Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with seizures and ataxia from eating only boiled sweet potato
By Song, Joong-Hyun & Jung, Dong-In·Published in Veterinary medicine and science·2021·Institute of Animal Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Thiamine deficiency in a dog associated with exclusive consumption of boiled sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas): Serial changes in clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging findings and blood lactate and thiamine concentrations.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old neutered male Maltese Terrier was brought in after suddenly having seizures and trouble walking. The owner had been feeding him only boiled sweet potatoes for the past month, which led to a serious thiamine (vitamin B) deficiency. After confirming the deficiency through blood tests and MRI scans, the veterinarian started thiamine supplements and recommended a better diet. Within two weeks, the dog's neurological symptoms improved significantly, and follow-up tests showed that his thiamine levels returned to normal.
People also search for: dog seizures treatment · Maltese Terrier diet · thiamine deficiency in dogs · why is my dog having seizures · sweet potato dog food problems
Abstract
Thiamine (vitamin B) is an essential nutrient that significantly influences ATP production in the body. It needs to be supplemented consistently through an exogenous source to prevent deficiency; however, it is easily affected by a variety of mitigating factors. Additionally, thiamine requirements can be influenced by an individual's dietary composition. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable to thiamine deficiency due to its high metabolic demand. Thiamine deficiency is typically diagnosed based on clinical signs, dietary history and response to thiamine administration. A 5-year-old neutered male Maltese Terrier dog presented with an acute onset of seizures and generalized ataxia. The dog was exclusively fed boiled sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) as a primary diet source for 4 weeks. MR findings and hyperlactatemic conditions were consistent with thiamine deficiency, and the diagnosis was confirmed by measuring thiamine concentrations in blood using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Appropriate thiamine supplementation and diet changes resulted in a rapid improvement in neurological signs. Repeated MR imaging 2 weeks after starting the treatment completely resolved the previously identified abnormalities, and repeated measurements of blood lactate and thiamine levels revealed complete recovery of the thiamine-deficient status.
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 on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32966700/