Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Juvenile Akitas with fever and painful joint swelling
By Dougherty, S A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1991·Department of Clinical Science, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Juvenile-onset polyarthritis syndrome in Akitas.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two young Akitas were brought to the vet because they were experiencing severe joint pain and fever. After reviewing medical records, it was found that several other Akitas had similar symptoms, which may be linked to genetics. Some of these dogs also had signs of meningitis, which is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs helped two of the dogs fully recover, while two others showed some improvement.
People also search for: Akita joint pain treatment · juvenile arthritis in dogs · Akita fever and joint issues · immunosuppressive drugs for dogs
Abstract
Two young Akitas were examined because of manifestation of a juvenile-onset form of polyarthritis. A search of medical records at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine found 6 more similarly affected Akitas. The clinical manifestations were marked by cyclic febrile illness and signs of profound joint-related pain. Two dogs had concurrent aseptic meningitis. The syndrome resembles juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in human beings, although it shares features with systemic lupus erythematosus. Pedigree analysis of affected Akitas supported a heritable component to the syndrome. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs was effective in 2 dogs that achieved complete remission, and in 2 dogs that achieved only partial remission. Classification of this syndrome is difficult and may represent an "overlap" syndrome commonly described in human beings.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2026537/