Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Suspected congenital hyperinsulinism in a Shiba Inu dog.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Cook, Simon et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Science and Services · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-month-old male Shiba Inu was having seizures that doctors initially thought were due to an unknown cause. Despite treatment with medications, the seizures continued, and further testing showed that the dog had very low blood sugar during a seizure. It was found that his insulin levels were higher than normal, which led to a diagnosis of congenital hyperinsulinism (a condition where the body produces too much insulin). The treatment plan included feeding him four times a day and giving him a medication called diazoxide. By the time he was 3 years old, he was mostly seizure-free and doing well, although he still had occasional seizures, especially after exercise or if he vomited. Overall, the treatment worked well for managing his condition.
Abstract
A 3-month-old male intact Shiba Inu dog was evaluated for a seizure disorder initially deemed idiopathic in origin. Seizure frequency remained unchanged despite therapeutic serum phenobarbital concentration and use of levetiracetam. The dog was documented to be markedly hypoglycemic during a seizure episode on reevaluation at 6 months of age. Serum insulin concentrations during hypoglycemia were 41 U/μL (reference range, 10-29 U/μL). The dog was transitioned to 4 times per day feeding, diazoxide was started at 3.5 mg/kg PO q8h, and antiepileptic drugs were discontinued. No clinically relevant abnormalities were identified on bicavitary arterial and venous phase contrast computed tomographic imaging. The dog remained seizure-free and clinically normal at 3 years of age while receiving 5.5 mg/kg diazoxide PO q12h and twice daily feeding. Seizures later occurred approximately twice per year and after exertion, with or without vomiting of a diazoxide dose. Blood glucose curves and interstitial glucose monitoring were used to titrate diazoxide dose and dosing interval. Congenital hyperinsulinism is well recognized in people but has not been reported in veterinary medicine.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32592436/