Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with swollen neck and breathing trouble from immune thyroid
By Granger, Kyle L et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Steroid-responsive immune-mediated thyroiditis in a young dog with multi-systemic pyogranulomatous inflammation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old neutered male Posavac Hound was brought to the vet with a swollen neck, trouble breathing, and signs of systemic inflammation. Tests showed he had very low thyroid hormone levels and other abnormalities indicating an immune response. Imaging revealed enlarged thyroid glands and lung nodules. The dog started treatment with steroids and thyroid hormone supplements, which led to a quick improvement in his symptoms and a return to normal blood values within about two months.
People also search for: dog neck swelling · hypothyroidism treatment in dogs · Posavac Hound breathing problems
Abstract
A 3-year-old neutered male Posavac Hound presented with rapidly progressive cervical swelling, respiratory distress, and systemic inflammation. Diagnostics confirmed severe hypothyroidism [total thyroxine (TT4) < 0.5 μg/dL, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) 5.54 ng/dL], elevated thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAA 131%), hyperglobulinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and mild ionized hypercalcemia. Imaging showed bilateral thyroid enlargement with cavitated necrosis, pulmonary nodules, and lymphadenopathy. Cytology revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation without infectious organisms, and infectious disease screening was negative. Protein electrophoresis and immunofixation revealed elevated IgG4, suggesting immune-mediated dysregulation. The dog responded rapidly to prednisolone and thyroid hormone supplementation, with resolution of clinical signs and normalization of inflammatory markers by ~60 days. This report describes a unique case of immune-mediated thyroiditis with systemic inflammatory involvement that responded to steroids, emphasizing the importance of considering immune-mediated thyroiditis as a differential diagnosis for acute cervical neck swelling in a young dog with concurrent pulmonary involvement.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41473107/