Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leukoreduction treatment in a dog with acute leukemia
By Hanratty, Brenna et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Friendship Hospital for Animals, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Leukoreduction in a dog with acute leukemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old male golden retriever cross was brought in because he suddenly had trouble walking. Blood tests showed he had very high white blood cell counts, low red blood cells, and low platelets, indicating he likely had acute leukemia. To help reduce the number of abnormal cells, the vet performed a procedure called leukapheresis, which lowered his white blood cell count significantly. After this treatment, the dog started chemotherapy for several weeks but sadly lived for only 43 days before his owner chose to end his suffering.
People also search for: dog ataxia · golden retriever leukemia treatment · dog chemotherapy side effects
Abstract
A 9-year-old male castrated golden retriever cross was evaluated for an acute onset of ataxia. A complete blood count revealed marked leukocytosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Leukocytosis was characterized by marked lymphocytosis, monocytosis, neutropenia, and eosinopenia. Flow cytometry identified CD34+ leukocytosis with cells that did not express lineage antigens, suggesting the most likely diagnosis of either acute lymphoid or myeloid leukemia. Leukoreduction via leukapheresis was elected to reduce the disease burden before initiating chemotherapy. Postleukoreduction, the dog had a 54% decrease in their white blood cell count. The dog completed multiple weeks of traditional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (CHOP)-based treatment and had a survival time of 43 days before the owner elected humane euthanasia. To our knowledge, this report represents a case of acute leukemia in a dog treated with leukoreduction before starting chemotherapy.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39701557/