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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Puppy with progressive weakness and seizures diagnosed with new brain

By Sisó, S et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2005·Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: A novel leucodystrophy in a dog.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 2-month-old female crossbred puppy was brought in for progressive weakness in all four legs, head tremors, and seizures. Upon examination, the vet found severe damage to the brain's white matter, particularly affecting the cerebellum and spinal cord. This condition was identified as a type of leucodystrophy, which is a genetic disorder affecting the brain's myelin. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the condition, treatment options are limited, and the prognosis is poor for affected puppies.

People also search for: puppy seizures · puppy weakness in legs · leucodystrophy in dogs · genetic disorders in puppies

Abstract

A diffuse, bilaterally symmetrical leucoencephalopathy was observed in a 2-month-old female crossbred puppy with a clinical history of progressive tetraparesis with front limb hypermetria, head tremor and seizures. Severe myelinolytic lesions with significant macrophage infiltration were confined to the white matter, mainly of the cerebellum and spinal cord. Moderate loss of myelin with severe gliosis predominated in the cerebrum. Axonal degeneration and axonal loss accompanied myelin degeneration. This disease was classified as a leucodystrophy. The clinical signs and certain features of the lesions (morphology and distribution), differed from those in previously described degenerative myelinolytic diseases in animals. The possible occurrence of the disorder in a littermate suggested a genetic basis.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15737351/