Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with red skin rash linked to thymoma tumor treated by surgery
By Tepper, Laura C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis of erythema multiforme associated with thymoma in a dog and treated with thymectomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador retriever was brought in for severe bad breath, drooling, and changes in the color of its nose. After some tests, the dog was diagnosed with a skin condition called erythema multiforme, but treatment didn’t help. Six months later, the dog was found to have a mass in its chest, which turned out to be a thymoma (a type of tumor). The tumor was surgically removed, and the dog recovered well. Four months after the surgery, the skin condition had improved significantly, and no medication was needed to manage it.
People also search for: dog bad breath · Labrador skin problems · thymoma treatment in dogs · dog drooling causes · erythema multiforme in dogs
Abstract
A 7 yr old Labrador retriever initially presented for severe halitosis, mild ptylism, and depigmentation of the nasal planum. Erythema multiforme was diagnosed based on clinical signs and dermatopathology. Treatment was initiated but the condition did not resolve. Six months later, the dog was diagnosed with a mediastinal mass. Trucut biopsy was performed and histopathologic diagnosis was consistent with a thymoma. A median sternotomy was performed, the thymoma was excised, and the dog recovered well. Four months postoperatively, there were no longer any obvious erythema multiforme lesions and the skin condition was controlled without medication. Erythema multiforme may be a paraneoplastic disorder associated with thymoma in the dog, similar to thymoma-associated exfoliative dermatitis in the cat. Clinical signs of erythema multiforme may warrant performing thoracic radiographs or thoracic CT to rule out thymoma as an underlying cause.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21357615/