About The Webinar
Sleep disorders are infrequently seen in small animal practice but can mimic common conditions, such as syncope or seizures, and can lead to misdiagnosis. Several sleep disorders have been reported in people but in animals narcolepsy/ cataplexy and REM sleep behaviour disorder are the most common ones. Narcolepsy is characterised by the tendency to fall asleep, disturbed night sleep and cataplexy. Cataplexy is an exaggerated manifestation of narcolepsy in which sudden collapse occurs from complete atonia of the skeletal muscles. Cataplectic episodes, if frequent, are not difficult to diagnose, however some cases are more challenging and pharmacological testing or a food stimulation trial may be required. Furthermore, REM sleep behaviour disorder is characterised by involuntary, sometimes violent, muscle contractions during sleep that cease as soon as the animal is aroused. In this webinar we discuss about these less common conditions and how to manage them.
