Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with pituitary tumor causing acromegaly and diabetes
By Reusch, C et al.·Published in Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde·2019·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Acromegaly due to a pituitary tumor in a dog - diagnosis, therapy and long-term follow-up].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male Labrador Retriever was brought in for diabetes that was hard to manage. The vet noticed that the dog had an unusually large head, tongue, and paws, along with thickened skin on his head and neck. Tests showed high levels of growth hormone, and a CT scan revealed a tumor in the pituitary gland. The dog received radiation therapy, which significantly improved his condition. Unfortunately, after two and a half years, he developed lethargy and loss of appetite and was euthanized, but he had a good quality of life for a long time after treatment.
People also search for: dog diabetes treatment · Labrador Retriever pituitary tumor · dog radiation therapy for tumors
Abstract
Acromegaly due to a pituitary tumor has so far only been described in 3 dogs. The present case report describes a 7-year-old male-castrated Labrador Retriever which was referred because of difficult-to-control diabetes. Physical examination revealed markedly enlarged head, tongue and paws, widened interdental spaces and thickening of the skin in the head and neck area. IGF-1 and GH were increased and the latter continued to be abnormal after somatostatin application. Computed tomography demonstrated a space-occupying lesion in the pituitary gland and the diagnosis of acromegaly due to a GH-producing tumor of the pituitary was made. The dog underwent radiation therapy with a 6MV linear accelerator (3×8Gy) and improved substantially. Two and a half years after radiation therapy the dog developed lethargy and anorexia and was euthanized. Necropsy was not permitted. This case report represents the description of a dog suffering from pituitary-dependent acromegaly which was successfully treated and had a long-term survival.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31064738/