Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden blindness linked to ovarian tumor and brain
By Sapienza, Hunter P et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2026·William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Optic neuritis and meningoencephalitis associated with an ovarian teratoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old female Pit Bull mix was brought to the vet because she suddenly lost her vision. Tests showed she had inflammation of the optic nerves, and an MRI revealed lesions in her brain. Further examination found a cystic mass on her ovary, which turned out to be an ovarian teratoma (a type of tumor). After surgery to remove the tumor and a 40-day course of corticosteroids, her vision improved in one eye, but she still had some vision loss in the other. Three years later, she was doing well with no signs of neurological issues.
People also search for: dog sudden vision loss · Pit Bull eye problems · ovarian teratoma in dogs treatment
Abstract
A 3-year-old intact female Pit Bull Terrier mix-breed dog was examined because of acute vision loss. Ophthalmologic examination was consistent with bilateral optic neuritis. Abnormalities were not detected on the remainder of the neurological examination. Brain MRI identified multifocal lesions involving the optic nerves and cortical gray matter, while cerebrospinal fluid analysis demonstrated mixed pleocytosis. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a cystic ovarian mass. Ovariohysterectomy was performed and histopathologic examination was consistent with an ovarian teratoma. Neural tissue within the teratoma featured extensive perivascular cuffing and immunohistochemistry confirmed mixed lymphocytic infiltration. After tumor resection, the dog was treated with corticosteroid for 40 days, leading to resolution of pleocytosis. Vision was preserved in the left eye but there was persistent vision loss in the right eye. Three years after initial presentation, good quality of life with no behavioral evidence of neurological disease or relapse was reported. This case highlights a suspected paraneoplastic neurological syndrome associated with an ovarian teratoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42160751/