Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Old English Sheepdogs with exercise weakness and muscle lactic
By Breitschwerdt, E B et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1992·Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Episodic weakness associated with exertional lactic acidosis and myopathy in Old English sheepdog littermates.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two Old English Sheepdog littermates, both experiencing weakness during light exercise, were examined for their symptoms. Tests showed signs of lactic acidosis, which means their muscles weren't using oxygen properly, along with abnormal muscle enzyme levels. A muscle biopsy revealed damage and unusual structures in their muscle cells, similar to those seen in certain human muscle diseases. Despite their condition, the dogs showed some improvement in their symptoms after resting. This suggests they may have a genetic issue affecting how their muscles function.
People also search for: Old English Sheepdog weakness during exercise · dog muscle disease symptoms · lactic acidosis in dogs
Abstract
Two Old English Sheepdog littermates were evaluated for weakness that developed during periods of minimally intense exercise. Lactic acidosis accompanied by increased muscle enzyme activity, an increased lactate/pyruvate ratio, and increased venous PO2 supported the possibility of defective mitochondrial oxygen use. Electromyographic abnormalities included increased insertional activity and complex repetitive discharges. Muscle alterations included scattered myofiber necrosis, abundant endomysial connective tissue, excessive glycogen accumulation, and greater than normal numbers and vacuolation of mitochondria. A distinctive pattern of subsarcolemmal mitochondrial aggregates, referred to as "ragged red fibers" in human mitochondrial myopathies, was observed in muscle biopsy samples from 1 dog. Several features of the disease in these dogs, including onset of weakness during early life, simultaneous disease in littermates, subtle nonprogressive weakness of at least 3 years' duration, and partial reversibility of lactic acidosis following rest were suggestive of an inborn error of metabolism, consistent with mitochondrial myopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1399775/