Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vestibular disease in UK dogs under primary vet care
By Radulescu, Sinziana Maria et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vestibular disease in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: Epidemiology and clinical management.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old French Bulldog was brought in for symptoms of vestibular disease, which included a head tilt, rapid eye movement (nystagmus), and unsteady walking (ataxia). The veterinarian treated the dog with anti-nausea medication, steroids, and other supportive care. After about four days, the dog showed improvement, with nearly 42% of dogs experiencing similar positive outcomes. This study highlights that certain breeds, like French Bulldogs, are more prone to vestibular disease, and many cases can be managed effectively in a primary care setting.
People also search for: dog head tilt treatment · French Bulldog vestibular disease · dog nystagmus causes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Vestibular disease (VD), central or peripheral, can be a dramatic primary-care presentation. Current literature describes mostly dogs examined in referral centers. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Describe the prevalence, presentation, clinical management, and outcomes of VD in dogs under primary veterinary care at UK practices participating in VetCompass. ANIMALS: Seven hundred and fifty-nine vestibular cases identified out of 905 544 study dogs. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Potential VD cases clinically examined during 2016 were verified by reviewing clinical records for signalment, presenting clinical signs, treatments, and outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with VD. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of VD was 8 per 10 000 dogs (95% CI = 7-9). Median age at first diagnosis was 12.68 years (interquartile range [IQR], 11.28-14.64). Compared with crossbreeds, breeds with the highest odds of VD diagnosis included French Bulldogs (odds ratio [OR] = 9.25, 95% CI = 4.81-17.76, P < .001), Bulldogs (OR = 6.53, 95% CI = 2.66-16.15, P < .001), King Charles Spaniels (OR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.52-9.78, P < .001), Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 2.50-5.06, P < .001), and Springer Spaniels (OR = 3.37, 95% CI = 2.52-4.52, P < .001). The most common presenting signs were head tilt (69.8%), nystagmus (68.1%), and ataxia (64.5%). The most frequently used treatments were antiemetics (43.2%), systemic glucocorticoids (33.1%), antimicrobials (25%), and propentofylline (23.25%). There were 3.6% of cases referred. Improvement was recorded in 41.8% cases after a median of 4 days (IQR, 2-10.25). CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies strong breed predispositions for VD. The low referral rates suggest that primary-care data sources offer more generalizable information for benchmarking to help clinicians review their own clinical activities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32776616/