Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chronic granulocytic leukemia treated successfully
By Fine, D M & Tvedten, H W·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1999·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Chronic granulocytic leukemia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old spayed dog was found to have a very high white blood cell count after surgery for a uterine infection. Tests showed she had chronic granulocytic leukemia, a rare type of cancer affecting the blood. The vet treated her with a medication called hydroxyurea, which successfully lowered her white blood cell count to normal levels within two months. Remarkably, she has stayed healthy for over two years since her diagnosis, which is longer than the average survival time for this condition.
People also search for: dog high white blood cell count · chronic granulocytic leukemia treatment · dog cancer survival rates
Abstract
A 4-year-old spayed dog had a recent history of increased WBC count and surgery for pyometra. Two weeks after surgery, WBC count was 57,640 cells/microliter; neutrophilia and immature myelocytic cells were detected. Histologic examination of liver and lymph node biopsy specimens revealed active granulopoiesis. Immature granulocytes that stained with chloroacetate esterase were evident. Bone marrow was excessively cellular and contained numerous granulocytes and blast cells. A diagnosis of chronic granulocytic leukemia was made on the basis of test results. Treatment with hydroxyurea returned the WBC count to reference range within 2 months. Mean survival time for dogs with chronic granulocytic leukemia is approximately 1 year; the dog of this report has remained healthy for more than 2 years. Chronic granulocytic leukemia is a rare neoplastic disease that must be differentiated from leukemoid inflammatory reactions. Although commonly described as a diagnosis determined by exclusion, diagnosis of chronic granulocytic leukemia should be made on the basis of specific criteria.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10382023/