Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horner syndrome in a golden retriever linked to carotid artery injury
By Davini, Tommaso et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Anicura "Ospedale Veterinario I Portoni Rossi", Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Horner Syndrome Secondary to Suspected Internal Carotid Artery Dissection in a Golden Retriever.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male golden retriever was brought in after showing signs of Horner syndrome, which included a droopy eyelid and a smaller pupil in his left eye. The vet performed imaging tests, including an MRI and CT scan, which revealed a narrowing and irregularity in the dog's left internal carotid artery, indicating a possible dissection of the artery. While the dog did not show any other neurological issues, the findings suggest that this condition could be a cause of Horner syndrome in dogs. Treatment options would depend on the severity of the dissection and the dog's overall health.
People also search for: golden retriever Horner syndrome symptoms · dog eye problems droopy eyelid · internal carotid artery dissection in dogs
Abstract
A 5-year-old male golden retriever was presented after a subacute onset of left-sided Horner syndrome (HS). The dog had anisocoria with left-sided miosis, ptosis of the upper eyelid, and third eyelid protrusion in the left eye. Because of the absence of additional neurological abnormalities, clinical signs were suggestive of left isolated HS, and the lesion was localized at the level of either the preganglionic or postganglionic neuron of the sympathetic chain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head and total body computed tomography (CT) identified marked narrowing and irregularity of the left internal carotid artery (ICA) in addition to loss of normal vessel flow-void and T1-weighted hyperintensity in the lumen of the left ICA. Except for these abnormalities, MRI and CT results were normal. These findings were suggestive of left internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD), suggesting that ICAD should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis of HS in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40873263/