Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with seizures found to have antibodies to brain protein myelin
By Deutschland, M et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2024·Neurology Referral Service, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case report: Antibodies to myelin basic protein in a podenco-crossbreed dog with seizures.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female spayed Podenco-crossbreed was brought to the vet for unusual seizures that caused her to seem disoriented and uncoordinated. Tests, including MRI and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, revealed inflammation in her brain and the presence of antibodies against myelin basic protein, which is important for nerve function. Despite having seizures every couple of months, her owners initially chose not to pursue treatment. This case highlights a rare condition in dogs that can lead to seizures due to autoimmune issues affecting the brain.
People also search for: dog seizures treatment · Podenco seizures · autoimmune encephalitis in dogs · dog brain inflammation symptoms
Abstract
A 6-year-old female spayed Podenco-crossbreed dog was presented with an unusual type of focal impaired awareness seizures, including sensory ataxia and postictal rest. Magnetic resonance imaging examination revealed pre- and post-contrast agent T1-weighted bilateral symmetric hyperintensities in the lentiform nuclei and globus pallidus. Repeated cerebrospinal fluid sampling showed lymphocytic pleocytosis. Cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin G autoantibodies to myelin basic protein (MBP) were detected by immunofluorescence examination with strong binding to myelinated fiber tracts. The absence of binding to MBP-depleted mouse brains confirmed MBP as an antigenic target. Although the patient had minor seizure episodes every 2 months, and the owners avoided seizure triggers, they refused medical treatment before presenting to the veterinarian. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of MBP autoantibody-positive encephalitis in a dog.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39403212/