Incidence of canine dysautonomia in Missouri,USA, between January 1996 and December 2000

A cross-sectional survey of 217 veterinary facilities in Missouri, USA, was conducted to gather information about the occurrence of canine dysautonomia between January 1996 and December 2000. The state was divided into seven geographic regions for sampling, and 40 veterinary facilities from each region were selected randomly by computer-generated numbers to receive the questionnaire. Veterinarians from 74% (95% CI: 69, 79) of clinics in the state that saw canine patients were aware of dysautonomia prior to receiving the survey, and 43 respondents from five of the seven sampled regions stated that dysautonomia had been diagnosed in their practices during the study period. Respondents had diagnosed 182 cases of dysautonomia, leading to an estimated statewide total of 609 (95% CI: 272, 946) cases over the 5 years. Regional incidence estimates ranged from 0 to 1.91 cases per 10,000 dog years at risk. Case-fatality risk was 92%.