Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low blood sugar and seizures in dogs with smooth muscle tumors
By Beaudry, D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1995·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypoglycemia in four dogs with smooth muscle tumors.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female dog with a smooth muscle tumor was brought in for severe weakness and seizures. The vet found that her blood sugar levels were dangerously low, which was linked to the tumor. After surgically removing the tumor, her blood sugar returned to normal, and her symptoms improved significantly. Follow-up showed that she remained healthy and free of symptoms for over a year after the surgery.
People also search for: dog seizures low blood sugar · smooth muscle tumor in dogs · dog weakness treatment · hypoglycemia in dogs symptoms
Abstract
Tumor-associated hypoglycemia has been reported in dogs with pancreatic beta-cell tumors, hepatic tumors, and, rarely, with other neoplasms. This article describes 4 dogs with marked hypoglycemia associated with smooth muscle tumors (jejunal leiomyoma, gastric leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma, and splenic leiomyosarcoma). Presenting clinical signs included grand mal seizures, lethargy, weakness, ataxia, and, in 1 dog, polyuria/polydipsia. The serum insulin concentration was low in 1 dog and normal in the other dog evaluated. Immunohistochemical staining for insulin was negative in the 4 tumors; the 3 tumors arising from the stomach and jejunum stained diffusely positive for glucagon. Blood glucose concentrations rapidly returned to normal after complete surgical resection of the tumors, and clinical signs associated with hypoglycemia resolved. Long-term follow-up available in 3 of the 4 dogs found no recurrence of clinical signs related to hypoglycemia at 15, 31, and 38 months after surgery, respectively.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8558489/