Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Young Rat Terrier dog with muscle weakness and swallowing trouble
By Wetterman, C A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2000·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypertrophic muscular dystrophy in a young dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-month-old male Rat Terrier was brought in with symptoms like excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, trouble walking, and overall weakness. Tests showed high levels of a muscle enzyme and abnormal electrical activity in the muscles, indicating muscle damage. A muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of hypertrophic muscular dystrophy, a serious condition affecting muscle fibers. The dog was treated with medications that provided temporary relief, but unfortunately, the disease progressed, and the decision was made to euthanize him.
People also search for: Rat Terrier weakness · dog drooling and difficulty swallowing · muscular dystrophy treatment in dogs
Abstract
Hypertrophic muscular dystrophy was diagnosed in a 10-month-old male Rat Terrier with hypersalivation, dysphagia, gait abnormalities, and generalized weakness. Serum creatine kinase activity was high, and electromyography revealed myotonic discharges. Histologic examination of a muscle biopsy specimen revealed muscle fiber degeneration, clusters of basophilic regenerating fibers, and endomysial fibrosis. Staining for dystrophin, a sarcolemmal protein, was decreased, compared with that in muscle specimens from clinically normal dogs. Treatment with mexiletene hydrochloride and procainamide hydrochloride resulted in temporary improvement in clinical signs, but the disease became refractory to treatment, and the dog was euthanatized. Clinical and histologic characteristics of this dystrophin deficiency-related muscular dystrophy were similar to those of X-linked muscular dystrophy in dogs, hypertrophic muscular dystrophy in cats, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22570900/