Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges. In dogs it often extends into the brain or spinal cord (meningoencephalitis, meningomyelitis). Most cases are immune-mediated rather than infectious, and the three diagnoses that matter most are steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), bacterial meningitis and meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO). Signalment, the neurological examination and the CSF usually separate them.
Key facts
Meningitis at a glance- Species and system: dog; nervous system (meninges, brain, spinal cord).
- Causes: immune-mediated disease accounts for about 80-90% of inflammatory CNS disease in dogs and infection for 10-20% (Merck). In 1,140 dogs from two English referral centres, MUO made up 47.5% and SRMA 30.7% (Gonçalves 2021).
- Classic SRMA: a dog under 2 years with fever, severe neck pain and a normal neurological examination, with marked non-degenerate neutrophilic pleocytosis in the CSF.
- Classic bacterial meningitis: an adult dog with otitis media/interna, neurological deficits (often vestibular), and degenerate neutrophils with intracellular bacteria in the CSF.
- Zoonotic or reportable: rabies must be considered in any dog with unexplained neurological signs. See the rabies guide. SRMA and MUO are not infectious.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 2 figures, 3 self-test questions and 12 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
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