Clinical signs, management, and survival of 278 dogs diagnosed with insulinoma under primary veterinary care in the United Kingdom.

Referral and surgical treatment improve survival in canine insulinoma.

This UK-based study analyzed 278 dogs with insulinoma from a population of 225,074 dogs to characterize clinical presentation, management approaches, and survival outcomes in primary veterinary care settings. Seizures, weakness, collapse/syncope, and muscle fasciculations were the predominant clinical signs. Risk factors for surgical intervention included spaniel breed, presence of epileptiform seizures, and referral to specialist centers. Surgical treatment was associated with significantly improved survival compared to medical management alone (HR 0.49). Referred dogs demonstrated markedly longer median survival (673 days) versus non-referred dogs (275 days). The findings underscore the importance of specialist referral and surgical management in improving outcomes for dogs with insulinoma, contrasting with previous literature focused primarily on referral populations.

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