Survival and clinical outcome of dogs with ischaemic stroke

The objectives of the present study were to investigate survival time, possible predictors of survival and clinical outcome in dogs with ischaemic stroke. A retrospective study of dogs with a previous diagnosis of ischaemic stroke diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. The association between survival and the hypothesised risk factors was examined using univariable exact logistic regression. Survival was examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Twenty-two dogs were identified. Five dogs (23%) died within the first 30 days of the stroke event. Median survival in 30-day survivors was 505 days. Four dogs (18%) were still alive by the end of the study. Right-sided lesions posed a significantly increased risk of mortality with a median survival time in dogs with right-sided lesions of 24 days vs. 602 days in dogs with left sided lesions (P = 0.006). Clinical outcome was considered excellent in seven of 17(41%) 30-day survivors. Another seven 30-day survivors experienced new acute neurological signs within 6-17 months of the initial stroke event; in two of those cases a new ischaemic stroke was confirmed by MRI. In conclusion, dogs with ischaemic stroke have a fair to good prognosis in terms of survival and clinical outcome. However, owners should be informed of the risk of acute death within 30 days and of the possibility of new neurological events in survivors. Mortality was increased in dogs with right-sided lesions in this study. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.