Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with drug-resistant epilepsy improved after 1 year of vagus nerve
By Hirashima, Junya et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: 1-Year Follow-Up of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in a Dog With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male Shetland Sheepdog with drug-resistant epilepsy had a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device surgically implanted to help control his seizures. Over the course of a year, the frequency of his generalized tonic-clonic seizures decreased by 87%, and his owner noticed a significant improvement in his personality and overall quality of life. The only side effect was a cough, which was managed by adjusting the device settings. There were no complications from the surgery or the VNS device itself, making this a promising option for dogs with similar seizure issues.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · Shetland Sheepdog seizures · vagus nerve stimulation for dogs · dog seizure management · improving dog quality of life after seizures
Abstract
A vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) system was surgically implanted to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in a 5-year-old male Shetland Sheepdog. At regular visits during a 1-year follow-up, treatment efficacy and adverse effects were assessed, and programmable stimulation parameters were adjusted to optimize stimulation intensity while avoiding adverse effects. The frequency of generalized tonic-clonic seizures was reduced by 87% after the initiation of VNS. The owner reported that the dog regained his personality, and the quality of life of both the dog and owner improved. The only adverse effect of VNS was a cough that was controlled by adjusting stimulation parameters. There were no surgical complications or other issues with the VNS device. This is the first long-term evaluation of VNS therapy in a dog, and the results obtained suggest that gradual adjustments of VNS parameters facilitate optimum VNS dosing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34355037/