Disease Progression and Treatment Response of Idiopathic Epilepsy inAustralianShepherd Dogs

Abstract

Background: Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in Australian Shepherds (ASs) occurs worldwide but there is a lack of description of the epilepsy syndrome in this breed. The ABCB1-1D mutation is more prevalent in ASs than in many other dog breeds.Hypothesis: Australian Shepherds suffer from a poorly controlled IE syndrome with prevailing severe courses. Seizure control and ABCB1-1D mutation might be related in this breed.Animals: Fifty ASs diagnosed with IE and 50 unaffected ASs. Methods: Predominant study design is a longitudinal cohort study. Pedigrees, medical records, seizure, and treatment data of ASs with IE were analyzed descriptively. Sex, color, and the ABCB1-1D genotype were compared between case and control groups and ASs with poorly or well-controlled seizures. Differences in survival times were assessed by logrank tests and Cox regression analysis.Results: Idiopathic epilepsy in ASs is dominated by moderate and severe clinical courses with the occurrence of cluster seizures and status epilepticus and a high seizure frequency. Poor seizure control and a high initial seizure frequency ( ! 10 seizure days/first 6 months) are associated with shorter survival times (P < .05). Poor seizure control, unrelated to the ABCB1(MDR1) genotype, is evident in 56% of epileptic ASs. Pedigree analysis suggests a genetic basis.Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Frequent severe clinical courses, poor seizure control unrelated to the ABCB1 (MDR1) genotype, and a young age at death compromise animal welfare and warrant further genetic studies to unravel the underlaying molecular mechanisms of IE and seizure control in the breed.

Risk factors for cluster seizures in canine idiopathic epilepsy

“…Several breeds are reportedly predisposed to CS, with single-breed studies of the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd finding 94% and 68% of these breeds, respectively, had a history of CS (Hülsmeyer et al, 2010;Weissl et al, 2012). A recent multi-breed study found that German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) and Boxers were more likely to suffer from CS than Labrador Retrievers (Monteiro et al, 2012).…”

Clinical evaluation of a combination therapy of imepitoin with phenobarbital in dogs with refractory idiopathic epilepsy

“…Familial predisposition or predisposition in some dog breeds is described [3]. In these breeds, such as Australian Shepherds and Border Collies, a severe course of the disease is seen [1, 4, 5]. The treatment of epilepsy is hampered by the fact that 20-40% of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy may be treatment-resistant to one or several antiepileptic medications [3].…”

Levetiracetam Rectal Administration in Healthy Dogs

“…Epileptic seizures occur in 0.5–5.7% of dogs,1, 2 with some reports exceeding 40% of idiopathic epileptic dogs experiencing cluster seizures (CS; 2 or more seizures within a 24‐hour period) or status epilepticus (SE; continuous seizures or multiple seizures with incomplete recovery lasting longer than 5 minutes) 3, 4, 5. Prolonged seizure activity can be life threatening and often requires veterinary attention for seizure control.…”