Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Changes in dog brain hormone system after pituitary gland removal
By Taoda, Takahiro et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2006·School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Functional and morphological changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary posterior lobe system after hypophysectomy in the dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog that underwent surgery to remove the pituitary gland (hypophysectomy) developed symptoms similar to diabetes insipidus, which included excessive thirst and urination. These symptoms usually resolved on their own within two weeks, but the exact reason for this improvement is unclear. Tests showed that the dog's body produced less of a hormone called arginine vasopressin (AVP), which helps regulate water balance. Although the hormone levels increased slightly after surgery, they were still much lower than in normal dogs. This suggests that the surgery affected the brain's ability to produce AVP, but the dog's symptoms improved regardless.
People also search for: dog excessive thirst after surgery · diabetes insipidus symptoms in dogs · pituitary gland surgery effects in dogs
Abstract
Acute diabetes insipidus-like symptoms have been reported as a complication after hypophysectomy in dogs. These symptoms are believed to be the consequence of deficiency of arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion. The symptoms spontaneously resolve within 2 weeks, but the mechanism is unclear. In the present study, AVP secretion related to increases in Na+ concentration and serum osmotic pressure was measured, and immunohistochemical analysis in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei was performed after hypophysectomy in normal dog. In the hypertonic saline test, the plasma AVP concentration slightly increased in hypophysectomized dogs, although the increase was markedly smaller than that in normal dogs. An immunohistochemical study of the hypothalamus nucleus revealed that, AVP-positive cells tended to decrease after hypophysectomy. It suggests that excision of the posterior lobe by surgery injured the axon of magnocellular neuron in the hypothalamus. A decrease in the function and the number of AVP-producing and -secreting magnocellular neurons after hypophysectomy, suggests that the clinical improvement of postoperative diabetes insipidus-like symptoms may not be related to the recovery of AVP secretion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16462109/