Dog with skin ulcers from pancreatic tumor treated successfully

Abstract

Necrolytic migratory erythema (NME; also known as superficial necrolytic dermatitis) is a syndrome most often associated with certain chronic liver diseases or pancreatic glucagonomas. In humans with glucagonoma-associated NME, skin lesions usually respond to octreotide, a somatostatin analogue that inhibits glucagon release. In this report an 11-year-old golden retriever dog with pancreatic glucagonoma and metastasis to the regional lymph nodes, spleen and liver was diagnosed with NME. The dog exhibited erosions, ulcers and crusts on the paws, pressure points, muzzle, periocular area and prepuce. The dog was also anorexic and had difficulty walking. Because metastasis precluded surgery, treatment was initiated with subcutaneous octreotide (2 μg/kg twice daily). Skin lesions and systemic clinical signs improved markedly within 5 days. The dosage was increased to nearly 3 μg/kg twice daily and signs almost completely resolved within 10 days. Anorexia was the major adverse effect observed. During the following month, both dosage (1-3.7 μg/kg) and frequency (two to four times daily) of the octreotide injections were adjusted to permit control of clinical signs while maintaining adequate appetite. Temporary cessation of octreotide administration resulted in the rapid recurrence of skin lesions. Resuming injections led to improvement of clinical signs within 48 h. The dog was later euthanized because of progressive metastatic disease. In conclusion, subcutaneous octreotide injections were beneficial in this dog with glucagonoma-associated NME. This somatostatin analogue could be a valuable option to treat canine patients with non-resectable or relapsing pancreatic glucagonoma-associated NME.