Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs and outcomes of brain inflammation in older dogs
By Anderson, Frances E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Department of Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical presentation, prognostic factors, and outcomes of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin in older dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of older dogs, aged 8 years and up, were diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO), which caused symptoms like behavior changes and nerve issues. The study compared these older dogs to younger dogs with the same condition. Surprisingly, both age groups had similar survival times, with older dogs living about 16 months after diagnosis and younger dogs about 24 months. The relapse rates were also similar, indicating that age may not significantly affect the outcomes for dogs with MUO.
People also search for: dog behavior changes · meningoencephalitis in older dogs · dog nerve problems treatment · dog survival rates MUO
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation and outcomes of older dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) have not been described previously. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Compare clinical presentations and outcomes of an older cohort (≥8 years old) of dogs diagnosed with MUO compared to a younger cohort. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs diagnosed with MUO including 71 dogs ≥ 8 years old and 142 control dogs < 8 years old. METHODS: Multicenter retrospective case-control study. Data were collected from the clinical records of 2 referral centers and referring veterinarians were contacted for additional survival data. Survival and relapse rates of the older and younger cohorts were compared. RESULTS: On presentation, older dogs were found to be significantly more likely to have behavior changes (P = .01), cranial nerve deficits (P < .001), and comorbidities (P < .001) compared with younger dogs. On multivariate analysis, median survival time between the 2 groups did not differ significantly (16 months for older dogs and 24 months for younger dogs, P = .48). No significant difference was found in relapse rates between the 2 groups: 67/103 (65.0%) younger dogs and 20/48 (41.7%) older dogs relapsed within the study period. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Older dogs with MUO were found to have similar survival times and relapse rates compared to younger dogs with MUO.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42117719/