Short- and long-term outcome and magnetic resonance imaging findings after surgical treatment of thoracolumbar spinal arachnoid diverticula in 25 Pugs.

Background: There is a successful outcome after surgical management of spinal arachnoid diverticula (SAD) in up to 82% of cases.

Hypothesis/objectives: We hypothesized that Pugs have favorable short-term and poor long-term prognosis after surgical treatment of thoracolumbar SAD. The aim of the present investigation was to describe clinical findings, short- and long-term outcomes, and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in Pugs with thoracolumbar SAD.

Seizure-precipitating factors in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Background: Stress, sleep deprivation, and infectious diseases are important seizure-precipitating factors in human epilepsy patients. However, these factors have not been thoroughly studied in epileptic dogs.

Objective: Seizure-precipitating factors are common in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and the occurrence of these factors associate with the dogs' signalment, personality, and epilepsy-related factors.

Development of the Finnish neurological function testing battery for dogs and its intra- and inter-rater reliability.

Background: The Finnish neurological function testing battery for dogs (FINFUN) was developed to meet the increasing demand for objective outcome measures in veterinary physiotherapy. The testing battery should provide consistent, reproducible results and have established face and content validity. Internal consistency and intra- and inter-rater reliability of the FINFUN were also investigated.

Retrospective multicenter evaluation of the "fly-catching syndrome" in 24 dogs: EEG, BAER, MRI, CSF findings and response to antiepileptic and antidepressant treatment.

The fly-catching syndrome (FCS) is a rare canine condition of sudden, occasional, or constant episodes of biting the air. It may be accompanied by jumping, licking, and swallowing. The etiology of FCS is unknown and controversial.

Feline hippocampal and piriform lobe necrosis as a consequence of severe cluster seizures in two cats in Finland.

Feline hippocampal and piriform lobe necrosis (FHN) has been reported from several countries worldwide and is considered an important aetiology for feline epileptic seizures. The aetiology of FHN remains unclear, however it is suspected that FHN might occur secondary to intense epileptic activity as described in humans and dogs although this has not yet been documented in cats. The purpose of our report is to describe the first cases of FHN in Finland diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathology.

Inter-observer agreement of canine and feline paroxysmal event semiology and classification by veterinary neurology specialists and non-specialists.

Background: Advances in mobile technology mean vets are now commonly presented with videos of paroxysmal events by clients, but the consistency of the interpretation of these videos has not been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of agreement between vets (both neurology specialists and non-specialists) on the description and classification of videos depicting paroxysmal events, without knowing any results of diagnostic workup. An online questionnaire study was conducted, where participants watched 100 videos of dogs and cats exhibiting paroxysmal events and answered questions regarding: epileptic seizure presence (yes/no), seizure type, consciousness status, and the presence of motor, autonomic and neurobehavioural signs.

Cerebral glucose utilization measured with high resolution positron emission tomography in epileptic Finnish Spitz dogs and healthy dogs.

In human epileptic patients, changes in cerebral glucose utilization can be detected 2-deoxy-2-[(18) F] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether epileptic dogs might show similar findings. Eleven Finnish Spitz dogs with focal idiopathic epilepsy and six healthy dogs were included.

Phenotype, inheritance characteristics, and risk factors for idiopathic epilepsy in Finnish Spitz dogs.

Objective: To determine the phenotype, inheritance characteristics, and risk factors for idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in Finnish Spitz dogs (FSDs).

Design: Prospective epidemiological study.

Animals: 2,141 FSDs.

Spinal dural ossification causing neurological signs in a cat.

A six-year-old Ragdoll cat underwent examination due to a six-month history of slowly progressive gait abnormalities. The cat presented with an ambulatory tetraparesis with a neurological examination indicating a C1-T2 myelopathy. Radiographs of the spine showed a radiopaque irregular line ventrally in the vertebral canal dorsal to vertebral bodies C3-C5.

A SEL1L mutation links a canine progressive early-onset cerebellar ataxia to the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD) machinery.

