Brain shunt surgery for hydrocephalus in a giant breed dog

Abstract

Congenital hydrocephalus is usually diagnosed within the first weeks to months of life of affected puppies. These patients are typically smaller than their siblings and have obtunded mentation, strabismus, and a range of visual deficits. Surgery is recommended mostly in cases where conservative medical treatment is not effective, but surgery is sometimes not accepted by owners and they opt for humane euthanasia. A 6-month-old female Great Dane was referred to our clinic with ataxia, disorientation, blindness, and seizures. Ventrolateral strabismus, hypermetria, and delayed postural reactions were observed at admission. Congenital hydrocephalus was diagnosed and confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt was placed. The dog responded well to surgical intervention, neurological deficits improved after surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of ventriculoperitoneal shunt application in a giant breed dog. The dog is nearly two months post surgery, with no recorded seizures, and it is gradually improving neurologically. The presented clinical case is unique due to the breed and also due to the fact that owners of large breeds of dogs usually have much greater expenses for their therapy compared to small breeds, which makes them rare cases in clinical practice that are rarely reported in veterinary literature.