EVALUATION OF CYCLOSPORINE AND PREDNISOLONE IN COMPARISON TO PREDNISOLONE ALONE FOR THE TREATMENT OF SUSPECTED MENINGOMYELITIS OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN IN 47 DOGS

The use of cyclosporine for the treatment of meningitis/meningomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO) with only spinal cord (SC) involvement has never been described in dogs. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the potential efficacy of cyclosporine in combination with prednisolone (Group A) in dogs with suspected spinal MUO in comparison to prednisolone alone (Group B). A positive outcome was defined as a resolution of clinical signs for at least one year from the time of diagnosis. A negative outcome was defined as lack of improvement or relapse within 1 year. Forty-seven dogs were included in the study. Twenty-one dogs were included in Group A. Sixteen dogs (76%) recovered but clinical relapses were observed in three of them (14%). One dog died due to hematological complications before the one-year follow up. Twelve dogs (57%) showed a positive outcome. Twenty-six patients were enrolled in Group B. Initial recovery was observed in all of them, but sixteen cases (62%) showed clinical relapses. One dog died due to pulmonary complications before the one-year follow up. Nine dogs (35%) had a positive outcome. Side effects were mostly mild (48% in group A; 31% in group B). The outcome was not significantly different between the two groups. Group B showed significantly higher recovery rate and frequency of relapses in comparison to Group A. Cyclosporine could be considered a valid additional treatment in dogs with spinal MUO, potentially leading to a lower recurrence rate than prednisolone alone.