PUG DOG ENCEPHALITIS: CASE REPORT

Abstract

The Pug dog encephalitis is a rare idiopathic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, which affects dogs from small breeds. It is believed to have relation with viral infections and the presence of antibodies against a substance in the brain, in addition to genetic and racial predisposition. Clinical signs that occur in this disorder include: lethargy, ataxia, circling behavior, proprioceptive deficits, blindness and seizures, among others. The diagnosis is hard, being generally necroscopic, and there is not a specific treatment for the disease, which makes a poor prognosis. The present report describes a case of a Pug dog, one year old, that came to the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP/Botucatu, presenting apathy, disorientation, sialorrhea, dyspnea and one seizure episode. After cardiorespiratory arrest, the animal came to death, was sent to necropsy, where the anatomopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of Pug encephalitis.