Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Muscular dystrophy causing weakness and swallowing trouble in female
By Munday, J S et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2015·Institute of Veterinary·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Muscular dystrophy due to a sarcoglycan deficiency in a female Dobermann dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A four-month-old female Dobermann was brought in because she was weak, had trouble swallowing, and was losing weight. After several tests, the vet found that she had a serious muscle condition called muscular dystrophy due to a lack of a protein called sarcoglycan. To help her eat, the vet placed a feeding tube, and although she continued to lose muscle mass, she gained weight over the next five months. Sadly, she developed pneumonia and passed away at 14 months old, but she had a decent quality of life for about 10 months after her initial symptoms appeared.
People also search for: Dobermann muscle weakness · dog swallowing problems · muscular dystrophy treatment in dogs
Abstract
A four-month-old female Dobermann presented with myalgia, dysphagia, progressive weakness and loss of body condition. Diagnostic evaluation at nine months of age revealed markedly elevated serum creatine kinase activity, electromyographic abnormalities and histological evidence of chronic-active muscle necrosis. Imaging confirmed dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia. Muscular dystrophy was suspected and immunohistochemical staining of muscle cryosections demonstrated reduced sarcoglycans. Treatment consisted of gastrostomy, and over the next 5 months the dog gained weight, despite continued loss of muscle mass. The dog died at 14 months of age after developing clinical signs of aspiration pneumonia. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of muscular dystrophy in a Dobermann and only the second detailed report of a canine sarcoglycanopathy. Supportive care resulted in an acceptable quality of life for 10 months after clinical signs were first observed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25482856/