Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog treated for immune disease developed skin calcium and heart attack
By Hsu, Kimberly et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2012·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism, calcinosis cutis, and myocardial infarction in a dog treated for IMT.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male English bulldog was being treated for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (a condition where the immune system attacks platelets) when he developed calcinosis cutis, a skin condition where calcium deposits form under the skin, 90 days into corticosteroid treatment. Shortly after, he collapsed and was found to be in a coma, ultimately leading to euthanasia. A postmortem exam showed that he had suffered a heart attack due to coronary arteriosclerosis, likely a complication from the corticosteroids. Unfortunately, the treatment did not save him, and he experienced severe side effects from the medication.
People also search for: bulldog calcinosis cutis treatment · immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in dogs · dog heart attack symptoms
Abstract
An 8 yr old male English bulldog receiving treatment for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia was diagnosed with calcinosis cutis 90 days after initiation of corticosteroid therapy. Twenty-four days later, the patient presented in a comatose state after collapsing and was euthanized. Postmortem examination revealed coronary arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction leading to congestive heart failure. Calcinosis cutis and myocardial necrosis were most likely complications associated with administration of corticosteroids in this dog. Important implications regarding the classification of calcinosis cutis and the use of immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22474044/