Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with episodic rage attacks helped by phenobarbital treatment
By Dodman, N H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1992·Department of Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Phenobarbital-responsive episodic dyscontrol (rage) in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs were diagnosed with episodic dyscontrol, a condition that caused sudden aggressive outbursts followed by lethargy and unresponsiveness. Their owners noticed mood changes before these aggressive incidents, which could be directed at people or objects. After testing, the dogs were treated with phenobarbital, an anticonvulsant medication, and all three showed significant improvement in their symptoms. They became more stable and less aggressive after starting the treatment.
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Abstract
Episodic dyscontrol (rage) was diagnosed from the clinical history, electroencephalographic findings, and response to oral treatment with phenobarbital in 3 dogs. Clinical features included a mood change heralding aggressive incidents, explosive aggression directed at people or objects, and a postaggressive phase characterized by lethargy and lack of responsiveness. Abnormal electroencephalographic findings included spike activity in the temporal recordings. All 3 dogs responded well to anticonvulsant medication with phenobarbital.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1289339/