Non-infectious inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system in dogs

Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) present as progressive diseases, often with a collection of neurological deficits reflecting multifocal involvement of the CNS. The most common signalment (middle-aged small-breed dogs, more commonly females) can provide a high index of suspicion, combined with neurological findings, CSF analysis and imaging studies. The prognosis is guarded, and some dogs will deteriorate rapidly despite therapy, while others can live for years with or without medication, which reflects currently our lack of understanding of this group of diseases.