Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with multiple leg lameness and joint swelling from adrenal cancer
By Swindell, Madeleine et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Osteolytic metastases from a pheochromocytoma presenting as multiple limb lameness and joint swelling in a dog: a case report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old neutered male mixed-breed dog was brought in for multiple limb lameness and swelling in the joints that developed over three weeks. Tests showed a mass in the right adrenal gland and extensive spread of cancer to the bones and other organs. Unfortunately, due to the poor prognosis, the dog was humanely euthanized. A postmortem exam confirmed that the dog had a malignant tumor called a pheochromocytoma, which had spread throughout the body. This case highlights the need for veterinarians to consider this type of tumor when dogs show similar symptoms to joint problems.
People also search for: dog joint swelling · mixed-breed dog lameness · pheochromocytoma in dogs · dog cancer treatment options · why is my dog limping
Abstract
Clinical signs due to distant bony metastasis from a malignant pheochromocytoma are rare in dogs, with the majority of reported cases presenting as single-limb lameness. This case report describes a 6-year-old neutered male mixed-breed dog presenting with multiple limb lameness and joint swelling that occurred over 3 weeks. Computed tomography revealed a mass in the right adrenal gland with extensive intrathoracic, intra-abdominal, and skeletal metastases. Because of the poor prognosis, the dog was humanely euthanized. A postmortem examination revealed a primary neoplasm of the right adrenal gland with metastases affecting the contralateral adrenal gland, kidneys, lungs, liver, and bones of the appendicular and axial skeletons. Immunohistochemistry confirmed a metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma of the right adrenal gland, consistent with a pheochromocytoma. This case is a unique presentation of polyostotic metastases from a pheochromocytoma and emphasizes the importance of including this tumor in the differential diagnosis of dogs presenting with symptoms identical to those of polyarthritis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41321567/