Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with front leg weakness caused by artery blood clot not nerve
By Andruzzi, Melissa N et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Department of Small Animal Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Brachial artery thrombosis in a dog causing monoparesis mimicking nerve sheath tumor.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male mixed breed dog was brought in for non-weight-bearing lameness in his front leg, which had been happening episodically. The dog's leg appeared atrophied, and his paw pads felt cool to the touch, indicating a possible circulation issue. After various imaging tests and surgery, vets discovered a blood clot in the right brachial artery. The dog has been successfully treated with long-term medications, rivaroxaban and clopidogrel, which help prevent further clotting. Follow-up tests showed signs of improvement in the affected area.
People also search for: dog front leg lameness · blood clot in dog leg · treatment for dog limb atrophy · dog circulation problems · rivaroxaban for dogs
Abstract
There are few differential diagnoses for non-orthopedic thoracic limb lameness in adult dogs aside from nerve tumors and disk-associated nerve compression; this report introduces another etiology. A 9-year-old male castrated mixed dog presented with an episodic history of nonweight-bearing thoracic limb lameness. Additional clinical signs included an atrophied thoracic limb with cool paw pads and painful axillary region. Magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, ultrasound, and exploratory surgery confirmed a chronic thrombus of the right brachial artery. No underlying cause for the thrombus was identified. The dog has been successfully managed on long-term rivaroxaban and clopidogrel. Follow-up ultrasound of the thrombus suggested early remodeling.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34258788/