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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1459260
This article is part of the Research Topic Epilepsy in Veterinary Science - Volume II View all 3 articles

Phenotypic Characterization and Quality of Life of Labradoodles with idiopathic epilepsy and epilepsy of unknown cause

Provisionally accepted
Paul Mandigers Paul Mandigers 1*Simone E. Meijs Simone E. Meijs 1Marta Plonek Marta Plonek 2Koen Santifort Koen Santifort 2Montse M. Diaz Espineira Montse M. Diaz Espineira 1
  • 1 Expertise Centre of Genetics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • 2 Evidensia Referral Hospital Arnhem, Arnhem, Netherlands

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is a common chronic neurological disorder in dogs. Breed specific knowledge on semiology, age of onset (AoO), seizure frequency, response to treatment, and Quality of Life (QoL) scores for both dog and owner are important. The Labradoodle is originally a cross between the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle. The aim of this study was to describe in detail the epilepsy, that is recognized in this designer breed.Method: An online survey was distributed through several platforms to owners of Labradoodles. Only Labradoodles, either registered as such or bred as a Labradoodle were included. To classify the Labradoodles in a TIER level of confidence the criteria of the International Veterinary Task Force were used.Results: Forty labradoodles were included. Thirty-three Labradoodles were classified as IE or suspected IE cases and appeared to have an AoO of 2.3 ± 1.3 years, and a seizure frequency of 5.4 ± 6.5 seizures/year (range 0 to 25). Seven dogs were classified as EUC, two dogs started before 6 months of age, and five dogs had their first seizures at 8.4 ± 1.2 years of age. The seizure frequency for all EUC dogs was 5.0 ± 3.0 seizures/year (range 0 to 11). Stress, for both the (suspected) IE and EUC cases, was the most frequently reported seizure precipitating factor (95% of the dogs). AoO and seizure frequency did not seem to be influenced by type of housing, type of owner, or the dog's character as interpreted by the owner. Cluster seizures (CS) were seen in 33% and status epilepticus (SE) in 10% of the included Labradoodles. Many dogs did not need treatment (38%) or only one anti-seizure medication (43%), in which case they tended to respond favorably to treatment. QoL scores were high for both dog (8.3 ±1.8) and owner (7.3 ±2.2).Discussion: Compared to the progenitor breeds, epilepsy of Labradoodles is phenotypically like that of the Standard Poodle, except for the existence CS and SE in the Labradoodle. The epilepsy seen in this designer breed has a favorable outcome compared to several other breeds.

    Keywords: designer breed, dog, pedigree-dog, impact, Owner, Treatment

    Received: 03 Jul 2024; Accepted: 04 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mandigers, Meijs, Plonek, Santifort and Diaz Espineira. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Paul Mandigers, Expertise Centre of Genetics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

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