Background: Vestibular dysfunction is relatively common in dogs, with a prevalence of 0.08% reported in primary veterinary care in the UK. There are several studies investigating how to differentiate between peripheral and central vestibular disease but only limited information regarding the possible underlying causes for peripheral vestibular dysfunction in dogs. This study therefore aimed to describe the clinical signs, magnetic resonance imaging findings (MRI), underlying causes and outcome in a large population of dogs diagnosed with peripheral vestibular disease. Results: One hundred eighty-eight patients were included in the study with a median age of 6.9 years (range 3 months to 14.6 years). Neurological abnormalities included head tilt (n = 185), ataxia (n = 123), facial paralysis (n = 103), nystagmus (n = 97), positional strabismus (n = 93) and Horner syndrome (n = 7). The most prevalent diagnosis was idiopathic vestibular disease (n = 128), followed by otitis media and/or interna (n = 49), hypothyroidism (n = 7), suspected congenital vestibular disease (n = 2), neoplasia (n = 1) and cholesteatoma (n = 1). Long-term follow-up revealed persistence of head tilt (n = 50), facial paresis (n = 41) and ataxia (n = 6) in some cases. Recurrence of clinical signs was observed in 26 dogs. Increasing age was associated with a mild increased chance of diagnosis of idiopathic vestibular syndrome rather than otitis media and/or interna (P = 0.022, OR = 0.866; CI 0.765-0.980). History of previous vestibular episodes (P = 0.017, OR = 3.533; CI 1.251-9.981) was associated with an increased likelihood of resolution of the clinical signs whilst contrast enhancement of cranial nerves VII and/or VIII on MRI (P = 0.018, OR = 0.432; CI 0.251-0.868) was associated with a decreased chance of resolution of the clinical signs. Conclusions: Idiopathic vestibular disease is the most common cause of peripheral vestibular dysfunction in dogs and it is associated with advanced age. Incomplete recovery from peripheral vestibular disease is common, especially in dogs presenting with cranial nerve enhancement on MRI but less so if there is previous history of vestibular episodes.

Background Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) comprises a group of debilitating inflammatory diseases affecting the central nervous system of dogs. Currently, no validated clinical scale is available for the objective assessment of MUO severity. Objectives Design a neurodisability scale (NDS) to grade clinical severity and determine its reliability and whether or not the score at presentation correlates with outcome. Animals One hundred dogs with MUO were included for retrospective review and 31 dogs were subsequently enrolled for prospective evaluation. Methods Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for 100 dogs diagnosed with MUO to identify the most frequent neurological examination findings. The NDS was designed based on these results and evaluated for prospective and retrospective use in a new population of MUO patients (n = 31) by different groups of independent blinded assessors, including calculation of interobserver agreement and association with outcome. Results The most common clinical signs in MUO patients were used to inform categories for scoring in the NDS: seizure activity, ambulatory status, posture and cerebral, cerebellar, brainstem, and visual functions. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for prospective use of the NDS was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68‐0.91) indicating good agreement, and moderate agreement was found between prospective and retrospective assessors (ICC, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56‐0.83). No association was found between NDS score and long‐term outcome. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The NDS is a novel clinical measure for objective assessment of neurological dysfunction and showed good reliability when used prospectively in MUO patients but, in this small population, no association with outcome could be identified.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes in a population of dogs with negative-pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) and to identify the main causes of the disease. To evaluate any associations with morbidity and mortality.Design: Retrospective study.Setting: Three university teaching hospitals and two private referral centers.Animals: Thirty-five client-owned dogs presented with NPPE. Interventions: NoneMeasurements and Main Results: Data collected included patient characteristics, clinical history, clinicopathological abnormalities, radiographic features, treatments and outcome. Median age was 4 months (range 2-90) and median weight was 7.1 kg (range 1.7-37.2). There were many causes of NPPE including leash tugs, near hanging, accidental choking, anatomical obstruction to airflow and purposeful airway obstruction by people. The most common cause of NPPE was accidental choking (40% of cases). Dogs with an anatomical obstruction were older than 24 months. Hypoxemia with an increased alveolar-arterial gradient was common on presentation. The majority of thoracic radiographs (65.7%) showed an alveolar or interstitial pattern in the caudodorsal area as previously described in the literature. Oxygen therapy was administered to 33 (94.3%) dogs. Furosemide was administered to 18 (51.4%) dogs. Median length of hospitalization was 2 days (range 0-14). Twenty-eight (80%) dogs survived to discharge. Seven dogs were mechanically ventilated and only 2 of them (28.6%) 2 survived to discharge. Requirement for mechanical ventilation (p<0.001) was the only parameter associated with mortality.Conclusions: Most cases of NPPE occur in juvenile dogs. Different incidents associated with upper airway obstruction can produce an episode of NPPE.Choking on food or toys and near hanging have not been previously described in the veterinary literature as inciting causes of NPPE. The overall prognosis is good.

In dogs, vertebral canal stenosis at C2-C3 due to articular facet joint degeneration is only sporadically identified. The authors' aims were to review the clinical presentation, MRI characteristics, treatment and outcome of dogs presenting with this condition. Eleven cases were eligible for inclusion. Neurological examination revealed tetraparesis and proprioceptive ataxia in all 4 limbs in 3/11, proprioceptive tetra-ataxia only in 4/11, pelvic limb proprioceptive ataxia in 2/11 and no gait abnormalities in 2/11 dogs. Cervical hyperaesthesia was present in 7/11 dogs. MRI revealed bilateral articular facet joint degeneration in 10/11 cases and unilateral degeneration in one. Surgery was performed in six cases and medical management elected in five. Long-term follow-up information was available for 11 animals. Four of the surgical cases are alive and have no neurological deficits, one was euthanased for an unrelated condition and one lost to follow-up. Of the cases managed medically, three are alive showing no neurological deficits, one is alive still displaying neurological deficits and one euthanased for an unrelated condition whilst still ataxic. This study shows that both medical and surgical management can result in good outcomes in dogs with vertebral canal stenosis resulting from articular facet joint degeneration at the level of C2-C3.

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify complications associated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection in dogs.MethodsThis was a prospective, observational multicentre study using data collected from 102 dogs undergoing CSF collection for the investigation of neurological disease. CSF was collected from the cerebellomedullary cistern (CMC), lumbar subarachnoid space (LSAS) or both sites. Pre‐, intra‐ and postprocedural data were collected. Descriptive statistics were performed to outline complications associated with CSF collection.ResultsCSF sampling was attempted on 108 occasions, and CSF was acquired on 100 occasions (92.6%). Collection from the CMC was more likely to be successful than that from the LSAS. No dogs exhibited neurologic deterioration following CSF collection. There was no significant difference between pre‐ and post‐CSF collection short‐form Glasgow composite measure pain scores in ambulatory dogs (p = 0.13).LimitationsThe scarcity of complications limited the ability to quantify the incidence of some potential complications reported elsewhere.ConclusionsOur results may be used to inform clinicians and owners that CSF sampling is associated with a low frequency of complications when performed by trained personnel.