Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone loss disease in Scottish terriers affecting skull and limbs
By Hay, C W et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1999·School of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Idiopathic multifocal osteopathy in four Scottish terriers (1991-1996).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four Scottish terriers were diagnosed with a rare bone condition called idiopathic multifocal osteopathy, which caused areas of missing bone in their skulls and limbs. Unfortunately, two of the dogs had to be euthanized due to the disease's progression, one died suddenly, and the fourth was euthanized for a separate oral melanoma. This condition seems to affect related dogs, suggesting a genetic link. Sadly, there is no known effective treatment for this disease, and it remains a serious concern for affected pets.
People also search for: Scottish terrier bone disease · dog osteopathy symptoms · why is my dog losing bone density
Abstract
This case series describes four Scottish terriers with an osteopathic condition, characterized by multifocal absence of bone in the skull, cervical spine, and proximal radii, ulnae, and femora. All dogs were affected clinically; two dogs were euthanized due to progression of the disease, one died acutely, and one was euthanized for an oral melanoma. Histopathology in one case was characterized by osteoclastic osteolysis and replacement of bone with fibrous tissue. This disease has some characteristics of human osteolysis syndromes. Three of the dogs were related through pedigree analysis, and the pedigree of the other dog was not available. The name, idiopathic multifocal osteopathy, is used to describe a new disease in dogs, found particularly in Scottish terriers.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9934931/