Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term outlook for dogs with nerve problems after shunt surgery
By Escribano Carrera, Antía et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2021·School of Veterinary Medicine·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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 outcome and quality of life of dogs that developed neurologic signs after surgical treatment of a congenital portosystemic shunt: 50 cases (2005-2020).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 50 dogs that developed neurological signs, including seizures, after surgery for a congenital portosystemic shunt (a liver blood flow issue) were studied to see how they fared long-term. About 60% of these dogs had seizures, but nearly half had their symptoms resolve by the time they were discharged from the hospital. Most owners reported that their dogs had a good quality of life more than six months after surgery, even though some dogs experienced a recurrence of seizures. Overall, many dogs showed improvement in their neurological signs after the surgery.
People also search for: dog seizures after surgery · congenital portosystemic shunt in dogs · quality of life for dogs with seizures
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine survival time and quality of life of dogs that developed postattenuation neurologic signs (PANS) after surgical treatment of a single congenital portosystemic shunt and survived at least 30 days and identify whether neurologic signs present at the time of discharge would resolve or reoccur. ANIMALS: 50 client-owned dogs. PROCEDURES: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and follow-up data relating to neurologic signs and seizure activity were obtained. Owners were asked to complete a questionnaire related to the presence of neurologic signs, including seizures, and their dog's quality of life. RESULTS: Thirty of the 50 (60%) dogs had postattenuation seizures with or without other nonseizure neurologic signs, and 20 (40%) had neurologic signs other than seizures. Neurologic signs had fully resolved by the time of discharge in 24 (48%) dogs. Signs resolved in 18 of the remaining 26 (69%) dogs that still had PANS other than seizures at the time of discharge. Seizures reoccurred in 15 of the 30 dogs that had postattenuation seizures. Twenty-seven of 33 (82%) owners graded their dog's long-term (> 30 days after surgery) quality-of-life as high. Forty-five (90%) dogs survived > 6 months. Most (29/43 [67%]) neurologic signs (other than seizures) present at the time of hospital discharge resolved. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings highlighted that survival times of > 6 months and a high QOL can be achieved in most dogs with PANS that survive at least 30 days. Most neurologic signs other than seizures resolved within 1 month postoperatively. Half of the dogs with postattenuation seizures had a reoccurrence.
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/34793328/