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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with stiff back legs and joint bleeding diagnosed with immune

By Walton, M B et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative orthopaedics and traumatology : V.C.O.T·2014·Myles Benjamin Walton, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Lameness associated with tarsal haemarthrosis as the sole clinical sign of idiopathic immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in a dog.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 4-year-old male Cocker Spaniel was brought in because he was having stiffness in his back legs. The vet found swelling in both ankle joints and discovered that there had been bleeding in those areas. After some tests, the dog was diagnosed with idiopathic immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, a condition where the immune system attacks platelets, leading to bleeding issues. He was treated with prednisolone and azathioprine, and he responded well to the treatment, showing improvement in his condition.

People also search for: dog back leg stiffness · Cocker Spaniel bleeding joints · immune-mediated thrombocytopenia treatment

Abstract

A four-year-old, male Cocker Spaniel was presented for investigation of pelvic limb stiffness. There was palpable effusion of both tarsi, and analysis of synovial fluid from these joints indicated previous haemorrhage. After further investigation a diagnosis of idiopathic immune-mediated thrombocytopenia was made. The dog responded to treatment with prednisolone and azathioprine. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of confirmed haemarthrosis as the sole presenting clinical sign for canine idiopathic immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25327981/