Therapeutic usage of omeprazole and corticoid in a dog with hydrocephalus unresponsive to conventional therapy

Medical therapy for hydrocephalus includes the administration of medications to limit the production of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) resulting in reduced intracranial pressure (ICP). This report describes the clinical findings in one dog with congenital hydrocephalus that was unresponsive to conventional medical treatment (steroids) but demonstrated good response to omeprazole when this drug was added to the steroid. Omeprazole might decrease the CSF production by about 26% according to experimental studies with healthy dogs, but the usage of the omeprazole in clinical trials with affected dogs such as hydrocephalic animals is lacking. The results of this report might suggest that omeprazole can be used added to steroids to ameliorate the neurological status in dogs with increased ICP by hydrocephalus.