Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Limping boxer dog with bone disease linked to heart infection
By Dunn, M E et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2007·Department of Clinical Sciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypertrophic osteopathy associated with infective endocarditis in an adult boxer dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 20-month-old male boxer was brought in because he was lethargic and had trouble walking, showing lameness in his legs. Tests showed he had a serious heart infection (infective endocarditis) affecting his aortic valve, which was causing severe issues with blood flow and a condition called hypertrophic osteopathy, where the bones become thickened. Unfortunately, despite treatment, the dog was euthanized just four days later due to the severity of his condition. This case highlights a rare link between heart infections and bone problems in dogs.
People also search for: boxer dog lethargy · dog heart infection symptoms · hypertrophic osteopathy treatment in dogs
Abstract
A 20-month-old, entire male boxer dog was presented with lethargy and intermittent shifting limb lameness. Diagnostic tests revealed aortic valve vegetations suggestive of infective endocarditis causing severe aortic outflow obstruction, and hypertrophic osteopathy of all four limbs. The dog was treated symptomatically and euthanised four days later. The association of infective endocarditis and hypertrophic osteopathy has been poorly documented in the veterinary literature. The pathogenesis of hypertrophic osteopathy is unknown; however, four theories have been put forth to explain this disease: pulmonary shunting, vagal nerve stimulation, humoral substances produced by neoplastic cells and megakaryocyte/platelet clump hypothesis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17286663/