Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with muscle jerks and high calcium from blood cancer
By Hare, Cassia H Z et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Myoclonus and hypercalcemia in a dog with poorly differentiated lymphoproliferative neoplasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1-year, 8-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback was brought to the vet because he was lethargic, had trouble walking, and was experiencing muscle twitching. Blood tests showed high calcium levels, low platelet counts, and anemia. Further tests revealed a serious condition called B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma or acute leukemia, which was affecting his bone marrow and causing his symptoms. Unfortunately, despite the veterinary team's efforts to diagnose and treat him, the dog had a very aggressive form of cancer that made recovery unlikely.
People also search for: dog muscle twitching · Rhodesian Ridgeback cancer symptoms · high calcium levels in dogs
Abstract
A 1-year, 8-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback was presented with obtundation, ambulatory tetraparesis, and myoclonus. Initial clinical findings included ionized hypercalcemia with an apparent marked increase in parathyroid hormone, thrombocytopenia, and nonregenerative anemia. Low numbers of circulating atypical cells were noted on blood film evaluation. Brain magnetic resonance imaging identified an extra-axial contrast enhancing subtentorial lesion, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis documented a marked atypical lymphocytic pleocytosis. Flow cytometry performed on the CSF demonstrated expression of only CD45, CD90, and MHC class II, with Pax5 positivity on subsequent immunohistochemistry. The final diagnosis was of B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma or acute leukemia, given the distribution of disease and the presence of significant bone marrow infiltration alongside an aggressive clinical course. The unusual immunophenotype of the neoplastic cells and hypercalcemia presented antemortem diagnostic challenges, highlighting the need for a multidisciplinary approach and caution in the interpretation of clinical abnormalities in cases with multiple comorbidities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30561032/