Inherited ataxias are characterized by degeneration of the cerebellar structures, which results in progressive motor incoordination. Hereditary ataxias occur in many species, including humans and dogs. Several mutations have been found in humans, but the genetic background has remained elusive in dogs.

Identification of a novel idiopathic epilepsy locus in Belgian Shepherd dogs.

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in dogs, with an incidence ranging from 0.5% to up to 20% in particular breeds. Canine epilepsy can be etiologically defined as idiopathic or symptomatic.

Retrospective study of salinomycin toxicosis in 66 cats.

We examined 66 cats with salinomycin intoxication. Salinomycin caused different LMN signs of varying degrees of severity in all cases. Changes in blood work were unspecific, with the most frequent being increased serum creatine kinase activity, leukocytosis, and increased liver enzymes.

Prevalence of radiographic detectable intervertebral disc calcifications in Dachshunds surgically treated for disc extrusion.

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.

Stabilisation of atlantoaxial subluxation in the dog through ventral arthrodesis.

Ten miniature breed dogs with atlantoaxial subluxation underwent ventral lag screw stabilisation. The procedure did not include bone graft packing into the atlantoaxial articulation. Four dogs showed continuous improvement after surgery.

Visual and quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of healthy young and adult cats under medetomidine sedation.

A study was designed to investigate the effect of medetomidine sedation on quantitative electroencephalography (q-EEG) in healthy young and adult cats to determine objective guidelines for diagnostic EEG recordings and interpretation. Preliminary visual examination of EEG recordings revealed high-voltage low-frequency background activity. Spindles, k-complexes and vertex sharp transients characteristic of sleep or sedation were superimposed on a low background activity.

Electroencephalography findings in healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy: visual and background quantitative analysis.

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.

Retrospective analysis of seizures associated with feline infectious peritonitis in cats.

Seizures have been reported frequently in feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) but have not been studied in detail in association with this disease. The purpose of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of neurological signs in a population of 55 cats with a histopathologically confirmed neurological form of FIP. Seizure patterns were determined and it was attempted to relate occurrence of seizures with age, breed, sex and neuropathological features.

Benign familial juvenile epilepsy in Lagotto Romagnolo 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.

Cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in Lagotto Romagnolo dogs.

This case report documents two pathological variations of potentially inherited, cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in two unrelated Lagotto Romagnolo breed dogs. The first dog had an atypical lesion in the cerebellar cortex with depletion of cerebellar granular cell layer and sparing of the Purkinje cell layer. The second case had degenerative changes in both Purkinje and granular cell layers.

Daily controlled physiotherapy increases survival time in dogs with suspected degenerative myelopathy.

The purposes of the study reported here were to evaluate the signalment and clinical presentation in 50 dogs with degenerative myelopathy, to evaluate whether mean survival time was significantly affected by various means of physiotherapy performed in 22 dogs, and to determine whether neurologic status, anatomic localization, or age at onset had an influence on survival time in dogs that received physiotherapy. We found a significant (P < .05) breed predisposition for the German Shepherd Dog, Kuvasz, Hovawart, and Bernese Mountain Dog.

Intracranial neoplasia in 61 cats: localisation, tumour types and seizure patterns.

The purpose of this study was to analyse retrospectively a feline population with intracranial neoplastic diseases, to document seizure patterns in these animals and to determine whether partial seizures were more frequently associated with structural brain lesions then generalised seizures. In addition, a comparison was made within the population with intracranial neoplasia between two groups of cats: one with and one without seizures. Special emphasis was given to the evaluation of tumour type, localisation and size of the lesion and its correlation with seizure prevalence.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in Finnish Spitz dogs with focal epilepsy.

Eleven Finnish Spitz dogs with focal seizures and 3 healthy controls were evaluated. General clinical and neurological examinations, blood examination, urinalysis, cerebrospinal fluid examination, electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain were performed on all dogs. On EEG examination, focal epileptic activity was found in 7 of 11 dogs (64%), and generalized epileptic activity was observed in 4 of 11 dogs (36%).