A multicenter retrospective analysis of canine idiopathic epilepsy in China

Canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is one of the most common neurological diseases in veterinary medicine, with no comprehensive study in China. This study collected IE cases from five large referral pet hospitals and conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis in order to supplement the clinical data of canine IE in China, clarify the predisposing factors, diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of canine IE in the China, and provide regional clinical data for cross-country comparison of canine epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.

Canine patients diagnosed with epilepsy from five pet hospitals in China between 2019 and 2023 were collected. IE cases were diagnosed based on the consensus of the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF). Breed, age, body condition score (BCS), diagnosis, treatment and follow-up were included for analysis.

A total of 211 cases with IE were included in the study. Male dogs (p < 0.05), small dogs weighing <10 kg (p < 0.05), poodles (p < 0.05) had a significantly higher risk to be diagnosed with IE. The age of first seizure episode was mainly between 1 and 5 years, with an average of 4 years. Most patients had seizure episodes with a mean duration of less than 2 min (78.9%). Generalized seizures with tonic-clonic convulsions, accompanied by autonomic signs, were the most frequently observed type. The incidence of cluster seizures (CS) was 38.9%, while status epilepticus (SE) occurred in 12.4% of cases. Phenobarbital was administered in 89.1% of cases, with 58.3% receiving monotherapy with phenobarbital; 74.8% of these cases achieved good seizure control (seizure-free or a clinically meaningful reduction in seizure frequency). The disease-related mortality rate in these cases was approximately 1%.

This study reveals a significant diagnostic gap in China, with 18.7% of cases exceeding a one-year delay to diagnosis, likely due to a shortage of specialists and owner-related factors. Optimizing clinical management should prioritize reducing this delay through enhanced practitioner and owner education, while reinforcing Phenobarbital as a highly effective (93.8% success rate) first-line monotherapy. Addressing these barriers could facilitate earlier intervention and improve therapeutic outcomes for dogs with idiopathic epilepsy in this region.