Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with heart plasma cell tumor causing amyloid buildup in heart
By Alessandrino, K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2023·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Myocardial plasma cell tumor with intratumoral amyloidosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in for excessive thirst and urination, and tests revealed high calcium levels. During the examination, the vet found a heart murmur and an ultrasound showed a mass in the heart. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized, and further examination revealed a tumor in the heart that was producing amyloid, a protein that can cause organ damage. This case highlights the importance of checking the heart in dogs with certain blood disorders, even if they don’t show obvious heart-related symptoms.
People also search for: dog heart murmur · dog high calcium levels · mixed breed dog tumor treatment
Abstract
A 12-year-old mixed breed dog was evaluated for marked hypercalcemia that was identified during assessment for acute polydipsia and polyuria. Physical examination identified a new grade II/VI left apical systolic murmur. A mass involving the left ventricular posterior wall and left atrium was identified by echocardiography, suggesting neoplastic invasion into the myocardium. The patient was euthanized, and post-mortem cardiac evaluation identified an intramyocardial amyloid-producing plasma cell tumor. Multiple myeloma was suspected but could not be confirmed due to the limited post-mortem evaluation. This case is the first report of myocardial amyloidosis in a dog with a myeloma-related disorder (MRD). Dogs with MRD and myocardial involvement may not exhibit clinical signs that localize to the cardiovascular system; therefore, echocardiography should be considered during the staging process.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37918088/