Phenotypic comparison of idiopathic epilepsy in English Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels using a validated owner-completed questionnaire.
16 affiliations
- 1Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
- 2Small Animal Clinic, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
- 3Department of Clinical and Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- 4Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- 5Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.
- 6Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- 7Department of Small Animal, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium.
- 8Mars Veterinary Health, Friars Gate, United Kingdom.
- 9Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
- 10Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
- 11Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
- 12Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- 13Canine Genetics Centre, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- 14Department of Neurology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- 15Small Animal Clinic Oberhaching, Oberhaching, Germany.
- 16Independent Researcher Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Abstract
In response to the recurring identification of medication-resistant idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in English Springer Spaniels (ESS), the objective of this retrospective questionnaire-based observational study was to delineate the phenotypic characteristics of IE in this breed in comparison to a cognate breed, the English Cocker Spaniel (ECS), employing a novel, validated, owner-completed multilingual online questionnaire. Owners of 49 ESS and ECS with seizures completed the questionnaire, of which 16 ESS and 14 ECS fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were subsequently included in the study cohort, while the remaining questionnaires were excluded due to incomplete or inconsistent information or because the criteria for IE were not fulfilled. At the time of the survey 43.3% of the dogs had died, including five that died in association with epilepsy. The median age at seizure onset was 2.5 years in ESS and ECS (range: 0,5-9 years; IQR 2.0-4.0 years). Notably a high proportion of dogs in both breeds had experienced ≥1 cluster seizure and ≥1 status epilepticus. In ECS a significantly higher rate of marked reduction in seizure severity following initiation of anti-seizure therapy compared to the ESS (p = 0.009) was observed. Both breeds exhibit a moderate to severe disease course, with ESS showing a comparatively poorer response to antiseizure drugs. Furthermore, 43.3% of dogs with suspected IE also had affected relatives. The owner-reported occurrence of IE in related dogs may suggest a potential hereditary component in both breeds.
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BibTeX
@article{dose2026phenotypic,
title = {{Phenotypic comparison of idiopathic epilepsy in English Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels using a validated owner-completed questionnaire.}},
author = {Julia Catharina Dose and Madlen Sarah Matz and Tiina Harmas and Marjo Hytönen and Emma Hakanen and Hannes Lohi and Thomas Parmentier and Holger Andreas Volk and Jasmin Nicole Nessler and Sofie F M Bhatti and Luisa De Risio and Paul Mandigers and Daisuke Ito and Fiona May Keir James and Tarja Susanna Jokinen and Sally Ricketts and Frank Steffen and Franziska Wielaender and Alexandra Eschenberg and Andrea Fischer and Andrea Tipold},
journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1913012},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948224},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Phenotypic comparison of idiopathic epilepsy in English Springer Spaniels and Cocker Spaniels using a validated owner-completed questionnaire.
AU - Julia Catharina Dose
AU - Madlen Sarah Matz
AU - Tiina Harmas
AU - Marjo Hytönen
AU - Emma Hakanen
AU - Hannes Lohi
AU - Thomas Parmentier
AU - Holger Andreas Volk
AU - Jasmin Nicole Nessler
AU - Sofie F M Bhatti
AU - Luisa De Risio
AU - Paul Mandigers
AU - Daisuke Ito
AU - Fiona May Keir James
AU - Tarja Susanna Jokinen
AU - Sally Ricketts
AU - Frank Steffen
AU - Franziska Wielaender
AU - Alexandra Eschenberg
AU - Andrea Fischer
AU - Andrea Tipold
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in veterinary science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1913012
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948224
AB - In response to the recurring identification of medication-resistant idiopathic epilepsy (IE) in English Springer Spaniels (ESS), the objective of this retrospective questionnaire-based observational study was to delineate the phenotypic characteristics of IE in this breed in comparison to a cognate breed, the English Cocker Spaniel (ECS), employing a novel, validated, owner-completed multilingual online questionnaire. Owners of 49 ESS and ECS with seizures completed the questionnaire, of which 16 ESS and 14 ECS fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were subsequently included in the study cohort, while the remaining questionnaires were excluded due to incomplete or inconsistent information or because the criteria for IE were not fulfilled. At the time of the survey 43.3% of the dogs had died, including five that died in association with epilepsy. The median age at seizure onset was 2.5 years in ESS and ECS (range: 0,5-9 years; IQR 2.0-4.0 years). Notably a high proportion of dogs in both breeds had experienced ≥1 cluster seizure and ≥1 status epilepticus. In ECS a significantly higher rate of marked reduction in seizure severity following initiation of anti-seizure therapy compared to the ESS (p = 0.009) was observed. Both breeds exhibit a moderate to severe disease course, with ESS showing a comparatively poorer response to antiseizure drugs. Furthermore, 43.3% of dogs with suspected IE also had affected relatives. The owner-reported occurrence of IE in related dogs may suggest a potential hereditary component in both breeds.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -