Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hind leg muscle disease causing lameness in 18 dogs
By Lewis, D D et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1997·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Gracilis or semitendinosus myopathy in 18 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in for a strange walking pattern, showing a shortened stride and unusual paw movements. The dog was diagnosed with gracilis myopathy, a condition affecting the muscles in the hind leg. While some dogs received medical treatment without improvement, most underwent surgery to remove or repair the affected muscle. Although surgery initially resolved the lameness, many dogs experienced a return of symptoms within a few months. Unfortunately, there was no way to prevent this recurrence, and the exact cause of the muscle issue remained unknown.
People also search for: dog hind leg weakness · gracilis myopathy in dogs · dog surgery for muscle problems
Abstract
The clinical findings in 18 dogs with gracilis (n = 17) or semitendinosus (n = 1) myopathy are described. Each dog had a similar hind-limb gait abnormality characterized by a shortened stride with a rapid, elastic medial rotation of the paw, internal rotation of the hock and external rotation of the calcaneus [corrected] and internal rotation of the stifle during the mid-to-late swing phase of the stride. Medical management prior to or in lieu of surgery was attempted (n = 8) with no apparent response. Fifteen dogs had one or multiple surgical procedures. Although transection, partial excision, or complete resection of the affected muscle resulted in resolution of lameness following surgery, lameness recurred six weeks to five months (mean, 2.5 months; median, two months) following surgery. Adjunctive medical treatment did not prevent recurrence. Variable replacement of the affected muscle with fibrous connective tissue (predominantly along the caudolateral border of the muscle) was evident grossly, and replacement of myofibers with fibrous connective tissue was confirmed histologically. A definitive etiology could not be established.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9111730/