Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High dose cytarabine treatment for dogs with unknown brain
By Majors, Kara et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of 600 mg/m2 cytarabine arabinoside as treatment for meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin in 43 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 43 dogs diagnosed with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO) received a higher dose of cytarabine arabinoside (CA) at 600 mg/m2 to see if it would help control their symptoms. Most dogs tolerated the treatment well, and 92% of those without spinal cord involvement or other serious conditions survived for over two years. However, some dogs with spinal cord-only MUO or a specific type of MUO called presumptive necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) had a poorer response, with 30% needing to be euthanized due to uncontrolled disease. Overall, the higher dose of CA showed promise in managing MUO in dogs.
People also search for: dog meningoencephalitis treatment · cytarabine for dogs · dog neurological disease prognosis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cytarabine arabinoside (CA) is commonly used at 200 mg/m2 to treat dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO); use of higher doses is anecdotally reported. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical outcome in 43 dogs with MUO receiving 600 mg/m2 CA. We hypothesized that high dose CA would be well tolerated, that the majority of dogs with MUO would achieve sustained remission, and that dogs with spinal cord-only MUO or presumptive necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) would carry a more guarded prognosis. ANIMALS: Forty-three client-owned dogs with MUO. METHODS: Retrospective observational study. Medical records were reviewed at a private practice over a 2.5-year period to identify dogs with MUO with clinical signs <14 days and neurological examination and MRI abnormalities suggestive of moderate to severe disease (mild cases excluded). All dogs received 600 mg/m2 CA every 3-6 weeks for a minimum of 6 months or until death. Minimum follow up time was 24 months. RESULTS: Twenty-three out of twenty-five (92%) dogs without spinal cord MUO, presumptive NME, or death from other diseases survived >24 months (median 1027 days, range 770-1277 days). Thirteen out of forty-three (30%) dogs were euthanized due to poor disease control (median 17 days, range 1-340 days), including 5/10 (50%) dogs with spinal cord only MUO and 5/5 (100%) dogs with presumptive NME. No serious adverse events were noted with 600 mg/m2 CA. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Six hundred mg/m2 CA was well tolerated and effectively controlled disease in most dogs with MUO. Response rate was lower for dogs with spinal cord MUO or presumptive NME.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41742567/