Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Complete heart block and lupus diagnosis in a 5-year-old dog
By Malik, R et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2003·University Veterinary Centre Sydney, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Complete heart block associated with lupus in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Poodle-cross was brought to the vet because it was having trouble exercising and chewing. Later, the dog suddenly became very tired and was diagnosed with complete heart block, a serious heart condition. Further tests revealed that the dog had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, along with other health issues. The vet treated the dog with cortisone and azathioprine, which helped manage the lupus for about 10 months. Unfortunately, the dog later developed a serious infection that led to its passing.
People also search for: dog heart block treatment · Poodle-cross exercise intolerance · systemic lupus erythematosus in dogs
Abstract
A 5-year-old Poodle-cross was initially presented for exercise intolerance and difficulty in chewing and yawning. Some months later it acutely developed lethargy referable to complete heart block. Further investigations before and after permanent pacemaker implantation demonstrated Coombs-positive immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia, presumptive masticatory myositis and hypoadrenocorticism, suggesting the possibility of multisystem auto-immune disease. A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made based on these findings and a positive anti-nuclear antibody titre. It was thought that immune-mediated destruction of cardiac conduction tissues was responsible for the development of atrioventricular conduction block. Glucocorticoid deficiency was corrected using cortisone replacement therapy. SLE was controlled successfully for 10 months using azathioprine monotherapy until signs, subsequently shown to be due to subacute bacterial endocarditis, resulted in the death of the patient. Lupus should be considered as a potential underlying aetiology in dogs that develop heart block.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15084050/