Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Alaskan husky with brain damage causing blindness and weakness
By Wakshlag, J J et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·1999·Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Subacute necrotising encephalopathy in an Alaskan husky.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 29-month-old female Alaskan husky was brought to the vet because she was unable to stand, had weakness in all four legs, and showed signs of confusion and blindness. Over two months, her condition improved to mild coordination issues and some difficulty eating, but she still had reduced responses to visual stimuli. MRI scans showed brain damage, and further tests confirmed degeneration in specific areas of her brain. Unfortunately, the diagnosis suggested a serious condition similar to Leigh's disease in humans, indicating a mitochondrial issue affecting her brain function.
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Abstract
A 29-month-old female Alaskan husky was presented recumbent, tetraparetic and in a state of dementia, with blindness and cranial nerve deficits. The dog's progress was followed for over two months, as the signs resolved to an non-progressive mild hypermetria with slight proprioceptive ataxia, a diminished menace response and inability to prehend food. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed bilateral cavitation extending from the thalamus to the medulla, with less pronounced degenerative lesions in the caudate nucleus, putamen and claustrum. Cerebrospinal fluid lactate and pyruvate concentrations were in their normal ranges. Necropsy and histological examination confirmed the MRI findings as well as neuronal degeneration of the cerebellar cortex in the vermis and degenerative changes in the neocortex at the depths of the cerebral sulci. In view of the similarity of lesions to subacute necrotising encephalomyelopathy, known as Leigh's disease in humans, a tentative diagnosis of a mitochondrial encephalopathy was made.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10664957/