Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parasiticide use and obesity in dogs with sudden blindness syndrome
By McCarthy, Paul M G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·1Eye Clinic for Animals, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Parasiticide use and obesity in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that overweight and obese dogs are more likely to develop sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS), a condition that causes rapid vision loss. Dogs with SARDS were nearly five times more likely to be overweight or obese compared to those without the condition. While there was some association with the use of a specific flea and tick treatment called imidacloprid, it was not considered a significant cause since many dogs had not used it for years before their diagnosis. If your dog is overweight, it may be worth discussing weight management with your veterinarian to help reduce the risk of SARDS.
People also search for: dog sudden vision loss · overweight dog health risks · SARDS in dogs treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate parasiticide use and describe signalment features in patients with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS). ANIMALS: Retrospective case-control study of dogs with (n = 71) and without (136) SARDS. METHODS: Parasiticide use, presentation season, weight, body condition, and signalment were compared between dogs diagnosed with SARDS and the reference population by use of descriptive statistics and logistic regression. RESULTS: Animals with SARDS were at a 5.99 times higher odds of having previously used imidacloprid (95% CI, 1.6 to 22.2; P = .003). However, time of last imidocloprid administration was > 6 years prior to diagnosis in 6 SARDS-affected individuals and 15, 26, or 42 months before diagnosis (n = 1 each). No other class of parasiticide had a significant association with SARDS. Seasonal variation was observed with a negative association identified between incidence of SARDS and tick season (October to January; P < .001). Overweight and obese dogs were 4.42 (95% CI, 1.9 to 10.4) and 4.96 (95% CI, 2.1 to 11.6) times more likely to have SARDS (P ≤ .001). History of polyphagia or weight gain was not associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight or obese within the SARDS-affected population (P > .108). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While a statistically significant association was found between imidacloprid use and SARDS, this is unlikely to be clinically significant given the lack of a temporal association, sparse exposure numbers, and low point estimate of the OR. A positive association between being overweight or obese and a diagnosis of SARDS was found independent of polyphagia and weight gain, suggesting that it may be a risk factor for the development of SARDS.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39270710/