Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog dies suddenly from heart damage after doxorubicin chemo
By Banco, B et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2011·Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sudden death in a dog after doxorubicin chemotherapy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old female German Shepherd suddenly died after receiving doxorubicin chemotherapy for splenic hemangiosarcoma, a type of cancer. The dog showed signs of heart problems, including an enlarged heart and damaged heart tissue, which were linked to the chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, the severe damage to the heart muscle was too much for her to recover from. This case highlights the potential risks of doxorubicin, particularly its effects on the heart.
People also search for: dog sudden death after chemotherapy · German Shepherd heart problems · doxorubicin side effects in dogs
Abstract
A case is reported of fatal cardiomyopathy in an 8-year-old female German Shepherd after standard chemotherapy with doxorubicin for splenic hemangiosarcoma. The main gross lesion was a moderate bilateral cardiac ventricular dilation with diffusely pale myocardium. Histological analysis revealed severe multifocal vacuolar degeneration of cardiomyocytes, myocytolysis, myofibril loss, myocardial fibrosis, and edema. Myocardial fiber vacuolization and myocytolysis were highly suggestive of doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20682807/