Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 113

Primary brain tumors in the dog may include meningioma, astrocytoma, neuroblastoma, oligodendroglioma, and ependymoma, to name a few. Dogs with brain tumors are usually presented with concurrent neurologic deficits, but one study found that when brain tumors developed in the rostral cerebrum, behavioral changes commonly occurred prior to the appearance of other neurologic deficits (Foster et al. 1998). These changes were described as dementia, aggression, and alteration in established habits. Many of the dogs in the study, but not all, also had seizures, but 72% of them had no neurological deficits on presentation. Neurological deficits eventually appeared in all cases, with some taking up to three months to appear (Foster et al. 1998). Meningiomas, the most common primary brain tumor in dogs, usually occur in dogs more than seven years of age but have been seen in dogs as young as 11 weeks. Behavioral signs may include increases in aggression, head pressing, circling, housesoiling, pacing and panting (common signs of agitation), vocalizations, seizures, and changes in mentation.

While neoplasia in dogs younger than six months occurs less often, the brain is the second most common site for it to develop, so age alone cannot always rule out the possibility of a brain tumor. However, brain tumors occur most often in dogs more than five years of age.