Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sleep movement disorders in cats and dogs explained
By Hendricks, J C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1989·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Movement disorders during sleep in cats and dogs.
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old cat and a 3-year-old dog were observed having unusual movements during sleep, which were confirmed through monitoring. In some cases, these movements were linked to central nervous system (CNS) disease, while others had no clear cause, although two pets were later found to have thyroid tumors. Many medications didn’t help, but the tranquilizer clonazepam showed promise in reducing violent movements during sleep.
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Abstract
Spontaneous sleep movement disorders in 5 cats and 3 dogs were studied. Objective abnormalities during sleep were confirmed by electrographic or behavioral monitoring techniques in all animals. The cause of the disorder was CNS disease in 3 animals. A cause was not discovered in the other 5 animals, although at necropsy, 2 were found to have thyroid tumors. Many pharmacologic treatments were ineffectual, but trials with the benzodiazepine tranquilizer, clonazepam, suggested it will prove useful in controlling violent movements during rapid-eye-movement sleep.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2925485/