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. 2021 Sep 12;8(9):192.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci8090192.

The Long-Term Clinical Course of Canine Degenerative Myelopathy and Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin

Yui Kobatake  1 , Kohei Nakata  2 , Hiroki Sakai  1   2   3 , Jun Sasaki  4 , Osamu Yamato  5 , Satoshi Takashima  1 , Naohito Nishii  1   2 , Sadatoshi Maeda  1   2 , Md Shafiqul Islam  5 , Hiroaki Kamishina  1   2   3
Affiliations

The Long-Term Clinical Course of Canine Degenerative Myelopathy and Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin

Yui Kobatake et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Canine degenerative myelopathy (DM), recognized as a spontaneous model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is known as a late-onset progressive degenerative disease of the spinal cord. Because of the progressive nature of DM, many dogs are elected to be euthanized, resulting in limited information on the end-stage clinical presentation. We investigated the long-term clinical course from diagnosis to natural death to further deepen our understanding of the entire clinical picture of this disease. Because curcumin was administered in some cases, the therapeutic effect of curcumin on DM was also examined. Forty dogs included in this study were client-owned Pembroke Welsh Corgis with a definitive diagnosis of DM by necropsy and histopathology. Dogs were excluded from this study if they died from another disease or were elected to be euthanized. Information on the long-term clinical symptoms of DM was investigated based on a questionnaire, which was collected from the dog owners. Urinary incontinence and respiratory disorder were observed in most dogs, as was respiratory impairment-correlated death. In contrast, signs consistent with brainstem dysfunction were noticed at the terminal stage in a small portion of dogs. Although further studies with more cases are needed, the results of this study suggest that administration of curcumin is effective in slowing the progression of DM.

Keywords: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; curcumin; degenerative myelopathy; dogs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time course of gait impairment in 40 dogs with degenerative myelopathy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The relationship between the onset of dyspnea and survival time (n = 34).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A Kaplan–Meyer survival curve for curcumin-treated and control dogs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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