Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Muscle wasting and stiff walk in Shiba dog linked to myotonic
By Shiga, Takanori et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2018·Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Japan·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Electrophysiological and histopathological findings of muscular disease suspected as myotonic dystrophy in a Shiba dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male Shiba Inu was brought in for muscle wasting and a stiff gait. Tests showed unusual electrical activity in the muscles, and a biopsy revealed variations in muscle fiber size along with some abnormal structures. The veterinarian suspected myotonic dystrophy, a genetic muscle disorder, which may be linked to problems with the mitochondria, the energy-producing parts of cells. While the exact treatment wasn't detailed, understanding the condition can help guide future care and management for the dog's symptoms.
People also search for: Shiba Inu muscle wasting · myotonic dystrophy in dogs · stiff gait in dogs treatment
Abstract
An 8-year-old male Japanese Shiba exhibited muscle wasting and a stiff gait. A low-amplitude myotonic discharge was recorded by needle electromyography (EMG). A histopathological examination on a tru-cut biopsy sample from the muscle revealed myofiber size variations. Internal nuclei and cytoplasmic vacuoles were observed in many fibers. A type 1 fiber predominance and many hybrid type fibers were observed immunohistochemically. On the basis of these EMG and histopathological findings, myotonic dystrophy (DM) was suspected as tentative diagnosis. The cytoplasm around the vacuoles was immunopositive for cytochrome c, tom 20, and SOD-1, suggesting that these vacuoles might occur within mitochondria. Collectively, these results indicate that a mitochondrial abnormality partly play the role on the pathogenesis of present case.
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/29311426/