Update on Anticonvulsant Therapy in the Emergent Small Animal Patient.

Seizures are common in veterinary patients and control is critical to the overall patient health. The benzodiazepine class of drugs (diazepam, midazolam, and lorazepam) often are the drug class of choice; however, levetiracetam and propofol also have been gaining favor as anticonvulsant drugs for acute seizure management. After cessation of seizures, practitioners then can discuss long-term seizure control on a case-by-case basis with clients.

Case-control study of risk factors for granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis in dogs.

Objective: To identify environmental and other variables associated with a diagnosis of granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME) in dogs.

Design: Case-control study.

Animals: 31 dogs that received a histologic diagnosis of GME (case dogs) from January 2003 to January 2014 and 91 age- and breed-matched dogs.

Prospective crossover clinical trial comparing transdermal with oral phenobarbital administration in epileptic cats.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare serum phenobarbital concentrations, adverse events and client satisfaction during 14 weeks of transdermal vs oral phenobarbital administration to epileptic cats.

Methods: This was a prospective, fixed-order, crossover pilot study. Nine client-owned cats with presumptive or diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy were enrolled.

Serum levetiracetam concentrations after transdermal levetiracetam administration, 3 times daily, to healthy cats.

Background: Repeated oral administration of antiepileptic drugs can be challenging for cat owners, resulting in reduced compliance, poor seizure control, and reduced quality of life for cats. Levetiracetam (LEV) has several properties that make it an appealing drug for transdermal application.

Objectives: The aims were to (1) determine if transdermal LEV, in a lipophilic, liposomic cream vehicle, resulted in serum concentrations above 5 μg/mL; (2) identify clinical adverse effects; and (3) evaluate the concentration of LEV in a lipophilic liposomic cream at set intervals.

Seizure etiologic classification and long-term outcome for cats with juvenile-onset seizures.

OBJECTIVE To identify seizure etiologic classification for cats that developed seizures at < 12 months of age and describe the long-term outcome of affected cats. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. ANIMALS 15 client-owned cats with seizures that began at < 12 months of age.

RETROSPECTIVE STUDY EVALUATING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MIDLINE BRAIN SHIFT ON MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING AND SURVIVAL IN DOGS DIAGNOSED WITH MENINGOENCEPHALITIS OF UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY.

Difficulty has been encountered when trying to identify ante mortem prognostic indicators for dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology (MUE). Identifying MRI imaging parameters associated with prognosis may impact treatment decision-making for clinician and owner. Our hypotheses for this retrospective cohort study are that dogs diagnosed with MUE that had midline shift on brain MRI would have a poorer survival compared to dogs without midline shift; and that younger age, lower weight, and low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell count would be correlated with improved survival.

Prevalence, clinical presentation, prognosis, and outcome of 17 dogs with spinal shock and acute thoracolumbar spinal cord disease.

Objective: To describe the prevalence, signalment, clinical features, etiology, and outcome in dogs with acute thoracolumbar disease and suspected spinal shock.

Design: Retrospective clinical case study (2005-2010).

Setting: Private specialty practice.

Efficacy of glucocorticoid monotherapy for treatment of canine meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology: a prospective study in 16 dogs.

Canine non-infectious, inflammatory meningoencephalomyelitis is termed meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE) and may affect dogs of any age, breed or gender. Treatment with immunosuppressive medication has been widely reported, however no prospective clinical trials with a standard glucocorticoid monotherapy are available. The objectives were to compare the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis at diagnosis and after treatment with a standard glucocorticoid (GC) dose and to determine the survival time in dogs with MUE.

Therapeutic serum phenobarbital concentrations obtained using chronic transdermal administration of phenobarbital in healthy cats.

Seizures are a common cause of neurologic disease, and phenobarbital (PB) is the most commonly used antiepileptic drug. Chronic oral dosing can be challenging for cat owners, leading to poor compliance. The purpose of this study was to determine if the transdermal administration of PB could achieve serum PB concentrations of between 15 and 45 μg/ml in healthy cats.

Evaluation of therapeutic phenobarbital concentrations and application of a classification system for seizures in cats: 30 cases (2004-2013).

Objective: To determine the percentage of cats with a phenobarbital (PB) concentration between 15 and 45 μg/mL that had a ≥ 50% reduction in the number of seizures and to investigate applicability of the 2011 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification system in cats.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 30 cats with suspected or confirmed epilepsy.

Imaging diagnosis--hyperostosis associated with meningioma in a dog.

A 5-year-old neutered male Beagle mix dog had a 5-day history of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Before the seizures, the dog had a 1-2-month history of progressive right hemiparesis. In computed tomography images, a presumed extraaxial mass with hyperostosis and destruction of the skull covering the mass were identified.

Medical management of Toxoplasma meningitis in a white-throated capuchin (Cebus capucinus).

A 32-yr-old white-throated capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) was presented for paraparesis. A diagnosis of protozoal meningitis was made on the basis of a lymphocytic pleocytosis with elevated protein in cerebrospinal fluid and a positive serum titer to Toxoplasma gondii of 131,072 using an indirect hemagglutination test. Treatment with clindamycin and trimethaprim-sulfamethoxazole resulted in improvement within 3 days and complete clinical resolution within 2 wk.