Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with swollen salivary glands and drooling helped by phenobarbital
By Stonehewer, J et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2000·Department of Veterinary Clinical Science and Animal Husbandry, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Idiopathic phenobarbital-responsive hypersialosis in the dog: an unusual form of limbic epilepsy?
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in for excessive drooling, weight loss, and vomiting that had been going on for several weeks. The vet found that the dog's salivary glands were swollen and painful, and tests showed no significant issues. After starting treatment with phenobarbital, the dog's symptoms improved significantly, and the drooling and swelling went away. Two of the dogs in the study were able to stop the medication after six months, while one dog needed an additional medication to stay symptom-free after a relapse.
People also search for: dog excessive drooling treatment · dog weight loss and vomiting · phenobarbital for dog seizures
Abstract
Three unusual cases of salivary gland enlargement and hypersialosis in the dog that responded to anticonvulsant therapy are reported. Presenting complaints included weight loss, hypersalivation, retching and vomiting of several weeks' duration. Two dogs were presented with enlarged painful mandibular salivary glands. The third dog exhibited bizarre behaviour (including jaw chattering) and developed enlarged painful mandibular salivary glands during hospitalisation. Fine needle aspirate cytology and biopsies from the enlarged salivary glands revealed no significant pathological changes. In one dog, an electroencephalogram revealed changes consistent with epilepsy. Hypersialism and salivary gland enlargement resolved completely during phenobarbital administration in all cases. Two dogs were successfully weaned off treatment six months after diagnosis. The remaining dog relapsed after eight months, but normalised with the addition of oral potassium bromide. It is hypothesised that the syndrome idiopathic hypersialosis may in fact be an unusual form of limbic epilepsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11023129/