2018 Volume 71 Issue 1 Pages 41-49
We investigated the incidence of various central nervous system and peripheral neuromuscular diseases, including breed predilection, median age at diagnosis, and age range at onset among 4,131 dogs referred to Kyoto Animal Referral Medical Center. The regions of disease localization included the brain (n＝1,583), the cervical region including C1‐5 and C6‐T2 (n＝743), the thoracolumbar region including T3‐L3 and L4‐S3 (n＝1,589), and the peripheral neuromuscular structures (n＝216). The most common diseases, by region, were idiopathic epilepsy (brain), intervertebral disk disease (cervical and thoracolumbar regions), and idiopathic vestibular syndrome (peripheral neuromuscular structures). This survey revealed high incidences of neurological diseases in small- and medium-sized dog breeds, including many popular dog breeds in Japan. These findings differed from a previous overseas report. Because this study involved a survey at a single facility, we should consider the possibility that bias is introduced in referral cases; however, we can consider the results of this survey to be useful information concerning the incidence of nervous disease trends in Japan.
