluster seizures and status epilepticus increased the risk of epilepsy-related euthanasia in previous studies (Saito and others 2001, Monteiro and others 2012, Fredsø and others 2014). This might be related to the fact that the QoL scores are a reflection of the carer's perception of their dog's QoL as a proxy of the dog's actual QoL.…”

Risk factors for cluster seizures in canine idiopathic epilepsy

“…Cluster seizures (CS), defined as two or more epileptic seizures within a 24-hour period in which the patient regains consciousness between epileptic seizures (Patterson, 2014;Thomas, 2010) are a common and distressing occurrence in many dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), with reports of 38% to 77% of dogs with epilepsy experiencing CS (Fredso et al, 2014;Monteiro et al, 2012;Short et al, 2011). The temporal distribution of epileptic seizures is an important prognostic factor in IE, with dogs experiencing CS less likely to achieve remission (Packer et al, 2014), experiencing a decreased survival time (Arrol et al, 2012;Berendt et al, 2007;Monteiro et al, 2012;Saito et al, 2001) and an increased likelihood of euthanasia (Fredso et al, 2014) compared to dogs with single epileptic seizure episodes.…”

“…The temporal distribution of epileptic seizures is an important prognostic factor in IE, with dogs experiencing CS less likely to achieve remission (Packer et al, 2014), experiencing a decreased survival time (Arrol et al, 2012;Berendt et al, 2007;Monteiro et al, 2012;Saito et al, 2001) and an increased likelihood of euthanasia (Fredso et al, 2014) compared to dogs with single epileptic seizure episodes.…”

Retrospective epidemiological study of canine epilepsy in Japan using the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force classification 2015 (2003–2013): etiological distribution, risk factors, survival time, and lifespan

“…Previous studies of lifespan in dogs with epilepsy have been reported using different (conventional) classifications. A recent study reported median lifespan to be 9.2, 5.8, and 7.6 years for dogs with IdE, StE, and epilepsy from all causes, respectively [12], with premature death due to epilepsy-related causes. Moreover, some studies have focused on CS [13, 14] and/or SE [15], and reported that dogs with frequent CS may be associated with euthanasia [13], while dogs with SE may have a short survival time [15].…”