Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term results of steroid and cytosine arabinoside treatment
By Waelkens, Jan et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2025·Small Animal Department·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Long-term follow-up of 35 dogs with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin treated with cytosine arabinoside and glucocorticosteroids.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 35 dogs diagnosed with meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (an immune-mediated brain disease) were treated with a combination of glucocorticosteroids and cytosine arabinoside, a chemotherapy drug. While 62.9% of the dogs were followed for 93 weeks, 40% experienced a relapse of symptoms, and 17.1% died within the first week after diagnosis. The treatment helped some dogs, with 42.9% showing no relapse, but the overall results did not show significant improvement compared to previous treatments. Long-term monitoring is important to catch any relapses after stopping treatment.
People also search for: dog meningoencephalitis treatment · glucocorticosteroids for dogs · dog brain disease symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is an idiopathic immune-mediated central nervous system disease. Glucocorticosteroids are the main treatment, often combined with cytosine arabinoside (CA). METHODS: This retrospective, descriptive study evaluated the outcome of a 69-week protocol using glucocorticosteroids and CA (two initial constant rate infusions followed by recurrent subcutaneous injections) in dogs diagnosed with MUO. Outcomes (e.g., treatment success, relapse or death) at 25, 69 and 93 weeks were descriptively analysed and compared to similar protocols reported in the literature. Relapse timing was documented at different treatment stages and glucocorticosteroid dosages. RESULTS: Thirty-five dogs met the inclusion criteria, of which six (17.1%) died within the first 7 days after diagnosis. Overall, 62.9% completed the 93-week follow-up, with 42.9% showing no relapse. Relapse occurred in 40% of dogs, with 20% of these relapsed dogs dying. The majority of dogs relapsed during the treatment protocol. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the study's retrospective and descriptive nature, small sample size and lack of histopathological confirmation. CONCLUSION: The treatment protocol used in this study does not demonstrate superiority over protocols used in earlier studies. This study emphasises the need for long-term follow-up to detect relapses after treatment discontinuation.
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/40448275/