Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with muscle weakness and thymic tumor treated with surgery
By Stenner, V J et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2003·Department of Veterinary Clinic and Hospital, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acquired myasthenia gravis associated with a non-invasive thymic carcinoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8 1/2-year-old neutered male Beagle was brought to the vet because he was having trouble with muscle weakness, a condition known as acquired myasthenia gravis, which was linked to a non-invasive thymic tumor. The vet surgically removed the tumor and treated the dog with medications including pyridostigmine, prednisolone, and azathioprine. Over 24 weeks, the dog's muscle strength improved, but he continued to have issues with swallowing. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized 26 weeks later due to another health problem, but a necropsy showed that the tumor had not returned or spread.
People also search for: Beagle muscle weakness treatment · dog thymic tumor symptoms · acquired myasthenia gravis in dogs
Abstract
An 8 1/2-year-old neutered male Beagle was diagnosed with acquired myasthenia gravis associated with a non-invasive thymic carcinoma. The thymic mass was surgically excised and the dog was treated with pyridostigmine, prednisolone and azathioprine. Serial acetylcholine receptor antibody titres were increased initially but slowly declined to normal values over a period of 24 weeks. Improved exercise tolerance was seen following therapy, however, oesophageal dysfunction persisted. The dog was euthanased 26 weeks after initial presentation due to a complicating illness. A necropsy showed no regrowth or metastasis of the thymic carcinoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15086092/