Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spontaneous liver rupture in six cats with amyloidosis
By Beatty, J A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2002·University Veterinary Centre, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Spontaneous hepatic rupture in six cats with systemic amyloidosis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Devon Rex cat was brought to the vet after showing signs of severe abdominal pain and lethargy. The vet discovered that the cat had a spontaneous rupture of the liver due to a buildup of amyloid, a condition that can affect the liver and is often hereditary. This cat's case was unusual because it wasn't linked to a breeding cattery, and other cats in the household were healthy. Unfortunately, despite efforts to treat the condition, the cat did not survive. This highlights the importance of considering liver amyloidosis in young adult cats with unexplained symptoms.
People also search for: cat abdominal pain · liver disease in cats · spontaneous liver rupture in cats · feline amyloidosis symptoms · Devon Rex health issues
Abstract
Spontaneous hepatic rupture, secondary to the accumulation of hepatic amyloid, was diagnosed in six cats over a two-year period. Previous reports of feline hepatic amyloidosis have documented clusters of cases from breeding catteries. Most affected cats have been Siamese or a related breed and the disease is generally regarded as familial. In contrast, the cases presented here were sporadic, with relatives and other cats in the household not clinically affected. They included a Devon rex, a breed not previously reported with this condition, and a domestic shorthair. Clinical signs in three of these cases had, prior to referral, been misinterpreted as resulting from blunt trauma, immune-mediated haemolysis or a coagulopathy. Antemortem diagnostic features, including new data on the value of hepatic ultrasonography and fine-needle aspirate cytology, are reported. These cases illustrate how the course of this disease can vary between individuals and that, despite the dramatic underlying pathology, hepatic amyloidosis can present a diagnostic challenge and should be suspected in any young adult cat with consistent clinical signs, irrespective of breed or environment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12201445/